Gobble Gobble

By Tracy Astle

Hopefully you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, which, now that I think of it, is kind of a funny thing to say since if we consider what this holiday is about then it will automatically be lovely. How can someone ponder all they have to be grateful for and not have a good day? Not possible.

Anyway...

I think I can safely say that during the holiday season turkeys are probably on our minds more than usual, so I thought I'd share some things to help us to show some love for our turkey sandwiches and soups.

TURKEY FUN FACTS

Turkeys can see in color but have poor night vision. - So be sure to sneek up on them after dark.

Wild turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. - And on such short legs!

Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey. - But you probably already knew this.

Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon. - Sounds like our Thanksgiving feeding schedule, doesn't it?

Turkeys spend the night in trees. - I think this is funny. I don't know why. Maybe just picturing such a big bird in a tree. I know. I'm weird. 

The fleshy growth under a turkey’s throat is called a wattle.

Turkeys have a long, red, fleshy area called a snood that grows from the forehead over the bill.

The caruncle is a red-pink fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of the turkey. - Wattle, snood and caruncle-gotta love turkey related words?

Israelis eat the most turkeys.....28 pounds per person. - Yikes, who knew?

For their first meal on the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin ate roast turkey in foil packets. - Worthy of giving thanks to be sure.

June is National Turkey Lover’s Month. - Not November? Those crazy turkey loving people!

Turkey breeding has caused turkey breasts to grow so large that the turkeys fall over. - How's that for a good visual? I know, I know, kind of sad...but still funny.

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. - Poor turkeys.

Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly. - But they're good at falling over, apparently.

A 16 week old turkey is called a fryer. A five to seven month old turkey is called a young roaster and a yearling is a year old. Any turkey 15 months or older is called mature. - Now we can read grocery store labeling more intelligently.

Nineteen million turkeys are eaten each Easter.

Twenty-two million turkeys are eaten each Christmas.

Forty-five million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving. - Oh dang.

Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour. - Don't tick them off. They could chase you down, even if you're in your car!

The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog. - Pictures please!

Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining. - Are there turkeys that look up in the rain?

Turkeys’ heads change colors when they become excited. - Like many bald men I know.

Tom turkeys have beards. This is black, hairlike feathers on their breast. Hens sometimes have beards, too. - I wonder if the hens bleach or wax theirs.

And if you've read this whole list, you can now claim the title of Turkey Expert.

Your certificate stating this should arrive in 6-8 weeks.

Happy holiday season!