After hatching, the hen leads the chicks away from the nest within 24 to 28 hours. The young, called poults, cannot fly until they are about two weeks old. The female will brood the young during cold periods. The American Turkey is famous for its wariness. The bird can run at speeds greater than 20 miles per hour, and it can fly, in short bursts, at speeds greater than 50 miles per hour, startling a predator.
Turkeys have excellent vision and hearing.
If they possessed a keen sense of smell, they would be almost impossibly elusive. The Indians used the feathers in ceremonies, and they twisted and plaited the feathers with twine to form blankets. They hollowed out the large leg bones to serve as whistles. The Spaniards are credited with transporting wild turkeys from Mexico to Europe for domestication in the 16th century. European settlers brought domesticated turkeys back to the New World.