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| Black Turkey Foraging. Turkeys are a big help getting rid of unwanted bugs in the yard. |
The ancestor of the domestic turkey is the North American
wild turkey. Like other domestic
livestock, wild turkeys were suited for domestication by their tolerance for
living in close proximity with humans,
flexible diet, and long reproductive season. Wild turkeys from Mexico (Meleagris gallopavo subspecies gallopavo) were domesticated by the precontact
native cultures before 180AD. These
turkeys were transported in the 1500’s to Europe and several varieties were
developed. European varieties returned
to North America in the 17th and 18th centuries with
settlers, and from them our current domestic varieties were developed. The Mexican progenitor of the domestic turkey
and many of the early European varieties are extinct.
Turkeys were common on farms in colonial America for
domestic use and were transported by ship to many markets. On early farmsteads some breeders crossed
domestic turkeys with wild turkeys, probably the Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris). Recent DNA studies, however, show minimal
contribution of wild turkeys to the domestic turkey genome, so the hybrids were
probably crossed back to the domestic varieties for improved temperament and
productivity.
Specialized varieties of turkeys were developed by selecting
for local adaptation, color, growth, and temperament, and these varieties were named
for the region where they were developed and their color. Eight varieties of American turkeys are
recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA), Black, Bourbon Red,
Standard Bronze, Narragansett, Royal Palm, Slate, White Holland, and Beltsville
Small White. Two additional varieties
developed in the mid to late 20th century are now used widely in
commercial production, the Broad Breasted White and the Broad Breasted
Bronze. Of the eight APA recognized
varieties, five were well established by the 1870s when standards were created
– these are the Black, Bronze, Narragansett, Slate, and White Holland. Documented history indicates that these
varieties likely originated in the 1700’s.
The domestic turkey is a single breed with the different
varieties defined primarily by plumage color and conformation. DNA studies comparing 5 heritage varieties
(Narragansett, Black, Bourbon Red, Royal Palm, and Slate) found them to be very
closely related to each other and to the more populous broad breasted white
(commercial turkey), consistent with their documented history and their
treatment as a single breed.
Heritage turkey numbers declined rapidly after development
of the Broad Breasted White. A census by The Livestock Conservancy in 1997 found only 1330 breeding
birds of all varieties combined. Through
promotion efforts and growing interest in locally produced food, these numbers have
increased and most varieties are out of immediate danger of extinction. Additional growth in breeding populations are
needed, however, to ensure the future of these historic turkey varieties.
The domestic turkey is a breed composed of numerous
varieties which have a long documented history in the United States and are
distinct from their wild cousins. The
varieties were standardized beginning in 1874, and DNA evidence shows that all
are closely related.
References:
Kamara, D., K. B. Gyenai, T. Geng, H. Hammade, and E. J.
Smith, 2007. Microsatellite Marker-
Based Genetic Analysis of Relatedness Between Commercial and Heritage Turkeys
(Meleagris gallopavo). Poultry Science
86:46-49.
Powell, R.E. 1990.
Turkey Husbandry in Virginia and the Chesapeake Regions 1750-1830. Colonial Williamsburg Research Report
327.
Schorger, A. W. 1966.
The Wild Turkey: Its History and
Domestication. University of Oklahoma
Press.
Speller, C.F., B. M. Kemp, S. D. Wyatt, C. Monroe, W. D.
Lipe, U. M. Arndt, and D. Y. Yang, 2010.
Ancient Mitochondrial DNA Analysis Reveals Complexity of Indigenous
North American Turkey Domestication. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Science 107: 2807-2812.
