What type of turkey is most commonly raised for Thanksgiving dinner?

The type of turkey most commonly raised for Thanksgiving dinner is the Broad Breasted White.

Broad Breasted Whites dominate commercial turkey production because they grow quickly, develop large amounts of breast meat, and convert feed efficiently. Their white feathers are also useful to processors: unlike darker-feathered birds, they are less likely to leave conspicuous pigment spots in the skin after plucking. The familiar supermarket turkey is therefore usually this commercial variety rather than a wild bird.

The name can be slightly misleading because poultry experts often distinguish between turkey breeds, varieties, and commercial strains. Broad Breasted White birds have been selected primarily for meat production, especially large breast muscles. Their body shape can become so large that mature birds generally cannot fly well or reproduce naturally, so commercial operations commonly use artificial insemination.

Bronze turkeys were once central to commercial production, while heritage turkeys remain valued for traditional traits and flavor but grow more slowly. Wild turkeys are the species’ ancestors, not the usual source of a grocery-store Thanksgiving bird.