Knowra Domestic turkey Domestic turkey The domestic turkey is a domesticated form of the wild turkey, raised chiefly for meat and eggs. Selective breeding has produced breeds with varied size, plumage, and production traits.
Meleagris : A genus of large ground-dwelling birds that includes the wild turkey and ocellated turkey. Domestic turkeys belong to this genus through their wild-turkey ancestry.
Selective breeding : The deliberate reproduction of organisms with chosen traits to increase those traits in later generations. It produced turkey lines optimized for body size, meat yield, and other production traits.
Turkey meat : Meat from domestic turkeys, commonly sold as whole birds or as processed cuts and products. Meat is the principal commercial product of domestic turkey farming.
Ocellated turkey : A colorful turkey species, Meleagris ocellata, native to the Yucatán Peninsula and nearby regions. It is a distinct wild relative, not the ancestor of the domestic turkey.
Animal welfare : The physical and psychological well-being of animals, including their health and ability to perform natural behaviors. Housing, handling, and breeding choices shape the conditions experienced by farmed turkeys.
Galliformes : An order of mostly ground-dwelling birds that includes chickens, pheasants, quail, and turkeys. Turkeys share this broader bird group with many other domesticated poultry species.
Artificial insemination : The placement of semen into a female reproductive tract by a method other than natural mating. It enables reproduction in commercial lines whose body size can make natural mating difficult.
Poults : Young turkeys, especially newly hatched or immature birds. Poults are the starting stage of flocks raised for meat or breeding.
Chicken : A domesticated fowl descended from the red junglefowl and widely raised for meat and eggs. Chickens are the dominant poultry comparison for turkey production and egg consumption.
Intensive animal farming : A system of animal agriculture that raises large numbers of animals at high production density. Much commercial turkey production relies on intensive systems that raise welfare and environmental questions.
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