Anyone ever seen a Turkey that was mostly White?

Deanmac · Post by **Deanmac** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:44 am

Now I am not talking about a Farm Bird.

I saw this hen many times in the school yard at the school I teach at in Haralson county.

She must had a lack of pigment situation, because she had black mingled in the tips of her feathers.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:28 am

I've heard of it occurring, but never seen one live.
Good pics of an unusual bird!

Crockett&boon · Post by **Crockett&boon** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:45 am

i have a uncle who turkey hunts in west tennessee and has killed and seen several he has one mounted looks pretty cool

flbuckmaster · Post by **flbuckmaster** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:07 am

THIS HEN PROBABLY HAS DOMESTIC GENES IN HER. SOMETIMES PEOPLE RELEASE DOMESTIC STOCK (OR THEY ESCAPE) INTO THE WILD THINKING THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE. DOMESTIC BIRDS CANNOT SURVIVE LONG BUT THEIR OFFSPRING (HYBREDS) OFTEN SURVIVE INTRODUCING THEIR GENES INTO THE WILD STOCK. OCCASIONALLY THESE GENES SHOW UP WITH WHITE COLORING IN THE FEATHERS.
JAY

mtbyak · Post by **mtbyak** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:12 am

I have heard of it, but never seen one

I use to get the odd white one along the Saugeen River by Hanover (behind P&H foods/home of the butterball) years ago before they even had wild turkeys up there

But then they went & put a fence up around the place because of the workers threatening to go on strike & no more escapees

Shoot Straight
Kirk

Deanmac · Post by **Deanmac** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:15 am

flbuckmaster wrote:THIS HEN PROBABLY HAS DOMESTIC GENES IN HER. SOMETIMES PEOPLE RELEASE DOMESTIC STOCK (OR THEY ESCAPE) INTO THE WILD THINKING THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE. DOMESTIC BIRDS CANNOT SURVIVE LONG BUT THEIR OFFSPRING (HYBREDS) OFTEN SURVIVE INTRODUCING THEIR GENES INTO THE WILD STOCK. OCCASIONALLY THESE GENES SHOW UP WITH WHITE COLORING IN THE FEATHERS.
JAY

Makes sense,

I saw this hen over about a 4 year period, Once the adjoing property was clear cut they quit coming.

Woody Williams · Post by **Woody Williams** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:28 pm

That is called a "Smoke"phase turkey.

My son killed one in South Dakota a few years back. I'll see if I can find a picture of it to post.

Doe Master · Post by **Doe Master** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:48 pm

Here is a picture of a smoke phase .Afew years ago when I was at a release they the mnr released a smokie .

Golden Eagle · Post by **Golden Eagle** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:18 pm

Yes I have seen some white phase wild turkeys but have never harvested one. One place we used to hunt years ago, seemed like we saw 1 or 2 every season.

Cossack · Post by **Cossack** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:38 pm

I agree that is likely the result of domestic turkey genes in the flock. Or a recessive gene coming to the fore. Happens in most animals, deer squirrels, etc. The white gened animals generally ones don't last long enough to pass on the trait as white is not a protective advantage in this case.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:52 pm

Cossack wrote:I agree that is likely the result of domestic turkey genes in the flock.

I think so too. I don't mean to rain on Deanmac's parade by any means ... neat picture and a rare sight ... but that hen looks too heavy in the breast to be pure wild ... to me, anyway.

I know that it's not at all uncommon for people to let domestic turkeys run free in proximity to wild flocks.

In any case, it's a good photo ... don't see much of that.

Woody Williams · Post by **Woody Williams** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:00 pm

This is the one my son got in South Dakota.

As I undertand it the smoke phase doesn't have anything to do with being partial whiet domestic.

Lost of critters get funny colored from time to time.

I've seen some pretty neat looking rust colored wild turkeys

Woody Williams · Post by **Woody Williams** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:12 pm

From Pennsylvania

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view ... 6&q=152421

“Of the several unusual color phases, (melanistic - black, erythritic - red, and smoke phase - gray or whitish) the smoke phase is the most common. Interestingly, complete albinos characterized by pink eyes and pure white feathers, as seen in domestic turkeys, have not been reported in wild turkeys.”

From Mississippi…..

Color Phases

The wild turkey has three distinct color variations from normal plumage coloration: melanistic (black), erythritic (red) and albinotic (white). These color variations occur infrequently with the white or smoky grey phase being the most common.

Recessive genes or mutations account for the color abnormalities. Partially white turkeys are reported annually in Mississippi. Most people incorrectly assume these birds have a domestic strain in their ancestry. These smoke gray phase birds are native wild turkeys and are capable of producing offspring that are partially white, normal colored, or a mix of partially white and normal colored birds within the same brood.

More than 95% of the reported observations of white turkeys are hens. Evidently, the potential of occurrence in gobblers is extremely rare. The most unusual turkey we know of is a gobbler harvested a couple of years ago in central Mississippi. The bird had solid dark wing feathers and a solid brownish tail except for a black iridescent stripe about one inch from the end of each tail feather. The front half his back consisted of brown feathers with the remaining half being black. The spurs were whitish or cream colored. Mother Nature must have taken a day off when this genetic mutation occurred.

Cossack · Post by **Cossack** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:24 pm

Color variations are one thing. The bird shown has splotches which are not uniform. Therefore my conclusion that it's a piebald due to cross breeding not a color phase.

dick195252 · Post by **dick195252** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:19 pm

Neet looking Bird never seen one before