Turkeys steal the show on Thanksgiving tables across the country each fall, but how much do you know about the iconic American bird?
Brush up on your knowledge of North Carolina’s turkey industry with these fascinating North Carolina turkey facts:
148,350 jobs are created by the poultry industry in North Carolina.
More than 5,700 N.C. farm families produce poultry and eggs.
Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey to the bald eagle, calling it “much more respectable,” and tried to make it the national bird.
Animals & Livestock
What Do You Call a Baby Turkey?
Turkeys can see better than humans.
Poultry is the No. 1 agricultural commodity in North Carolina.
North Carolina ranks No. 2 in the nation for turkey production and No. 3 for total poultry production.
In 2022, the state raised 28 million head of turkey.
The state’s turkey sector was valued at $1.1 billion in 2022.
In 2022, North Carolina produced more than 1.03 billion pounds of turkey meat, the most in the nation.
Sampson County leads the state in turkey production, followed by Wayne and Union counties.
The average American consumes 15.3 pounds of turkey per year.
Facts & Stats
Farm Facts: Pecans
More than 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.
The United States is the world’s largest turkey producer and the No. 1 exporter of turkey products.
Male turkeys are called toms, female turkeys are called hens and baby turkeys are called poults.
The USDA estimates that more than 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.
Sources: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA Economic Research Service, National Turkey Federation, North Carolina Poultry Federation
