Ask Dr. Tom
A green turkey to envy
My first bird of the year in Alabama weighed 21 pounds, had three beards of 10½ inches, 6 inches and 3 inches and had 1¼-inch spurs.
While admiring the turkey, I noticed the skin was tinted green on the inside of one the legs. The feathers were very thin and some looked to be missing on the same leg. The area I was hunting is swampy, and the green color is similar to the color of algae and duckweed.
Is this a disease? Is it safe to eat the bird?
John B. Bricken III, via email
Congratulations on a monster gobbler, complete with three beards, nasty spurs and green skin to boot. Unless they are testing a gamma radiation bomb in your area, your turkey likely got the leg stain from wading the stagnant algae-filled water in the swamp.
When algae are crushed or die, they release chlorophyll and other compounds that stain the water. Just like the green grass that stained your T-shirt and jeans during the rough and tumble days of childhood, your turkey apparently likes to dip his toes in soupy green water. Perhaps it is this behavior that helped him avoid hunters and grow to his impressive stature.
As for the lack of feathers between his legs, he apparently courted many hens.
Enjoy the roast turkey without fear. The only green issue you'll endure is the envy of your friends for bagging a triple-bearded hulk of a gobbler.
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