1998 SPPA Turkey Census Report

Submitted by Paula Johnson

Introduction:

I would like to thank the Society for Preservation of Poultry Antiquities, especially the current president, Craig Russell, who provided this study with essential support and direction. Secretary-Treasurer, Glenn Drowns and his wife Linda need to be acknowledged, for their hard work of folding, stuffing and stamping hundreds of envelopes involved in accomplishing the survey. I also want to thank Mr. Barry Kaoffler, who was very helpful by putting the survey on the internet; the web page brought in some breeders we would have missed. I additionally, want to thank the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, especially Carolyn Christman and Bob Hawes for their support and the information they supplied towards the research. Also, thanks are due to LaFrieda Coomes, who spent hours typing census information into my computer.

A special recognition goes to a zoo of excellence, the Columbus Zoological Park in Columbus, Ohio. Directed by Gerald W. Borin, this organization values the genetic diversity of many living things and thus provided the majority of the funding for this survey.

Purpose:

The purpose of the 1998 SPPA Turkey Census was to compile information so the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities and any other interested groups or individuals can make decisions that will have a conservation impact upon the vanishing flocks of Historical Farm turkeys.

Definition of subject:

The Historical Farm turkey is the domesticated turkey that was raised and produced by the majority of farms in North America, as well as in many other parts of the world, prior to 1950. These turkeys have desirable inherited traits associated with historical farming: They have the ability to mate naturally without needing artificial insemination to obtain fertile eggs; Their movements are not inhibited by excessive weight, therefore they can fly up to roost in trees; The hens are often broody, capable of hatching out a clutch of eggs without crushing them; They are also willing to defend their poults from danger to raise them to adulthood. Historical Farm turkeys do not require artificial conditions to reproduce and can produce excellent meat on good forage. This breed of turkey has many varieties, which come in an assortment of sizes and colors.

The Historical Farm turkey is not the modern commercial Broad Breasted White turkey that we buy at the grocery stores ready to cook. The Broad Breasted turkey, including the Bronze, needs to be artificially inseminated to produce fertile eggs. This breed cannot brood a clutch of eggs due to their weight crushing the eggs and they usually cannot fly up to roost in places such as trees. They need refined feeds with antibiotics and intensive farming to produce the expected weight gain for market.

The Historical Farm turkey is such a distinct turkey from the Broad Breasted turkey, that I take the liberty of declaring the varieties of the Historical Farm turkey a different breed from the Broad Breasted varieties. This is not the first time that the Broad Breasted turkey has been declared a different breed from the Historical turkey. In Turkey Management by Marsden and Martin, fifth edition 1949, on page 69, the author states, "This new turkey developed in the Pacific Coast States possesses a body type . . . distinctly different from that of other strains and varieties of turkeys and by virtue of this deserves breed status." A footnote to this statement points out the breed was, "Of English origin, being imported to North America from England in 1927 by Jesse Throessel, Aldergrove, British Colombia." This footnote is referring to the original flock that the Broad Breasted breed descended from.

However this breed distinction has been given no attention, and all domesticated turkeys have been considered one breed. A breed is defined as a genetic strain or type, having recognizable and consistent inherited characteristics developed and maintained from other breeds by human activity. This is exactly what has happened between the Historical Farm turkey and the Broad Breasted turkey. The Historical Farm Turkey has genetic traits that fit well with sustainable, organic, genetically open and less intensive farming types, while the Broad Breasted turkey has traits that fit modern, genetically controlled, intensive, monetary-based farming.

The Historical Farm turkey is a separate breed whose distinct qualities have caused it to fall out of favor by the big commercial producers. However, these distinct genetic qualities should be preserved for alternative types of farming and/or for genetic resources to the commercial producers for the needs of our changing future.

Process of the census:

Once support for the census was agreed upon, addresses of known Historical Farm turkey breeders were gathered from many sources including, the following: the National Poultry Improvement Plan 1996 Directory of Participants Handling Waterfowl, Exhibition Poultry, and Game Birds; the National Poultry Improvement Plan 1997 Directory of Participants Handling Egg-Type and Meat-Type Chickens and Turkeys' the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities Breeders Directory; the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Breeders Directory; Poultry Press classified advertisements; Feather Fancier classified advertisements; American Poultry Association Yearbook advertisements; Countryside Magazine Breeder's Directory; Country Journal magazin classifieds; Mother Earth News magazine Classifieds; and other printed sources as well as referrals from other turkey breeders. Once the addresses were gathered, they were typed into the computer to produce mailing labels.

In the meantime, a survey was typed up, reviewed and finalized. The census included an area for the turkey breeder to record addresses of other turkey breeders that may have been missed in the initial mailing. A cover letter, the survey with a corresponding mailing label on it, and a self-addressed, stamped return envelope were sent out the third week of March, 1998. Approximately, 300 census forms were sent out in the first mailing, with additional smaller mailings going out in the next few months as new addresses came in on the returned census forms. As the census forms were returned, tally sheets were created to record the information. Once the printed census forms stopped being returned, a phone survey was initiated to contact those whose phone numbers were available but who had not returned a survey. Also, press releases notifying readers about the survey were sent out to 76 farm-related publications, resulting in only a few more responses. When as much information as possible could be gathered, the information was analyzed and the final report was written up.

Analysis:

The information gathered is not from a complete listing of everyone who breeds turkeys in the United States or Canada. It is impossible to believe that all Historical Farm turkey breeders were contacted, but most, if not all of the larger flocks were probably found. Only a couple of breeders who were contacted refused to cooperate. However, I do believe that the information gathered gives an accurate snapshot of the current situation with breeders who are not involved with the large commercial production of turkeys. I did not survey the large breeders of Broad Breasted turkeys.

At this point, only a few breeders in Canada have been contacted. The Canadian information is analyzed separately from the United States data. Further work must be done to give a more confident report of Canadian breeders.

Of the 340 surveys sent out in the United States, 139 were returned with the requested information. The response ratio is 41%, which is a good response for a survey. The survey responses included 31% of breeders who no longer kept turkeys. A phone survey of those who did not respond to the written survey, but who had telephone numbers available, resulted with only a few more current turkey breeders being included in the census.

There were 2,940 female non-broad-breasted turkeys recorded with 656 of these being listed as wild types. A total of 877 male non-broad-breasted turkeys were listed with 268 being wilds. This gives us a total of 3,817 non-broad-breasted turkeys, of which 924 (24%) are wilds. For those of us who are mainly interested in the Historical turkeys, the survey yielded 2,893 male and female old farm turkeys.

The average flock was made up of 41 birds with 30% being males. There were 52 breeders who kept more than 10 turkeys for breeding and 12 breeders who normally kept 100 or more turkeys (males and females) for breeding. Within the 12 breeders who kept 100 or more breeding turkeys, 3 raised only wild type turkeys. Approximately 10 people indicated that they usually kept more turkeys than they had at the time of the survey, but were at a low point and would have more breeders in the future.

The information that resulted from the 1998 census was then compared to a 1952 survey and then to a conservation standard. A well published survey for the 1952 Breeding Season in the U.S. by the National Turkey Improvement Plan of the Dept. of Agriculture, indicates there were 760,788 Historical turkeys with most of this number consisting of Beltsville Small White and White Holland. The Broad Breasted was listed with 2,302,573 turkeys. Thus, in comparing the two surveys, it is obvious that the Historical turkey numbers are far below the 1952 levels. I then compared the 1998 census information with a conservation standard. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC), which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of American livestock breeds, has derived a standard for conservation priority to use with poultry. The following definitions are listed:

"Critical" listing would be "Fewer than 1,000 breeding females in the United States, with five or fewer primary breeding flocks."
"Rare" category is "Fewer than 2,000 breeding females in the United States, with seven or fewer primary breeding flocks."
"Watch" level is "Fewer than 10,000 breeding females in the United States, with ten or fewer primary breeding flocks."

The ALBC consider "primary breeding flocks" to consist of more than 100 females.

I do not know under what circumstances this standard was chosen, but I will use it at this time with the information gathered about Historical Farm turkeys. When we measure the total females of all Historical Farm turkey varieties together (including crosses, but not including the wild females) against the ALBC's conservation standards, then they fall slightly above the cut-off for being "rare." There were 2,284 females with 7 primary breeding flocks. If each variety is taken separately and compared to the standard, then they all fall below the "critical' level.

The most numerous variety is the Bourbon Red with 782 breeding females in 4 primary flocks. The Royal Palm follows, with 589 females in 2 primary flocks. Bronze turkeys had 281 breeding females with 1 primary flock. Next come the Spanish Blacks, having 164 females and 1 primary flock. White Midgets had 119 females and 1 primary flock, followed by Slates with 108 breeding females and the largest breeding flock consisting of 50 hens. All of the other 22 varieties found had less than 75 females each, some with only 1 bird left. Listed in alphabetical order, the following names are the "primary" breeders having 100 or more hens of any variety of Historical Farm turkeys:

1. Cackle Hatchery breeding 23% of the Historical Farm turkeys consisting of Bourbon Reds, Royal Palms, Blacks and Slates.
2. Glenn Drowns breeding 5% of the Historical Farm turkeys consisting of about 18 different varieties.
3. Inman Hatchery breeding 6% of the Historical Farm turkeys consisting of Bourbon Reds.
4. Privett Hatchery breeding 16% of the Historical Farm turkeys consisting of Bourbon Reds and Royal Palms.
5. Shanks Hatchery breeding 4% of the Historical Farm turkeys consisting of Bourbon Reds.
6. University of Wisconsin breeding 3% of the Historical Farm turkeys consisting of White Midgets.
7. Wish Poultry breeding 6% of the Historical Farm turkeys consisting of Wishard Bronze turkeys.

This adds up to 63% of the Historical Farm turkeys being raised by 7 hatcheries. The other 37% are being raised by smaller hatcheries and backyard breeders.

Most large hatcheries advertising Bourbon Reds, Royal Palms, Blacks, etc., do not keep their own breeders.

Specific Data:

The following is a brief description and history, along with a detailed explanation of the census results of each turkey type listed on the survey. The percentages listed below include the wild birds, but not the Broad Breasted turkeys found.

Wild Colored turkeys:

When Europeans came to the Americas, there were 10 million wild turkeys consisting of the following 6 types:

Meleagris gallopavo silvestris -- Eastern Wild
Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo -- Gould's Wild
Meleagris gallopavo merriami -- Merriam's Wild
Meleagris gallopavo osceloa -- Osceloas Wild
Meleagris gallopavo intermedia -- Rio Grande Wild
Meleagris ocellata -- Ocellated turkey

It is the Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo or Gould's of Mexico that the present-day domesticated turkey is descended from. After hundreds of years of being hunted relentlessly, there were only 30,000 wild turkeys left at the turn of this century. Preservation efforts have improved the situation to 4.5 million wild turkeys now roaming the United States.

Not everyone agrees about what exactly constitutes a wild turkey in captivity. Some people say a truly wild turkey cannot be raised in captivity, and if it is being raised successfully, then it is not truly wild. A wild turkey will throw itself up against the enclosure in a panic trying to get away from perceived danger, usually killing itself or remaining too frightened to breed. Some people have made notations next to their listing of wild turkeys on the survey form stating "truly wild," which can have a two-fold meaning. For some people "truly wild" means the turkeys are wild in color and behavior (wild behavior also has it own variables), while for others this means their turkeys are wild in physical attributes compared to other so-called "wilds" in captivity. Still, others have "wild turkeys" that showed up on their farm, and now live there year-round and seem to fit in almost domestically. Whatever the definition of wild may be, the breeding of wild colored turkeys is being pursued by at least 18 people or game clubs for different reasons and under different conditions of domestication. Different levels of domestication and crosses with wild turkeys have been existing for thousands of years. The present survey data seems to show that this is still true even though at this time in history, it is probably the lowest level for turkey breeding on individual farms since the founding of the United States. The total wild turkeys being raised in captivity made up 24% of all the non-broad-breasted turkeys listed on the survey. Persons interested in wild turkeys, might read some of the published books about wild turkeys and the turkey hunting magazines out on the market. The magazines have some good articles on the differences of the wild subspecies, turkey behavioral aspects, as well as talking about the hunting of turkeys (millions are spent on the sport every year) and the achieving of a "world slam," which is hunting and killing all 6 subspecies of turkeys in the United States and Mexico. One wild turkey expert writes his articles in Turkey & Turkey Hunting magazine. He is Lovett E. Williams at Box 870, Cedar Key, FL, 32625. He packs his articles with lots of information and facts, but he does not know anyone who raises wild turkeys.

Eastern Wild (M. g. silvestris):

The Eastern wild turkey was first given this name in 1817. It is believed to be the original Thanksgiving turkey, but not the original domesticated species. Easterns were and still are the most widely distributed subspecies. Inhabiting all the Atlantic states, westward into the Great Plains. They are found in all types of forests, on farms, in valleys, along river bottoms or mountain ridges, as well as tramping through coastal swamps. They appear to be the most common type of wild turkey being raised in captivity. The Easterns made up 21% of all the non-broad-breasted turkeys that were located for the census. I did not try very hard to find the wild turkey breeders and still found 562 hens and 242 toms of the Eastern subspecies. Some of these calm Eastern wild turkeys that I see at the poultry shows bear strong resemblance to the old descriptions of the Nittany turkey. The Eastern wild turkeys have a wide band of iridescent coppery bronze with a distinct black band bordering the bronze and terminating in a broad edging of dark chestnut or dark brownish rusty color on the tips of their tail feathers. The average Eastern wild gobbler weighs 21.2 pounds. Easterns can be ordered from:

Duane Urch
Rose Gamebird Hatcheries
Seven Oaks Game Farm & Supply

Gould's Wild (M. g. gallopavo):

This is the subspecies that the domesticated turkey is descended from. When the Europeans discovered the turkey, it existed both in wild and domesticated forms. It is the domesticated variety that was taken back to Spain around 1500 A.D. to spread over Europe on farms, only to then be brought back to North America approximately 100 years later. It is believed that the Gould's was domesticated approximately 2,000 years ago by the ancestors of some of the following cultures known as: Mimbres, Anasazi, Inca and Mayan. The wild Gould's inhabit the high dry elevations of the Sierra Madre Mountains of northwestern Mexico. They are also found in small numbers in New Mexico and Arizona but are considered endangered and protected from hunting. Gould's have the largest skeleton of all the wild turkeys, but will not necessarily be the ones that weigh the most. Other subspecies will have an abundance of food that the Gould's sometimes lack in their region. Their most distinguishing characteristics is the white or cream coloring on the tips of their upper tail coverts and main tail feathers, and a body plumage with glossy greenish reflections.

No captive birds were found by this survey.

Merriam's Wild (M. g. merriami):

The origins of the Merriam's turkey seems to have an unusual history. It is thought that domesticated turkeys, brought to the southwestern area of the United States from Mexico by the ancient Pueblo Indians, were either allowed to roam free, escaped confinement, were abandoned when the Indians themselves seem to disappear or a combination of these possibilities. Whatever did happen, this Pueblo type of culture seems to have died out around 1400 A.D. but Merriam's turkeys survived and reproduce to this day. There is an excellent article by Lovett E. Williams, Jr., on this subject in the 1996 Winter edition of Turkey & Turkey Hunting magazine. The Merriam's turkey's most distinguishing features seem to be the whitish tipped tail feathers, shorter legs and a gobble that resembles the domesticated turkey rather than the other subspecies of wild turkeys. They are no longer found in Mexico, are abundant enough to hunt in the southwest, and have been successfully transplanted to other states further north in the Rocky Mountains. In the wild they survive off of juniper berries, acorns, pinon nuts, as well as assorted plants and insects. The average Merriam's wild gobbler weight is 20.7 pounds. There were a total of 70 hens and 16 toms being bred by 2 breeders found by the survey. That is a 2.25% of the total non-broad-breasted turkeys found. The following people may be contacted:

Cackle Hatchery
Clark Kidder
Oakley Game Farm

Osceloas Wild (M. g. osceloa):

Named after a Seminole Chief in 1890, this subspecies is only found in Florida's peninsula. They are smaller, and their primary feathers have white bars that are much more narrow and that do not extend to the shafts of the primary feathers as in the other subspecies. Their tail feathers are very similar to the Eastern wild tail feathers. They live in areas that have changing water levels from swamps to dryer forests. The average wild gobbler weighs 18.7 pounds. The Alligator is a unique predator of the Osceloas Wild.

No captive birds were found by this survey.

Rio Grande Wild (M. g. intermedia):

This turkey inhabits Oklahoma and most of Texas down into central Mexico. It was named in Texas about 1892. The Rio turkeys' tail and tail coverts are tipped with light cinnamon-brown to a buffy white color. This is an intermediate color between the Eastern turkeys and the Merriam's turkeys, as their scientific name suggest. Most of their habitat is open flat treeless areas and they will travel long distances for food, water and to roost in the small mesquite trees scattered about. They seem to live off of cactus, mesquite beans, and other vegetation. The average wild gobbler weighs 20 pounds. Roadrunners are a predator of any bird small enough to catch, and they will carry off turkey poults to take home to their own brood to eat. There were 18 hens and 6 toms found by the survey. The Rio Grandes made up less than 1% of the total non-broad-breasted turkeys found. The following people indicated they had Rio Grandes:

Marvin Roubal
Robb's Roost

Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata, used to be Agriocharis ocellata):

Only one person pointed out, on a return survey, that the Ocellated and Osceloas turkeys were different species. I had put the two names together as for one species on the survey, because I have seen and heard people use the two names interchangeably for the Florida sub-species osceloa.

This is a very unusual and beautiful turkey that inhabits the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and the only turkey found south of the Sierra Madre Mountains. They are difficult to keep in captivity and none are known to exist in any private or zoological collections in the United States at this time. The National Zoological Park in Washington D.C. had Ocellated turkeys in the 1950s and a few offspring were born. There have been reports of crossing them with domestic Bronze turkeys with the female offspring weighing more closely to the males at maturity. In their native area they are hunted year round without any management laws to keep them from being over-hunted. So far, there is not a major threat to the Ocellated's tropical jungle habitat and they do feed on the Mayan farms at the edge of the forest as the farms creep further into the jungle. However, since there has been little success in maintaining Ocellated turkeys in captivity, let alone breeding them, protection of its natural habitat and hunting management must be done.

Both sexes of the Ocellated turkey have bright blue, smooth, bare heads and necks with bright orange pea-sized carbuncles scattered over the head, neck and snoods. The toms have an extra erect appendage, similar to a small blue banana cut in half and the lower half of the banana stuck with the cut end down on top of a its head. The appendage leans towards the front of the head and none of the blue area changes color when the tom struts or fights. Neither the toms or the hens have beards, and the toms have long pointy spurs. The tom's tails are beautiful, each feather having alternating dark and whitish bands, similar to barring in a chicken feather, to the tips of the feather where a black band is divided by a bright bluish purple "eye" (ocellated) type area from another black band and a coppery red tip. The color rivals that of a peacock. The females are colored almost exactly like the males. Smaller than other turkeys, the toms can weigh 10 to 15 pounds. They roost in trees and nest on the ground, rarely flying. They breed in the springtime as turkeys in the United States do, even though their day length does not change much throughout the year. There is an excellent article by Lovett E. Williams, Jr., on the Ocellated turkey, with great pictures, in the fall, 1998 Turkey & Turkey Hunting magazine.

Crossed or Unknown Strain of Wild Turkey:

There were only 59 unknown or crossed wild turkeys being kept. Some had a very interesting history such as the Camille Fullington flock in Oregon, which is a flock of Rio Grande x Merriam's crosses with silver variants that show up. She was also the only one who pointed out on the survey that the Ocellated and Osceola turkeys were two different species. The Long Grey Line Farm in Alabama has a flock of turkeys that originated with Broad Breasted hens and a wild tom producing a cross that is "so much better" that the owner culls for the wild color and size but a "better breast." This free range flock often has some of its turkeys leave every year to join their "wild cousins in the woods." There were indications of how wild turkeys "hung around the farm," some people knowing what kind they were and others just enjoying them. Contact the following breeders:

Camille Fullington
Long Grey Line Farm

Nittany Turkey:

The domesticated version of the wild turkey, the Nittany, was bred for market use by Pennsylvania (College) State University in the 1930s. Selections were made for developing a docile temperament, improving egg production and increasing the quality of a finished carcass. Proposed standard weights were 20 pounds for a adult tom and 12 pounds for a adult female. These weights show the smallest sex differences of any variety of domesticated turkey. The Nittany's covert and main tail feathers are marked transversely with brown and black penciling, and tipped with a solid black band, which in turn is edged completely with chestnut brown. It seems to have lacked the coppery bronze band in the tail that is in the Eastern wild. Even though no one indicated having Nittanys on the survey, I believe it is very possible that some of the captive wild turkeys listed under the Eastern wilds are Nittanys or Nittany crosses with wilds. One interesting survey came in that describes his flock resulting from saving light-colored turkeys that are similar in color to Bourbon Reds, out of his original flock of commercially raised Eastern Wild turkeys. These birds are colored like Bourbons, but retain "all the wild traits" such as "thin necks, long legs, alert, intelligent and can fly." It is possible that they could be Nittany descendants? Contact the following:

Palmer's Bird Farm

Specific Data:

The following percentages were derived just from the Historical turkey numbers. The wild and Broad Breasted turkey census figures were not included unless noted.

Bronze Colored Turkeys:

Standard Bronze (do not need artificial insemination to obtain fertile eggs):

The Bronze name was first used in the 1830's for birds developed in Point Judith, Rhode Island. These birds were developed by crossing Narragansetts with wild turkeys in the area. From this strain, the Bronze variety was recognized and described in the first American Standard of Perfection in 1871. That is why it is often called the "Standard" Bronze vs. the Broad Breasted Bronze even though the Broad Breasted turkey is the commercial standard of today. The Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Association (APA), seems to have a standard for the Broad Breasted Bronze and the Historical turkey combined, which has contributed to poor judging at poultry shows. The Standard states in parentheses under the heading "Bronze Turkeys" "(Sometimes referred to in modern commercial terminology as Broad Breasted.)" This confusion is one of the reasons I have decided to call the non-broad-breasted turkeys "Historical". The Standard's weights for adult Bronze turkeys are 36 pounds for toms and 20 pounds for hens. Today's Broad Breasted toms and hens usually weigh much more. The average weight of Bronze Historical turkeys exhibited in mid-January at the Pennsylvania Farm show between 1932-42 were: toms 34 pounds and hens 19 pounds Some work is needed with the Standard of Perfection in relation to Bronze colored turkeys to clear up the confusion between the Historical Bronze and the Broad Breasted Bronze. The colors are still the same, with the tail and tail covert feathers being a dull black with parallel lines of brown, with the end of the feather having a wide band of copperish bronze followed by a narrow black band with the feather ending with a wide white band at the tip.

A total of 281 non-broad-breasted females were found, and 82 non-broad-breasted toms were found. This equals 13% of the total Historical turkeys reported making it the 3rd most numerous variety of Historical turkeys. If you are some one who raises Historical Bronzes, please do not stop raising them to start breeding another variety that is less numerous! We do not have enough breeders. More breeders are needed. Three named strains were found: Wishard comprised 70% of the Historical bronze; Kardosh yielded 7% of the bronzes; Pawlet Vermont made up 3%; and unknown strains finished out with 20% of the Historical bronzes listed. The following breeders may be contacted:

Bob Reese, Jr. -- Raising Kardosh strain for almost 50 years.
Michael Johnson -- Raising Pawlet Vermont strain for 30 years.
Wish Poultry -- Raising Wishard strain for over 50 years.
John Rathburn -- Raising unknown strain for 43 years when he started to get black colored ones two years ago. He is keeping the black ones as breeders, but these black breeders are producing black and bronze colored offspring.
Horan's Turkey Farm -- Unknown strain
Duane Urch -- Raising Kardosh strain

Broad Breasted Bronze (need artificial insemination to obtain fertile eggs):

Starting about 1939, the Broad Breasted Bronze almost completely replaced the non-broad-breasted or Historical Bronze. At the time, the Historical Bronze comprised at least 65% of all the turkey varieties raised in the U.S. However, even the turkey that comes to everyones mind when he or she thinks of Thanksgiving has lost his market. The Broad Breasted White has pushed the Bronze out of consumers' hands. How many of us think of a white turkey for the typical Thanksgiving symbol? Except for people who butchers white turkeys at the holidays, most people think of the bronze-colored turkey. We associate with bronze, but we eat white. This is a broad-breasted variety that is dropping in numbers because the carcass is not as "clean" looking and thus is not as desirable to the consumer. I did not really look for any broad-breasted types, but I still found 2,029 Bronze hens and 214 toms. Most are kept by "smaller commercial breeders" for feed store shipments and many end up as 4-H projects. Very few backyard breeders are willing to do artificial insemination. If some of the smaller commercial breeders do not continue to keep the Broad Breasted Bronze, they just may disappear as a broad breasted variety altogether.

White Colored Turkeys (only the Broad Breasted White needs artificial insemination for fertile eggs):

Beltsville Small White:

The U. S. Department of Agriculture started in 1934 with the following combination of turkey varieties to produce the Beltsville: Standard Bronze (2 strains); Broad Breasted Bronze (1 strain); Charlevoix (Canadian small-type) Bronze (1 strain); White Holland (4 strains); Black (1 strain); Narragansett (1 strain); wild (4 strains); and White Austrian (1 strain) a small-type turkey imported from Scotland specifically for this project. Seven years later the Beltsville White was introduced in 1941 and it was admitted to the APA Standard in 1951. Adults weighed 23 pounds for toms and 13 pounds for hens. They were developed to produce a smaller wide breasted turkey, but the Broad Breasted varieties took that niche when they could be slaughtered at an earlier age. A variety census of breeding hens and toms for the 1952 season in the U.S. listed a total of 588,225 Beltsville Small White turkeys. They were only second to the Broad Breasted Bronze with 2,302,573 birds. No Broad Breasted Whites were listed (even though they were becoming very popular at the time), but they did list 109,862 White Hollands. According to these records, the Beltsville was the most numerous white turkey at the time. Today, no true Beltsville Small White turkeys have been located. All of the turkeys listed as Beltsville Whites can be traced back to the University of Wisconsin which have White Midgets. There may be a flock of Beltsvilles in Canada.

Mini Whites:

This very small turkey was originally bred by breeding the smallest Black, Bourbon Red and Bronze turkeys together. They weighed approximately 9 pounds for toms and 6 pounds for hens. The last known flock went to auction in Texas about 6 years ago. None are known to exist.

White Holland:

I could not find any real specific historical information about the White Holland, other than it was admitted into the APA Standard in 1878. Some say it originally came from Europe, while others say that the European white strains had very little to do with the white sports that originated in the bronze flocks in the U.S. and went on to be called, White Hollands. It is the White Holland that was bred to the Broad Breasted Bronze to create the Broad Breasted White turkey. The same problem exists with the White Holland as with the "Standard" Bronze. The APA Standard states under the heading of "White Holland Turkeys" "(May be referred to in commercial terminology as Broad Whites or Large Whites)." Broad Whites are other wise known as Broad Breasted Whites weighing 23 pounds and up for old hens, and 50 pounds on up for old toms. The Historical Hollands weigh about 18 pounds for hens and 33 pounds for toms. The Standard calls for 20 pounds for old hens and 36 pounds for old toms. Some work needs to be done to determine if the Standard is for White Hollands or for Broad Breasted Whites. As for the present numbers of White Holland, a total of 22 hens and 16 toms were found. This amounted to 1% of all of the non-broad-breasted turkeys reported. Only 5 breeders are listed having 4 or more turkeys. The largest flock has 10 hens. More breeders are needed to keep this truly historical variety from going extinct. Please contact the following breeders:

Glenn Drowns
James Donovan
Jean Curtis
Craig Russell
Paula Johnson

White Midget:

The White Midget was developed by Smyth at Massachusetts in the 1950s for the smaller turkey market. An adult tom weighs 18-20 pounds and hens about 10-12 pounds Very similar to and often called Beltsville Whites (so they can be shown in poultry shows), they are a little smaller and not as broad-breasted as the Beltsville was. The White Midget has survived to this day due to the University of Wisconsin continuing their turkey program. The University usually keeps 100 hens, but this year it only has 80 hens. Dr. Bernie Wentworth, who runs the breeding program, will retire in the next few years. When this happens, the university will probably liquidate the only known flock of turkeys still left for teaching purposes, and the largest flock of White Midgets in the U.S. This very action by universities across the nation in the last 20 years (especially the last 10 years) has devastated the Historical turkey numbers. There were many types of small turkeys developed for a wide breast by the year 1950, even including small Narragansetts. However, other than the Royal Palm and some of the wilds which were not necessarily bred for meat, this is really the only small market type variety left for conservation. A total of 119 hens (100 at U. of Wisconsin was used in the census) and 42 toms were found, which is 6% of the total, or the 5th most numerous variety of the Historical turkeys. If you raise White Midgets, please do not stop breeding them to raise another variety. More breeders are needed. Please contact the following people:

Dr. Bernie Wentworth
John E. Pogirski
Duane Urch
Bob Reese, Jr.
Glenn Drowns

Broad Breasted White (needs artificial insemination for fertile eggs):

This is what you buy in the grocery store ready to cook or already prepared for you in over 20 different items such as turkey salami or turkey hot-dogs, etc. This variety started to take over the market in the 1950s and has been the major market turkey and number 1 consumers-choice for the last forty years. This breed has many strains or lines , some for egg laying, but most are different strains which are bred for uniform hybrids. The breeding hens weigh between 23 - 28 pounds and up, depending on the strain. The breeding toms weigh 50 pounds and up. The heaviest turkey weighed 86 pounds and was produced by a grower in England. I did not try to find any of the Broad Breasted Whites, but 3,000 hens still showed up along with 405 toms. These numbers are just the "smaller" breeders. About 300 million were slaughtered in the U.S. last year.

Assorted Colored Turkeys (do not need artificial insemination for fertile eggs):

Auburn or Light Brown:

This is an old variety that was listed in receipts when transporting turkeys to markets in "turkey trots" during the late 1700s and early 1800s in Philadelphia. They are sex linked and thus were important at the beginning of this century for producing poults that could be sexed at hatching. However, this did not become a serious market requirement and they never became very popular. A variant of the Bronze coloring, this variety shows a similarity in pattern but the black is replaced by reddish brown and bronze by light tan. Weights are the same for Historical Bronze. Only 17 hens (more recent counts have dropped this to 12 hens) and 10 toms which is less than 1% of the total Historical turkeys found. The largest flock had six hens and 4 toms, that has since dropped. More Breeders are needed. Please contact the following breeders:

"Joann's Poultry"
Glenn Drowns
Merle Daniels
Craig Russell

Silver Auburn:

This turkey looks just like the Auburn only a lighter or "Bleached out" version. Just 11 hens and 8 toms were found; thus they make up less than 1% of the total Historical turkey population. More Breeders are needed. Contact the following breeders:

Glenn Drowns
Merle Daniels
Craig Russell

Black (Spanish or Norfolk):

The Black is a very old variety, possibly the first variety to be developed. Probably some of the original turkeys taken to Europe were black. The Black turkey was very popular all across Europe, but especially in Spain and Norfolk County, England. I have been told that there can be two varieties of Black turkeys called the Spanish and the Norfolk. The adult Norfolk turkeys (in the U.S.) can have some white tipped feathers with pink toes and shanks. The British Poultry Standard of 1951-1971 calls for the Norfolk Black to have black shanks and toes with no white in the feathers. The adult Spanish Blacks are completely black with solid black feather, shanks and toes. I have kept two lines over the years and both adult strains had black shanks and toes, but one line had white in the feathers and the other had no white at all. The Black turkey was admitted to the APA Standard in 1874, and it is interesting to note, that the current APA Standard calls for the shanks of adult Black turkeys to be pink with no white in the feathers. Please contact me if your raise Blacks with pink shanks. Standard weights are 33 pounds for toms and 18 for hens.

The census resulted with 164 females and 47 males listed by 15 breeders. The Blacks made up 7% of the Historical Farm turkeys found by the survey. Only one hatchery had over 100 females with 105 hens and 15 toms. The next largest flock has 8 females. The Blacks number 4th in rank of the varieties with the most individual turkeys. If you raise Blacks, please do not drop them to raise another variety! We do not have enough breeders. More breeders are needed. Contact the following for Black turkeys:

Cackle Hatchery
Duane Urch
G & K Exotic Farm
"Joann's Poultry"
Mitizi Blankenship
Pin Oak Farms
Tom Richardson
Unicorn Woods

Bourbon Red:

This popular turkey is believed to have been developed from the Tuscarora Red turkey. The Tuscarora, or Tuscawara, was developed in Pennsylvania by selecting Buffs for darker color. The Tuscarora Reds were taken to Kentucky where their development was continued until the deep reddish-brown color of the Bourbon Red was finalized. At one time, they were called Bourbon Butternuts and/or Kentucky Reds, but the name or the variety did not become popular until around the turn of the century when they were promoted as the turkey from Bourbon County, Kentucky. The Bourbon Red was excepted into the APA Standard in 1909, and Mr. Barbee of Bourbon County, Kentucky had been given credit for its origin. Their weights are 33 pounds for toms and 18 for hens. It has been a popular breed for many years, and today it remains the most numerous of the Historical turkeys. The Bourbon makes up 33% of the Historical Farm turkeys. The survey had 782 females and 149 males recorded. There were 4 breeders with more than 100 females. Two of these breeders had 200 females each. This is encouraging, but they still fall below the critical list as put out by the ALBC. If you are a breeder of Bourbon Reds, please do not get rid of your Bourbons to breed a rarer variety. If you can add a new variety that is great! However, this study is not meant to reverse the current trend in Historical turkey breeding. Contact the following for Bourbon Reds:

Cackle Hatchery
Duane Urch
Bob Reese, Jr.
Glenn Drowns
Inman Hatchery
Privett Hatchery
Shank's Hatchery

Buff:

This is an old variety that seems to be known more by its connection with the history of the Bourbon Red. The Buff originated before the Bourbon Red and was accepted into the APA Standard in the 1880s. It was popular in the 1880s because the light colored feathers left a "cleaner" carcass. The Buff is suppose to have an even buff coloring all over except for white wings and a white tail with a buff band across the tail feathers. Due to the difficulty of obtaining an even buff color and the new popularity of the Bourbon Red, it was dropped from the Standard in 1915. It regained popularity in the 1940s and 50s, when it was being bred at the New Jersey Station to improve its reproductive and market qualities for a medium-small size turkey. Thus, the name, New Jersey Buff. According to records of the National Poultry Improvement plans of 1951-52, the Jersey Buff was the 4th numerous Historical turkey at the time with 25,031 being raised across the country, but mostly in California and New Jersey. Adult toms weigh about 25 pounds and hens are 14 pounds The survey turned up 45 hens and 17 toms which is 2% of the known Historical turkeys. There are 6 breeders, with the largest flock having 20 hens and the next largest flock with 12 hens. More breeders are needed! Contact the following breeders:

John Lewis, Jr.
Glenn Drowns
Paula Johnson
Tom Richardson

Chocolate:

The name describes the color of its feathers, shanks and feet. I can't find much about this variety except that it use to be common in the south and in France. This turkey was well established in the southern part of the U.S. before the Civil War. The Civil War caused a great decline in turkey breeding through out the southeastern states and the Chocolate turkey never recovered to pre-war popularity. Being the same size as the Black turkeys, they are very rare with only 8 hens and 3 toms. This is less than 1% of the Historical turkeys. More Breeders are needed! Please contact the following breeders:

Glenn Drowns
Paula Johnson
Merle Daniels

Crimson Dawn:

This is a bronze colored turkey, but it has solid black wings with a pinkish cast to their feathers. This variety had disappeared until they started to show up in Bob Reese's flock of Kardosh Bronzes within the last two years. This is a sign that the Kardosh line is a true old type of Historical turkey. At the peak of the Historical farm turkey era, the flocks were diversified with variables showing up within the many attributes of turkey anatomy and reproduction, such as leg length, feather or skin color, egg laying quality, disease resistance, etc. The Crimson Dawn was known for its exceptionally long and broad breast (not as large as the Broad Breasted, but still able to mate naturally) as well as very broad feathers. I did not ask Bob how many Crimson Dawns he has, but he did say he should have poults for sale next year.

Bob Reese, Jr.

Lavender:

This beautiful pale blue colored turkey will breed true. The Lavender color can be produced from Blue colored flocks. Only one male was found. More breeders are needed.

Frank Bozeat

Lilac:

Lilacs are silvery blue with red flecking, wings are white and the tail has a wide band of red. This is an old variety that actually produces four color types. When breeding Lilac to Lilac, only 1/4 of the offspring will be Lilac. Another 1/4 will be fawn (tan colored), which will breed true. Another 1/4 will be red slate (slate with reddish tint and red tail), which will breed true. The last 1/4 will be a light bronze color. Just 13 hens and 11 toms were listed which makes up less than 1% of the Historical turkey population reported. The largest flock has 5 hens. More breeders are needed. Please contact the following:

Craig Russell
Glenn Drowns
Merle Daniels
Robb's Roost
Tom Richardson

Narragansett:

Early in the 19th century European strains (probably blacks) were crossed with the local wild turkeys in the region of Narragansett, Rhode Island. This local variety was the forerunner of the Narragansett and the Bronze types. The Narragansett color factor was refined and preserved, but the name was not used to distinguish the color pattern and type until after the Bronze was named in 1830s. One of the first varieties developed in the U.S., it has been very popular. Abraham Lincoln was sent 2 Narragansetts by the citizens of Rhode Island, who claimed the turkey was the best in the world. It was admitted to the APA Standard in 1874. In the 1930s, the Narragansett was the 3rd most popular variety behind the Historical Bronze with the White Hollands being 2nd. By 1952, they had dropped to only 2,576 being raised, (with most in Minnesota) and were far out-numbered by the Broad Breasted Bronze, Beltsville Small White, White Holland, Jersey Buff, Nebraskan and the Historical Bronze in that order. Today, a total of 60 hens and 27 toms were found amongst 12 breeders. This is 3% of the total Historical turkey population found by the survey. The largest flock has 20 hens. They were well known for their excellent quality of meat, good egg production, broodiness and a calm disposition. Narragansetts are similar to Bronze, but the bronze color is replaced with a steel gray color and the brown in the tail is a tan color. A variant of this variety was called Silver Narragansett, in which pure white replaced the steel gray and tan colors. A breeder in Canada listed Silver Narragansetts on the census form. More breeders are needed. Please contact the following people:

Brad Myers
Bob Reese, Jr.
Bonnie Boyne Farm -- Silver Narragansett
Craig Russell
Duane Urch
Glenn Drowns
Mark Hess
S. Robert Powell

Nebraskan:

The Nebraskan is made up of different types; The Royal Nebraska, Spotted Nebraska and the Nebraska Royal. These are old varieties that would show up in flocks from time to time. One documented case was in 1947, when "a pied colored mutation" appeared in a closed flock of Broad Breasted Bronze. Starting with thirteen poults, R.H. Jandebeur of North Platte, Nebraska formed the basis of a true-breeding variety named the Nabraskan. It became popular because the white shafted feathers with black surface specking left a "clean" looking carcass. In the 1952 census there were 16,951 Nebraskans, (but it does not indicate if they were Broad Breasted). Therefore, ever since their surge in popularity in the 50's the old spotted or "pied colored mutations" have been known as Nebraskans. The Royal Nebraskan is an uneven blending of gray and black, also known as grizzled. The Spotted Nebraskan is white with buff spotting, or other coloring, such as the Blue Spotted Nebraskan. Finally, the Nebraska Royal is white with black spotting. This spotting or grizzling is not necessarily uniform over the entire body, with concentrations normally occurring on the back, and usually no spotting on the wings and tail. A total of 10 hens (3 are blue) and 4 toms were listed by two breeders. They make up less than 1% of the Historical Farm turkeys. More breeders are needed. Please contact the following breeders:

Craig Russell
Dennis Wischmeier

Red:

These are solid red colored turkeys with no white anywhere on their bodies. Varieties like this were mentioned at times in historical writings. A single pair were found. More breeders are needed. Please contact the following breeder:

Cletus Murphy

Royal Palm:

The Royal Palm (called Pied in England) was developed in the U.S. from a single male sport by Enoch Carson of Lake Worth, Florida in the 1920s. He had a mixed flock of turkeys comprised of Bronzes, Blacks, Narragansetts and Wilds. The male sport was mated to off-colored and unrelated Bronze hens. This produced Royal Palm females and off-colored males indicating sex-linkage with the Palm gene. The females were mated back to their father, the Royal Palm sport, and they have since bred true. This variety had shown up in Europe and was shown at the Sixth World Poultry Congress in 1936. The color is white with a narrow black tip on each feather. The black tip increases in size over the back of the turkey, giving the back the appearance of being solid black. The tail is white with a wide band of black towards the top of the tail feathers. They are considered by some to be the most beautiful of all the turkeys and are the 2nd most numerous of the Historical turkeys at this time. This turkey was ranked high for market value because of the white feather shaft leaving a "clean" carcass and its relative small size that the market was using at the time. However, about the time the Royal Palm made it on the scene, the use of slaughtering the younger Broad Breasted Whites for smaller turkeys was creeping into the small turkey market. Therefore, the Royal Palm was used commercially in localized areas for only a brief time. The Royal Palm is actually a pattern that can come in other colors such as Blue Palms and Red Palms. There were some Blue Palms recorded on the census. A total of 717 Royal Palms were listed by 33 breeders. The sexes numbered out at 589 females and 128 toms. This makes up 26% (including the Blue Palms) of the Historical Farm turkey listed on the survey. If you raise Royal Palms, please do not stop breeding them to start breeding another less numerous variety. The purpose of this survey is not to reverse the present Historical turkey breeding trend. It would not hurt to have more breeders. Please contact the following breeders:

Betty Kearns
Cackle Hatchery
Dr. Albert McGraw
Duane Urch
Ed Benhardt
G & K Exotic Farm
Glenn Drowns (also has Blue Palms)
John Pogirski
Privett Hatchery
Tracy Vetter
Unicorn Woods

Slate or Blue Slate:

This variety is very interesting, and I will attempt to explain what can happen in breeding this color. First, I will try to define each color that occurs. A Slate is also called Splash and is slate or ashy blue with specks of black scattered over the feathers. The Blue is more of a solid, dull, grayish-blue with the hens a lighter bluish gray. The Black is just that, black. When breeding Blue to Blue, the results are turkeys of three different colors: Slate, Blue, and Black. When breeding Slate to Slate, the results are just Slates and Slates will breed true. When breeding the Blue to Black, both Blues and Blacks result with no Slates. When breeding the Black to Black, just Blacks result which breed true. This variety was not used on a large corporate basis, but was one of the colors that was used by farmers to distinguish a flock of turkeys from a neighbor's flock and, thus, did have a market value when more turkeys were being raised on individual farms than on large corporate farms. The survey found 108 females and 35 toms, amongst twelve breeders, which is 5% of the Historical turkeys. The largest flock has 50 hens. More breeders are needed. You can contact:

Cackle Hatchery
Cletus Murphy
Dallas Gilbert
Dennis Wischmeier
Duane Urch
Bob Reese, Jr.
G & K Exotics
Glenn Drowns
Joann's Poultry
Unicorn Woods

Other Colored Varieties:

The following is a list of varieties that have just a brief explanation, but still should be bred and need more breeders:

Chestnut: Just 1 tom was found and owned by Mitzi Blankenship.

Dark Brown: This turkey has a plumage pattern like the Bronze, but the black is replaced with dark brown. Just 2 hens were found. One was owned by Craig Russell and the other one was owned by Jerry Sturgeon.

Fawn: Remember that Fawn is produced by Lilacs and will breed true. Only one was found and it is owned by Merle Daniels.

Nutmeg: A pair was found. They are owned by Tom Horan.

Oregon Gray: One pair was found. They are owned by Glenn Drowns.

Wisconsin: A variety obtained in Wisconsin with 4 hens and 2 toms being listed. They are owned by Glenn Drowns.

Crosses: There were 48 hens and 21 toms that were crosses; this is about 2% of the non-broad-breasted turkeys. Most of the crosses were Wilds crossed with Wilds. But, there were Wilds x Royal Palms, Wilds x Bronzes, Bourbon Reds x Royal Palms (which will eventually produce Red Palms), and Slate x Bourbon Red. The majority of these crosses were accidents, but then the breeder went ahead and worked with the line to achieve a goal. Turkey genetics is very interesting and I'm sure that there are colors, sizes, patterns, etc. that have not been discovered yet.

Results from Canada:

A total of 6 Canadian breeders were sent a survey and 4 returned the form with the requested information. Of the 4 returned surveys, 3 were breeders of Historical Farm turkeys. A total of 56 hens, 33 toms and 11 poults were reported, which is a total of 100 Historical turkeys found so far in Canada. Much more work and research is needed to find more breeders. The varieties found were; Bourbon Reds (3 breeders with a total of 36 birds), Blacks (1 breeder with 16 birds), Silver Narragansett (1 breeder with 15 birds), Royal Palm (2 breeders with a total of 24 birds), and Slates(1 breeder with 9 birds). The 4th breeder raised only Broad Breasted Bronze (750 hens and 120 toms). A shipment of Chocolate turkey poults were sent to Canada this past summer, in hopes of starting a flock. Please notify me or the SPPA secretary of any Canadian breeders missed by the census. Please contact the following Canadian breeders:

Bonnie Boyne Farm
Fancy Feather Farm
IEP Poortinga

Conclusion:

In summing up this survey, it is apparent that the numbers of Historical turkeys have dropped drastically since the 1950s. Three varieties constitute over 72% of the Historical turkeys. They are the Bourbon Red at 33%, the Royal Palm at 26% and the Historical Bronze at 13%. The foundation of breeders is extremly narrow with 63% of the turkeys being bred by only 7 breeders in the U.S. Unfortunately, this compares to the U.S. breeding efforts of the largest land animal on earth. The breeding foundation for elephants in the U. S. has a little over 50% of the breeding cows in 4 zoos. I can understand a narrow breeding foundation happening with a non-native large mammal like elephants, but other than neglect and ignorance, there is no real excuse for this happening with a heritage treasure as the Historical turkey. The survey found 2,893 Historical turkeys (not including the wilds). Even if twice as many Historical turkey are in the U.S. than were found by the census, that is still a very low number for genetic reasons. Considering what a large country we live in and how one poultry show can have more entries than the entire population of Historical turkeys, we should be able to reverse this downward trend or at least stop the continued loss. Not only are the numbers low, but the trend over the last 40 years has been a steady decline, with the trend of decline escalating almost every year. In other words, as this survey took place, the known numbers changed, but more turkeys were eliminated as breeders than were raised for breeders, and more breeders were dropped this year than last year. One of the primary breeders listed, had 400 Bourbon Reds hens 2 years ago instead of the 200 hens they reported this year. Historical turkeys are shrinking in numbers every year. The last strongholds were with the universities, who kept Historical and Broad Breasted turkeys for teaching purposes. However, this foundation has crumbled and has virtually disappeared in the last 10 years. Only 1 university is left and it has just 1 Historical variety. In the past, universities would keep up to as many as 10 to 20 different varieties and strains. Some of the last known flocks have literally disappeared overnight when they were sent to auctions, never to be found again. It is now up to the backyard breeder on individual farms, where this all started in the first place, to keep the genetic diversity of the Historical Farm turkeys from becoming so narrow that we lose certain traits. Actually, the quality of some of the flocks are now showing signs of being inbred. This happens when crooked toes, weak legs, poor fertility, etc. start showing up on a regular basis. Over the last few years, I have ordered poults from as many breeders as I possibly could and some of these traits are becoming too frequent in the orders. A species can only take so much inbreeding. Turkeys can take a lot compared to other species, but even their numbers are getting too low for even average quality, let alone the high quality that was common in the height of their era.

If you raise Historical turkeys, you can not take them for granted and dispose of them, assuming you will be able to replace them at a latter date from another breeder. I know of a large hatchery that was almost liquidated over a divorce. Just because a breeder is in business one year does not mean they will be the next spring.

Projects:

The following are proposed projects to help reverse the downward trend of breeding Historical Farm turkeys:

A. An ongoing project of monitoring the status of the Historical Farm turkey.

This effort will involve a follow up survey every year to inform the members of the SPPA with facts of any changes occurring with the 7 primary hatcheries as well as other significant breeders. Accurate information is needed to best assess the turkey situation, and the breeders themselves are where the answers are. If you have any corrections, information to add, or just a name of a breeder, please let me or the SPPA officers know.

B. Notifying the SPPA if a decision is made to liquidate a turkey variety within one's possession.

Please notify the SPPA secretary so the flock dispersal information can get out to the members. It takes more time to get adult turkeys into other breeders possession, but at least the variety will not disappear at an auction overnight, never to be seen again.

C. Increase the number of serious breeders, and encourage the serious breeders to produce documented studies on the present flocks of Historical turkeys.

The over all quality of the Historical turkey is dropping, very few serious and knowledgeable breeders are left. If this project, to keep the Historical breed of turkey alive in the U.S., is to become long term and possibly sustainable, then we need more knowledgeable Historical turkey breeders. A breed club and possibly breed registration could encourage and promote a higher standard of breeding involving the Historical turkey.

Documentation concerning the Historical turkey's current qualities must be produced to enable breeders to keep or restore the specific attributes that distinguish the Historical Farm turkey as a separate breed. Facts concerning production and characteristics unique to the Historical turkey must be available, and up to date, to promote this breed for the growing organic and sustainable market in the U.S. The universities are no longer available to produce this information. Therefore, we must produce documentation involving aspects such as; performance and growth rates under varied pasture situations, disease resistance, egg production, and many other aspects to be reported. A committee within the breed club could direct and support these studies.

D. Promote the exhibition use of the Historical turkey.

To exhibit and compete in poultry shows is a reason for some people to breed and raise turkeys. Some people believe that the exhibition of poultry, as with any livestock, is a detriment to the breed. Which ever belief about exhibition is chosen, the fact remains that Historical turkeys need all the breeders they can get. The exhibition of Historical turkeys has declined as their numbers in general have declined. In relation to this decline, apathy towards the distinct breed qualities has resulted in neglect of a worthy standard and a blurring of the two turkey breeds has happened. Therefore, a project to revise and clarify the turkey section of the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection is needed to decrease the frustration that can come by exhibiting Historical turkeys under the present turkey Standard. When an individual goes to the trouble of raising and transporting a bird as large as a turkey to a show and to then have it judged poorly because, as one judge put it, "turkeys are only good for being broad-breasted," it makes one wonder about the whole idea of exhibition and competition with poultry. Chickens are judged for type and variety, not just how much meat they have on their frame, but Historical turkeys are too frequently judged in comparison only to the broad-breastedness of the Broad Breasted turkeys. The broad-breasted turkeys have become the market standard. Are the broad-breasted turkeys the APA Standard as well? This is like judging Plymouth Rock chickens under the Broiler market standard. When it comes to Historical turkeys, the American Poultry Association is allowing a significant amount of judges who are incompetent with turkeys, to discourage the exhibition and showing of Historical turkeys because the Standard for turkeys can be vague, confusing and misleading. Education in relation to the breed differences of turkeys is needed for the APA Committee on Standards as well as the Judges Licensing Committee to encourage the exhibition of Historical turkeys.

E. Historical Turkey Conservation Center:

A center dedicated to breeding, studying, educating about, and displaying the different varieties of turkeys for conservation purposes is needed. Therefore, an individual or organizational effort to obtain funding and land through grants, donations and fund raising would have to be initiated to start such a long-term project.