Norfolk Black Turkey
The Norfolk black turkey, also called the Black Norfolk or simply Norfolk Black, is a British heritage turkey associated with East Anglia. Black domestic turkeys reached Britain through early European trade and were refined around Norfolk for market and farm use. The classic bird has glossy black plumage with a greenish sheen, dark young shanks that may lighten with age, and a traditional table-turkey build rather than the extreme breast size of modern commercial strains. Related black turkeys have influenced stock on both sides of the Atlantic.
Norfolk Blacks are kept by rare-breed farms, smallholders, and exhibition breeders interested in slow-grown meat and historic poultry. They need more time to finish than industrial white turkeys, but good lines can range actively and mate naturally. Management should give them dry shelter, secure night roosts, and pasture or yards that are not allowed to become muddy. Breeding programs select for deep black feathering, sound legs, width, fertility, and steady temperament. When buying, ask whether the birds are true Norfolk Black stock or general black-colored turkeys.
Colors: Black, Blue Slate, Bourbon Red, Bronze, Buff, Chocolate, Mottled, Narragansett, Penciled, Pied, Red Bronze, Royal Palm, Slate, White
