Benjamin Franklin was one of those who argued passionately on behalf of the turkey. American per capita consumption of turkeys has soared from 8.3 pounds in 1975 to 18.5 pounds last year. Last year, 2.7 billion pounds of turkey was processed in the United States. Age is a determining factor in taste. A turkey under sixteen weeks of age is called a fryer , while a young roaster is five to seven months old.
Turkeys are the only breed of poultry native to the Western Hemisphere.
Turkeys have great hearing, but no external ears. Domesticated turkeys cannot fly. Wild turkeys, however, can fly for short distances at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. They can also reach speeds of 25 miles per hour on the ground. Turkeys sometimes spend the night in trees.