The Buff or Jersey Buff is a breed of

domestic turkey The domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo domesticus) is a large fowl, one of the two species in the genus '' Meleagris'' and the same species as the wild turkey. Although turkey domestication was thought to have occurred in central Mesoamerica a ...

named for its

buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional ...

-colored plumage.

History

Accepted into the

Standard of Perfection The ''American Standard of Perfection'' is the official breed standard for the poultry fancy in North America. First published in 1874 by the American Poultry Association, the ''Standard of Perfection'' (commonly referred to as "the ''Standard''" ...

by the

American Poultry Association The American Poultry Association (APA) is the oldest poultry organization in the North America. It was founded in 1873, and incorporated in Indiana in 1932. The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in respo ...

in 1874, the original strain of Buff turkey was used in the development of the

Bourbon Red The Bourbon Red is a breed of domestic turkey named for its unique reddish plumage and for Bourbon County, Kentucky. The breed standard indicates that mature Bourbon Red toms (males) weigh , and mature hens (females) weigh . The breed standard ...

breed, but had died out entirely by the early 20th century. This was partly due to the difficulty in

selectively breeding Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant mal ...

the proper color pattern, and also to the rise of new commercial breeds on the market. In the 1940s, interest in a buff turkey was revived, and a new strain of the breed — called the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Buff after where it was developed — was created. Still, the

Broad Breasted White The Broad Breasted White is commercially the most widely used breed of domesticated turkey. These birds have shorter breast bones and larger breasts, sometimes rendering them unable to breed without human assistance (typically via artificial insem ...

continued to edge out all other

heritage turkey A heritage turkey is one of a variety of strains of domestic turkey which retains historic characteristics that are no longer present in the majority of turkeys raised for consumption since the mid-20th century. Heritage turkeys can be different ...

breeds like the Buff, and today is critically endangered, according to the

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds, also known as "h ...

. It has also been included in

Slow Food USA Slow Food is an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking. It was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 and has since spread worldwide. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and reg ...

Ark of Taste The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distin ...

. The breed is most popular in the U.S., but is also found in the U.K. and Australia.

Characteristics

The Buff has a very light or reddish brown plumage, which is its defining characteristic. A trait that drew interest from breeders is the fact that the lighter feathers of the breed present an easier, cleaner carcass. However, it has not been aggressively selected for production characteristics, and is thus significantly smaller than many modern breeds. Young toms weigh around 21 pounds and mature hens weigh roughly 12 pounds.

References

Turkey breeds originating in the United States Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist {{poultry-stub

History

Characteristics

See also

References