French Turkey

French turkey is a broad name for traditional domestic turkey lines associated with France, where the bird is known as dindon. It does not always mean one fixed international breed. French farm and exhibition strains include regional black, red, bronze, white, and patterned types, many of them selected for table use before modern industrial turkey production. Their ancestry is still the domestic turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, but local selection has emphasized size, finish, feather color, and performance in rural systems.

These turkeys are most often kept by small farms, specialty producers, and rare-breed breeders rather than high-volume growers. Many lines grow more slowly than commercial broad-breasted whites and may do well on pasture when protected from weather and predators. Good poult brooding, a high-protein starter ration, and clean ground matter, especially in areas where blackhead disease is a concern. Anyone buying French turkey stock should clarify the exact regional type or color variety and whether the birds come from naturally mating parent lines.