TURKEYS can or do they fly?

[MareeZoCool]

My hubby heard about an ol publicity stunt, years 'n years ago...... Some guy offered free turkeys to anyone willing to come & catch them. He got on top of a third story building, tossed the poor birds to the crowd. Then, most of the birds fell to their death. The guy's idea was for the crowd to catch, then kill, clean and cook their free turkey for dinner. He asked me to post this question & story. He's got a bet riding on yourknowledge of turkeys.

 

[Britney]

Wow!

 

[onthespot]

Heritage breeds can fly a bit. Broad breasted could not. I think the publicity person didn't know the difference. I doubt he meant to throw them to their deaths. Poor birds. Regadless, he should have been prosecuted.

 

[StupidBird]

Wild turkeys can buzz right past my car's windshield. That story sounds awful!

 

[ScoobyRoo]

Turkeys bred for the table may not fly at all. Heritage turkeys "iffy" I have some BR's and they don't fly. My black spanish turkeys would fly since we live on a slope. But it is more of a glide starting at the top going down. But being dropped off a building??? I doubt they could. The drop probably scared them into fright not flight.

 

[BigBadCryBaby]

That's an old joke going back a long, long time. WKRP in Cincinnati (remember that TV show?) Did a show on this, they used there traffic helicopter to do an aerial drop of turkeys and the turkeys were splattering on the ground. It was pretty funny...not the turkeys splattering, but the PR mess it turned out to be.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Being from a hunting familyt I can say this for sure aTurkey is kind of like a chicken it can fly but not like a bird it does the jump flap thing Like a chicken does they roost in the trees and when they come out they "jump flap" to the ground so they don't really fly but then a chicken doesn't really fly either, now for this story I am sure they "flew" and that only some survived because they were lighter and "flapped" faster.
So what is it that hubby has bet that they didn't fly or did fly because no they didn't fly they simply "FLAPPED" all the way to the ground.
Sorry dude but that is what happened.


Strange thing is I think I remembered when this happened (I THINK I DO)

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Wild turkeys can fly up into the trees pretty far. The domesticated double breasted turkey breeds are more like giant bowling balls. The big ones raised commercially can't even hold their own weight up on their legs sometimes. Heritage breeds are in the middle. Usually those turkey give-a-ways use the typical broad breasted turkey. I've heard of a place or two doing that, although it's mostly stopped now, because it's so cruel. From lesser heights, more survive and are just painfully injured.