Slate or Blue

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 4.5-8kg.

THE SLATE

Note that there are differences between the American understanding of Slate and the Australian. 

COLOUR OF MALE AND FEMALE

Head (face, dewlap, caruncles): Red, changeable to bluish white. 

Beak : Grey horn. 

Eyes : Medium dark brown. 

Throat-Wattles : Red, changeable to bluish white. 

Shanks and Feet: Slate-pink in young birds; dull pink in adults. 

Plumage : Slaty blue, (lighter shades preferred); males generally a darker shade than the females.

Beard, black. Beard may be also present in females but absence is preferred.

The slate variety in Australia is the recessive slate (the Australian Heritage Turkey Society Inc).

For more information on plumage colour detail see the AHTS Slate Colour Page. 

Disqualifications

Feathers other than slaty or ashy blue, which may be dotted with black, in any part of plumage.

THE BLUE

COLOUR OF MALE AND FEMALE

Head (face, dewlap, caruncles): Red, changeable to bluish white. 

Beak : Grey horn. 

Eyes : Brown-black. 

Throat-Wattles : Red, changeable to bluish white. 

Shanks and Feet: Slate in young birds; blue pink in adults. 

Plumage : deep grey/blue feathers, free from black or off-colour markings.

Beard, black. Beard may be also present in females but absence is preferred.

For more information on plumage colour detail see the AHTS Blue Colour Page. 

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 Australian Heritage Turkey Society. https://turkeysaustralia.tidyhq.com; https://turkeysaustralia.tidyhq.com/public/pages/heritage-blue-turkeys

• Australian Poultry Standards 2nd Edition

• 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.