Some children want a dog or cat to be their playmate every day. But some consider rare animals as pets. Many of you may find it unusual to have a pet turkey. But FYI, for decades, turkeys have been kept as pets. In fact, Abraham Lincoln’s son kept a turkey as the first pet in the White House because of his social turkey behavior.
Farm Sanctuary, an animal welfare group, has attested that turkeys are very intelligent and sociable animals. They can be compared to dogs when it comes to companionship and reliability. Former US President George W. Bush once noted in his 2001 Thanksgiving National Parade speech that keeping turkeys as pets is a generation-old tradition and recommended that it be continued.
There are two types of turkeys according to their breed and behaviour. One is wild turkey and the other is domestic turkey. Turkeys are those that are born and raised on a commercial poultry farm where they are only prepared for Thanksgiving dinner. They are fed pellets and other commercial industrial feeds. Domestic turkeys do not have the ability to fly as they are kept only in cages and fed and kept warm every day without being allowed to exercise their wings. They are not known for any intelligence abilities, unlike wild turkeys.
Don’t be afraid to keep turkeys as pets because of their name. Because of their turkey behaviour, some consider them pets. They are called wild turkeys because they were born in the wild and live in a natural way without restrictions on what they eat and do. They can fly because they are born free. Some believe that they are smarter than domestic ones, which is why many prefer them as pets.
It is also best to keep a male and female turkey in order to keep the turkeys happy and lively. Typical turkey behavior for a male wild turkey is chattering and squawking. They also devour and ruffle their feathers when they want to mate with a female turkey. They will spread their wings while gorging massively for the female to notice them. You will also notice that they will run back and forth. It is an additional attraction strategy to get the female. These are common indicators that a female turkey or hen is ready to mate. You will then determine who is dominant Tom and who is not. Generally, the dominant male turkey will be the first to mate, while the others will only try to get a mate when the dominant male is not around or looking.