Buff

Origin:   America

Category:  Forest and Field

Egg Colour:  Speckled

Sitter:  Yes

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 7-11.5kg. Hen from 3.5-7kg.

THE BUFF COLOUR

The origin of the Buff turkey cannot be definitely traced. Turkeys of this colour have appeared in every locality where turkeys have been grown. The French call them Chocolate, the English, Buff or Fawn, and in the American Standard they are known as Buff turkeys. Specimens with clean, clear plumage free from foreign colours are rare. This variety has a body formation and general make-up the same as other turkeys, the main difference being that the shanks and the toes of the turkeys of this variety are bluish white or flesh coloured. The plumage is a deep cinnamon brown, free from cream. The flight feathers and the secondaries are white and do not have any buff markings on them at all. The beak is light horn, the eyes dark hazel and the legs and feet are fleshy pink. 

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

• Standard-bred Poultry 1915. 

• 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.