turkey lady is happy!
HAI TURKEY LADY! This is either Margaret or MaryLou, I'm not sure. She's a production turkey, although she would have been used as a breeder so she's smaller than "meat" turkeys (she'd ended up slaughtered, though). You'll notice her beak is funny looking (almost duck-billed). This is because her top beak was actually debeaked and then a weak replacement grew back (unusual, normally beaks stay de-beaked). The beak is fragile and will sometimes crack, chip or break off.
You cannot see it in this photo but she has been de-toed; that is, the first digits of all her toes have been cut off. This makes it easier for catchers clearing out sheds to grab birds without getting scratched.
All white breasted and many bronze breasted turkeys are artificially inseminated - they have been artificially selected to have a high feed conversation ratio to gain a lot of weight in a short amount of time. They can't mate naturally, they're too big. All turkeys are slaughtered when they are 16-24 weeks old. Margaret/MaryLou here is five.
I love turkeys like woah. I wish everyone had a chance to sit down and listen to them talk (and yes, they have an actual language, rudimentary as it may be). It would be hard not to appreciate these sensitive, inquisitive, chatty ladies. THEN YOU WOULD NOT EAT THEM! :)
You cannot see it in this photo but she has been de-toed; that is, the first digits of all her toes have been cut off. This makes it easier for catchers clearing out sheds to grab birds without getting scratched.
All white breasted and many bronze breasted turkeys are artificially inseminated - they have been artificially selected to have a high feed conversation ratio to gain a lot of weight in a short amount of time. They can't mate naturally, they're too big. All turkeys are slaughtered when they are 16-24 weeks old. Margaret/MaryLou here is five.
I love turkeys like woah. I wish everyone had a chance to sit down and listen to them talk (and yes, they have an actual language, rudimentary as it may be). It would be hard not to appreciate these sensitive, inquisitive, chatty ladies. THEN YOU WOULD NOT EAT THEM! :)