Blue Slate

The Blue Slate turkey, often shortened to Slate and sometimes called lavender in lighter birds, is a heritage color variety of domestic turkey. Its plumage runs from pale bluish gray to darker slate, with occasional black or splash-patterned birds appearing in some mating systems because the blue color does not always breed true in every pairing. A good Blue Slate has a broad turkey outline, clean legs, and an even, soft gray color rather than the metallic brown of Bronze or the red body of Bourbon Red.

Blue Slates are usually kept by small farms, exhibition breeders, and conservation flocks rather than high-volume meat operations. They are capable of natural mating when maintained at a moderate size, and they do well with pasture or yard access if protected from predators and wet ground. Breeding pens are selected for color as well as growth, fertility, and poult survival; focusing only on shade can leave a line with weak production traits.

Colors: Black, Blue Slate, Bourbon Red, Bronze, Buff, Chocolate, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Mottled, Narragansett, Penciled, Pied, Red Bronze, Royal Palm, Slate, Solid Blue-Gray, White