Need help choosing first turkey ckicks

[ameracaunagirl]

Hello, I am getting a few turkey chicks in a couple days from the local feed store. I have had chickens but these will be my first turkeys. Doe's anyone have a method of telling male or female. Also how to tell whether or not I am choosing a healthy chick. I want to get a couple royal palms and a couple Rio grandes. Any tips or suggestions?

 

[WalnutHill]

Choose vigorous, active poults with well rounded bodies, fluffy down, big, bright eyes, glossy feet, and no panting or wheezing. No pasty poop under the vent, and no navel issues.

It is very difficult to sex young poults.

 

[ameracaunagirl]

Thanks for the advice. I'll really take my time when choosing them. I want to make sure I get nice healthy poults.

 

[ameracaunagirl]

I've read some older threads about different tricks and techniques to tell the sex. I'm curious to hear of any new ones anyone might have.

 

[ameracaunagirl]

Well I bought 3 royal palm chicks about a week ago. They are all happy healthy chicks. They were straight run but I used a technique I read about in another thread. If the top of the head is more square it is likely to be a male. If it is triangular, it should be a female. I chose what I believed to be two males and one female at one day old. So far, it looks like the males (or what I think are males) are getting mature feathers faster than the female and are getting slightly larger than the supposed female. I guess I won't know for sure until one starts laying I will give an update and let you know if my technique has worked!

 

[sonjap]

Hi ameracaunagirl, this is my first time around with turkeys too! Mine are also royal palms but I only got 2. I tried the same sexing method of the head shape you did. I'm hoping I selected a male and a female. We will see if it works.
I was just curious why you wanted two males and one female. Are you planning on eating them? Mine are going to be keepers. I just wondered when they start to mate, wouldn't two males mating with one female be too much for her?
I'm learning as I go so I know nothing about the mating stuff yet.

 

[ameracaunagirl]

I was planning on eating one unless I end up with two hens, then I will keep them all. That would be too much for one hen. I don't plan on getting another tom until I get more hens. Hopefully I will have some successful breeding and hatching next year and there will be some new additions to the flock. If not, I think I'll try my hand at incubating some mail order turkey eggs. I am interested in seeing what the tops of your chics heads look like, sonjap, if you wouldn't mind posting a pic. I'll try to get a good one of my group to compare!

 

[sonjap]

Wow, it sure is hard to get them to be still for a second! I think the one on the left has the more squarish head and the one on the right is more triangular. Anxious to see yours too!

 

[ameracaunagirl]

Wow is right! These guys are always on the move. The first picture is of all three of them. The boys (or what I think are boys) are to the upper left and lower left. They are the same age but the two to the left are already so much bigger than the female (hopefully) to the right

Here's a picture of their heads up close. Even then it was difficult. They just seem to go limp in my hands.
The boy:

The girl: she just looks more feminine in the first place

 

[sonjap]

I would agree that you picked the correct head shapes as well. Time will tell!
One other thing I noticed in your pic of the close up of the male and in my male is the eyes seem to bulge more on top. Does your other male have eye bulges too?