Reconstructing animal husbandry: Trauma in Meleagris gallopavo (domestic turkey) ulnae from the American Southwest (c. 900-1678Â CE)

- Archaeological domestic turkey remains show evidence of pathology.
- Trauma is the most frequently-occurring lesion type.
- The ulna has the highest percentage of trauma present.
- Ulnar trauma is consistent with feather-harvesting practices.

Palaeopathological and metrical analyses of faunal remains have the potential to illuminate features of past husbandry practices including demography, stocking, injury and care, housing, transport and movement, diet, and breeding. This paper presents the results of metrical and palaeopathological analyses of turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) remains from nine assemblages excavated from sites across the American Southwest.Metrical data demonstrate variation in the size and overall morphology of turkeys across these sites and support the idea that meat production was not the sole purpose for turkey husbandry. The most frequently-occurring type of lesion in any skeletal element was trauma (physical injury), and 36% of these pathologies were present in ulnae. Lesions in ulnae at five sites provide evidence for the possibility that feathers were harvested from live turkeys at some sites.