Turkey is the main course at Thanksgiving meals in 90 percent of U.S. households.

*The average weight of the bird when purchased is 15 pounds.  

*The largest turkey raised so far was 86 pounds. But the biggest turkey feather–bearing fowl is Sesame Street’s Big Bird, cloaked in about 4,000 large feathers all originating from 45-pound turkeys.  

*Turkeys less than 4 months old are called ‘fryers,’ while those five to seven months old are called  ‘young roasters.’ 

*About 272 million turkeys are raised in the U.S. with Michigan as the leading producer.

November 2008 Newsletter