I heard that turkey's look up when it is raining and cause themselves to drown. I shared this tale with a friend of mine and he does not believe me? Does anyone have any proof? Thanks!
2007-03-22 15:18:13 · 11 answers · asked by wrangler_chick82 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
No they don't.
If they did there wouldn't be any wild turkeys because they would all have drowned.
I have family that have worked on a turkey farm.
However the chicks can die in rain storms because of hypothemia.
2007-03-22 15:20:42 · answer #1 · answered by Beef 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Well, domesticated turkeys do drown a lot. We've raised them and have had them drown in very shallow puddles, and it is a big problem if you have a duck pond.
I'm not sure about the rain, but they really drown easily and seem to have no sense of water danger and no ability to get themselves out of water if in trouble.
2007-03-22 22:31:28 · answer #2 · answered by Julian A 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes that's true. Only the white, domesticated, dumb ones though.
edit :: I can cut and paste too
Ok from U of ill.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/turkey/history.html
"
Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head
Turkeys are extremely curious creatures by nature. Groups of domesticated turkey have been seen standing in the rain with their beaks pointed straight up toward the sky. What are they doing? According to poultry research at the University of Illinois, it is unclear. Some turkey experts speculate that these birds are curiously looking at raindrops falling from the sky. Or could they be attempting to get a drink of water? We are still not sure! An old wives tale suggests that turkeys have been known to actually drown in this position. While this has not be substantiated at the University of Illinois, we do know that without guidance, some domestic turkeys do not know enough to come in out of the rain. If they are young and still covered with down instead of their true feathers, they are much more likely to suffer from exposure than from drowning. Not having enough sense to come in out of the rain may be an understatement in this situation."
2007-03-22 22:21:34 · answer #3 · answered by Wonka 5 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Tetanic torticollar spasms make turkeys stare up at the sky. They do it when it is raining and when it is not.
2014-06-30 14:43:27 · answer #4 · answered by winnie 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
FALSE!!! If you want to know the truth go to snopes.
Turkeys do not look up in order to "see" rain. Turkeys, like most birds, do not have binocular vision (i.e., the ability to focus both eyes on the same object); they have eyes set on opposite sides of their heads, a feature which gives them a greater field of vision and thus enables them more effectively spot potential predators. (On the other hand, birds of prey such as the owl need to be able to focus on their targets, and they therefore have both eyes set in the front of their heads to provide binocular vision at the cost of a more limited field of vision.) The notion that a turkey trying to see something above its field of vision would tilt its head backward is an anthropomorphization -- a turkey's eyes point sideways, so even if a turkey tilted its head backward, it would still be looking to its sides, not up. A turkey attempting to look at something above the plane of its normal field of vision will tilt its head sideways (not up) in order to bring one eye to bear on whatever it's trying to see.
The notion that a "dumb" animal would be fascinated by something as mundane as rain is another anthropomorphization. The concept of "fascination" requires a level of intelligence that even the smartest turkeys do not possess. Animals of this order react to a phenomenon such as rain in one of two very simple ways: If they don't mind it, they ignore it (as ducks do); if they don't like it, they seek shelter from it.
Nonetheless, this legend does have a couple of marginally-related aspects of truth to it:
Domesticated turkeys are not necessarily "stupid," but because they have been bred in captivity for so many generations, they lack the survival skills of their wild cousins: They're weak, they're fat, they're not agile, they can't run very fast, and they can't fly. All of this makes it more difficult for them to survive on their own in an unprotected environment, so when something unusual occurs (such as a storm), they tend to panic. Frightened domestic turkeys will usually run as best they can until they reach a corner or fence or some other barrier to progress, but even then they may continue their efforts to escape, piling onto each other and possibly suffocating those at the bottom of the heap.
Most domesticated turkeys are raised in confinement for the first several weeks of their lives, so it takes some time for them to become adjusted to living in an outdoor environment. If young turkeys encounter rain during their first few days outdoors, before they've "figured out" how to live in that environment, they can be much more vulnerable to accidents precipitated by panic or inexperience.
2007-03-22 22:23:06 · answer #5 · answered by unicornfarie1 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I know geese can drown in a large pail or bucket of water.
I lost two geese that way. They fell in while drinking.
Turkey's I don't know.
2007-03-22 22:29:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I worked with a young man who lived on a turkey farm. and YES they really do drown. Dumb birds.
2007-03-22 22:20:42 · answer #7 · answered by sweet1also 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋
the turkey is a stupid animal.
2007-03-22 23:54:37 · answer #8 · answered by Richard J 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Hm... it's quite new to me. Suicidal turkeys? Who knew...?
2007-03-22 22:20:15 · answer #9 · answered by Sharon 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
If they did there would be no turkeys.
2007-03-22 22:20:53 · answer #10 · answered by nvrrong 5 · 3⤊ 3⤋