Enjoy these wild NJ turkey facts for your Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving week, and our thoughts are focused on turkey.

Now, there’s the turkey that you serve, which, of course, is raised for this very purpose. But there’s another kind of turkey that needs a better PR person.

The wild turkey.

At one point, New Jersey had very few, but now they number in the tens of thousands. These wild turkeys have made news for being uncontrollable monsters. They’ve pretty much taken over some towns at one point or another.

Yikes.

Remember when those wild turkeys had the mailman pinned down, and he couldn’t get out of his jeep? They were so nasty he had to call the police.

From the 911 call:

You're not going to believe this, but I got a carrier being attacked by wild turkeys who won't let him deliver the mail," the Hillsdale postmaster said. "This has been going on. It's crazy. They're attacking, biting, they chase the trucks, everything.

Or what about when a 55-plus community in Toms River had a massive problem with aggressive wild turkeys pecking at roofs, smashing people’s windows, damaging cars, and chasing after any person who tried shooing them away?

So, while the turkey that you’re serving is born and raised for that plump, juicy purpose, these wild turkeys are a whole other matter. They’re nothing to mess with.

May none of this chaos visit your doorstep this Thanksgiving weekend. Meanwhile, here are some crazy wild turkey facts for the holiday.

Wild turkeys are fast, so don’t mess with them. On foot, they can run 18 mph. In flight, 50 mph.

This is where every WKRP fan has to quote, “God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

Do you think your uncle is a monster at the holiday table? Baby turkeys glom down insects like they’re candy until they are a month old. Yuck!

An adult turkey has between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers. More than RuPaul.,/em>

You think turkeys only gobble, but they also cluck and they even purr. Here turkey, turkey turkey.

You can tell the age and sex of a turkey by their... well… droppings. A male turkey’s is J-shaped, and a female’s is spiral. Also, the bigger the diameter, the older the turkey.
Here’s hoping the only wild turkey you deal with this holiday comes in a bottle with a trademark after it.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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