Know Your Dinner – Talkin’ Turkey – Dave’s Diary

The President pardoned one and Mayor Micah Cawley pardoned one too but most turkeys bred for the holiday will be making their way to a plate near you.  As you nibble, munch and destroy, here are a few facts about the stereotypical turkey you'll be eating on Thanksgiving:

Turkeys live in flocks, roosting at night in thick tree trunks.

• Male turkeys are called "gobblers" or "toms" and female turkeys are called "hens."
• Turkeys are polygamous -- one male has a harem of females.
• Toms attract hens by gobbling and strutting.
• Hens lay about 12 eggs at a time, which hatch in 28 days.
• Wild turkeys can fly at speeds up to 55 miles per hour and run at around 12 miles per hour. However, domesticated turkeys can't fly at all.
• Turkeys have 27 calls besides the gobble, including the "kee-kee," the "purr," the "yelp," the "whine" and the "cluck."