Bronze

The Turkey is native to North and Central America. They have been used primarily as a table bird and are popular all around the world. In modern times a larger and meatier commercial turkey is primarily produced for the table and the historic domestic colour varieties are kept by poultry fanciers and hobbyists.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Head long, broad, and carunculated (covered with fleshy protuberances). 

Beak strong and curved. 

Eyes bold. Throat Wattle large and pendent.

Neck long and curved back towards the tail, the top and most of the front carunculated.

Body long, deep through the centre, and well rounded; broad and full breast; the cock's beard long, bristling, and prominent; somewhat curving back rising from the neck to the centre and descending in a graceful curve to the tail; large and powerful wings carried well up and closely to the side ; long and drooping tail, the end almost touching the ground.

Legs long. Shanks stout and strong. Toes straight and powerful.

Carriage stately and upright.

Plumage hard and glossy.

Approx Weight Cock from 11-18kg. Hen from 6-12kg.

THE BRONZE

Beak: horn. 

Eyes: dark hazel.

Head as in the Black. 

Legs and Feet: black in young birds, of a pink hue or flesh in adults.

Plumage of the Cock. Neck light brilliant bronze. Beard black. Back light brilliant bronze, each feather terminating in a narrow black band extending across the end. Breast dark brilliant bronze. Body black, shaded with bronze, but not as brilliant as that of the breast. Wings: bows black with a brilliant bronze or green lustre ; coverts rich bronze, the feathers terminating in a wide black band, and forming a broad bronze band across the wings when folded, and separated from the primaries by a glossy black ribbon-like mark formed by the ends of the coverts; primaries black or dark brown, pencilled across with bars of white or grey, the more evenly and regularly the better ; secondaries similar to the primaries, the colours changing to a bronze brown as the middle of the back is approached, but with little admixture of white ; an edging of white or brown on the primaries or secondaries is very objectionable. Tail dull black, each feather regularly pencilled with narrow bands of brown, ending in a broad black band with a wide edging of dull white or grey, the coverts dull black or dark brown, each feather regularly pencilled with narrow bands of brown, ending in a wide black and bronze band extending across the feather, with a wide edging of white or grey. (Note. The more distinct the colours throughout the whole plumage the better.)

Plumage of the Hen. Similar to that of the cock (but not as brilliant nor as clearly defined) except an edging of white on the feathers of the back, breast, body, and wing-bows, the edging to be narrow in front and to widen gradually as it approaches the rear.

SERIOUS DEFECTS

• Wry tail;

• Crooked breast bone;

• Any other deformity.

• In the Black, feathers of any other colour; cocks less than 20 lb., and hens less than 12 lb.

• In the Bronze, white feathers in any part, clear brown or black wings or minus white or grey bars more than one-half the length of the primaries, clear black, brown or grey back tail or tail-coverts ; cocks less than 30 lb., and hens less than 18 lb.

• In the White, any coloured feathers, other than white or pink-white legs; cocks less than 20 lb., and hens less than 12 lb.

SOURCES

• The Poultry club standards, containing a complete description of all the recognised varieties of fowls, ducks, geese and turkeys, ed. by William W. Broomhead. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009202629

• Extra information on turkeys can be found in 'Raising Turkeys' available for download at this link. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/24191#/summary

• The American standard of perfection, illustrated. A complete description of recognized varieties of fowls, as revised by [the Association at its 62d-67th annual meetings, 1937-42.] https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009169004

• The Australian Poultry Standards 2nd Edition.

• Trove: 12 Mar 1910 - THE AMERICAN BRONZE TURKEY. - Trove 

  • Kramer, R. (1926). Kramers Taschenbuch der Rassegeflügelzucht. 3. Aufl. Würzburg: H. Stürtz.