Bronze turkey facts for kids
A Bronze turkey tom
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| Country of origin | England |
|---|---|
| Traits | |
| Skin color | bronze |
| Classification | |
| APA | Heritage breed |
The Bronze is a special type of domestic turkey, which means it's a turkey raised by people. It gets its name from its feathers, which shine with a beautiful, shimmery bronze color. For a long time, the Bronze turkey was the most popular turkey in America. But around the middle of the 1900s, other types of turkeys became more common. Over time, the Bronze turkey was split into two main kinds: the Broad Breasted Bronze and the Standard Bronze. Even though they are a bit different, people often just call them the Bronze turkey.
History of the Bronze Turkey
Bronze turkeys came about by mixing turkeys brought from England with wild turkeys found in America. This mix created a bird that was bigger and stronger than the turkeys from Europe. It was also calmer than wild turkeys, making it easier to raise.
The Bronze turkey type was first created in the 1700s. However, it wasn't called "Bronze" until the 1830s. A specific group of these turkeys in Rhode Island was named the Point Judith Bronze. Soon, the name "Bronze" was used for the whole breed. In England, they were sometimes called the Cambridge Bronze, but that name also became simply "Bronze".
Broad Breasted vs. Standard Bronze
The Bronze turkey was officially recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1874. This meant it had a set of rules for what a perfect Bronze turkey should look like.
Later, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, some Bronze turkeys were chosen because they grew much larger. These bigger birds were called the Broad Breasted Bronze. This helped tell them apart from the original type, which was bred to the official rules. The original type became known as the Standard Bronze (or Unimproved Bronze).
Besides their size, the feathers of the Standard Bronze are usually lighter and shinier. Both types have brown feathers with hints of copper and blue-green. Their feathers look a lot like those of a wild turkey.
The Broad Breasted Bronze became very popular in the turkey farming business for about 20 years. But then, the Broad Breasted White turkey became the most popular choice. Because of their large size, Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys often need human help to have babies.
The Standard Bronze turkey can still have babies naturally. This is one reason why it's considered a heritage turkey. Heritage turkeys are older breeds that keep their natural traits.
Protecting the Bronze Turkey
Today, both the Standard and Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys are on a list of animals that need protection. The Standard Bronze is listed as "Critical," meaning there are very few of them left. The exact number of Broad Breasted Bronzes is not fully known. The Standard Bronze has also been added to the Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste. This is a list of special heritage foods that are in danger of disappearing forever.
