Tips on telling hens from toms?

[Barrios]

Turn on its back and open the chest feathers gently and look for a beard stub it will be their as early as six weeks. No more trying to figure it out.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Turn on its back and open the chest feathers gently and look for a beard stub it will be their as early as six weeks. No more trying to figure it out.

Some of my hens have beards too.

 

[Barrios]

that is strange what breed are they and are you sure ?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yes I'm sure, I had a bourbon red with one, a sweetgrass, and a mottled. One of my sweetgrass hens will also display when she's feeling feisty.

 

[ChickenChaser43]

that is strange what breed are they and are you sure ?

In Pennsylvania the Eastern Wild Turkey hens can grow beards. In the Spring hunting season, it is legal to shoot any bearded bird. Normally it is only males that grow beards but not abnormal for hens to also grow beards. I have seen hens strutting or displaying too.

I have 7 turkey poults that are 12 weeks old. 3 Narragansett, 3 Royal Palm and 1 Bourbon Red. Two of the Narragansett I am sure are gobblers the 3rd still not 100 percent sure. Royal Palms at least one gobbler for sure. The Bourbon is a gobbler. The Narragansetts have bright red necks when they are excited. Bourbon does too. Royal Palm just gobbles but neck isn't red. That is what mine show as clues to their gender at this age.

 

[hyelaw]

My female self-blue has a beard also. She did develop it much later than my tom though.

As for sexing them, I agree weight is a good way to determine it, before other traits start to show. Even as early as 1 week old, the males will be heavier.

 

[BantamTurkey]

Turn on its back and open the chest feathers gently and look for a beard stub it will be their as early as six weeks. No more trying to figure it out.

I will post a pic of her mother. She is an eastern wild with a beard. A very nice beard at that. She doesn't display when she wants to breed, but she squats at the sound of a gobble. Lol I can't go with beard for sexing. But thanks for trying to help me!! And maybe we can teach each other

 

[BantamTurkey]

In Pennsylvania the Eastern Wild Turkey hens can grow beards.  In the Spring hunting season, it is legal to shoot any bearded bird.  Normally it is only males that grow beards but not abnormal for hens to also grow beards.  I have seen hens strutting or displaying too.

I have 7 turkey poults that are 12 weeks old.  3 Narragansett, 3 Royal Palm and 1 Bourbon Red. Two of the Narragansett I am sure are gobblers the 3rd still not 100 percent sure.  Royal Palms at least one gobbler for sure.  The Bourbon is a gobbler.  The Narragansetts have bright red necks when they are excited.  Bourbon does too.  Royal Palm just gobbles but neck isn't red. That is what mine show as clues to their gender at this age.

Her (the poult in my earlier reply) mother is an Eastern wild hen with a nice beard. And I'm jealous of all your poults!! Lol I only have the one right now, but I have 6 eggs in the incubator and my hen is laying again (this will be her THIRD time this year!) so maybe I'll get a few more

 

[ChickenChaser43]

I know it has been a while and wanted to update on my seven poults. 3 toms and 4 hens is what I now believe I have. 2 Narragansett toms and a hen. 1 Royal Palm tom and 2 hens. The Bourbon Red I was thinking was a tom I now believe is a hen. The best indicator has appeared to be the snood. On the toms it was always more prominent. They are 7 months old now. The toms have "buttons" on their legs where spurs are going to be and have beards starting. The most confusing thing with them so far is that the hens used to "strut". The one Narragansett still does occasionally and so does the Bourbon. The 3 toms gobble regularly and will gobble at any noise just about. I can hear faint "drumming" when the toms spit and strut.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That does look to be what you have by what I can see. Those displaying hens can be confusing if you're not used to seeing one. My top hen displays a lot but never gobbles, so snod size, and vocalizations are your best bet. Some you can see by a lighter color in the hens like your Narragansett, and also in some colors the hens will have white tipped chest feathers like on bourbon reds.