Fun Facts About The TurkeyFun Facts About The Turkey

Thanksgiving and turkey have become synonymous. But there's a lot more to our tasty friend than being the main attraction at our nation's only official feast day.

•    Ben Franklin, in a letter to his daughter, proposed the turkey as the official United States bird.

•    In 2000, the average American ate 17.75 pounds of turkey.

•    The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.

•    A 15 pound turkey usually has about 70% white meat and 30% dark meat.

•    The male turkey is called a tom.

•    The female turkey is called a hen.

•    The turkey was domesticated in Mexico and brought to Europe in the 16th century.

•    Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour.

•    Wild turkeys can run 20 miles per hour.

•    Turkeys' heads change colors when they become excited.

•    Most of the turkeys raised for commercial production are White Hollands.

•    It takes 75-80 pounds of feed to raise a 30 pound tom turkey.

•    A domesticated male turkey can reach a weight of 30 pounds within 18 weeks after hatching.

•    Forty-five million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving.

•    Twenty-two million turkeys are eaten each Christmas.

•    Nineteen million turkeys are eaten each Easter.

•    Male turkeys gobble. Hens do not. They make a clicking noise.
 
•    Turkeys have heart attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks.

•    The five most popular ways to serve leftover turkey is as a sandwich, stew or soup, salad, casserole and stir-fry.

Have a great Thanksgiving!