Roots & Shoots Talks Turkey
at Burton Campus
by Mary Jo Maxwell
November 14, 2007
On Wednesday, November 14th, Roots & Shoots members at the Burton Campus learned a little bit about the bird that will be making an appearance at most families homes next Thursday. Forty-seven members of the club met to hear Mr. McDermott, father of Abby and Lexi McDermott, who is the President of the Wild Turkey Federation. His job as president is to inform people about the wild turkey and its place in nature. Turkeys originally begin their decline due it market hunting and the cutting of their forest.
Mr. McDermott brought two stuffed wild turkeys that he used to demonstrate the features of the wild turkey. He explained the difference between Toms and hens. He went over the wild turkey life cycle. He described where hens nest and how they lay eggs. Wild turkeys lay on the average one egg a day for 10-12 days. After laying the final egg, the hen will begin to incubate the eggs to the appropriate temperature. This is one of nature's ways to ensure that all the eggs hatch at the same time. Incubation period is between 27 and 29 days. About 38 hours after the first egg hatches, the eggs will all hatch out. Upon hatching, the turkeys will travel about a mile away from the nesting sight so throw off the track of predators. The male turkeys are segrated from the family, they do not have a "family" life together once the turkeys have mated.
90% of the diet for the first year of a turkey's life is bugs! Within about 10 to 14 days after hatching, the turkeys are able to fly. As they weeks pass, they will fly higher and higher. After about three weeks, they begin to be independent and roost in trees. Only half of the turkeys that are hatched will reach the first year of life. Ohio's survival rate is currently on 10%.
Turkeys are opportunistic birds. If they can swallow something, they will eat it. They are predominately vegetarian. They like acorns, wild fruits, and nuts. Turkeys need several other things in order to survive. They must have good ground cover and a place to roost. They need on average at least two water sources. Because they don't sweat, they need plenty of cool water to cool their temperature.
There are many interesting facts about turkeys. They don't sweat and they hear and see better than humans. When they are flying, they can reach speeds of 50 miles per hour. They can reach 19 to 20 miles an hour when running. They have powerful legs because they jump in order to take off from the ground. The life span of a wild turkey is 2-3 years on the average. In the past forty years, the turkey population has risen from about 30,000 to seven million nation wide. This is considered the most successful reintroduction of a species. Turkeys can be found in 48 states, predominately in the midwest. Missouri and Pennsylvania currently have the largest turkey populations.
The members were very interested in the information Mr. McDermott shared. They asked many intelligent questions and were very respectful during the presentation.
Roots & Shoots members approved last months minutes. The food drive is going well and people can continue to drop off items until Dec. 7th. The Sponsor A Family for the holidays is also going well. We want to thank everyone who is helping us in these two endeavors. Roots & Shoots will also be selling candy canes in December during lunch periods. The next meeting will be held on December 17th, with the possibility of an earlier meeting in December to be announced.
