Arthur or Martha? -- is my turkey a girl or a boy?

[mbnewby]

tom based on the snood i would say

 

[NC29mom]

He's adorable, do you have any others?

 

[CatJane0x0]

Yours is super cute! I would guess that you have a tom...a bit more manly than mine. (If it is a lady, I'm sorry Miss Rhonda! My bad!)

 

[CatJane0x0]

By the way -- did you notice how the snood moves around like it is alive?? My friend was creeping herself out over it, lol...
but it does look a little eerie if you watch it long enough!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Hello.......Rodney!

This is my strutting hen. She has a 4" beard. She is the BEST mom.

Here's proof

 

[justanotheramy]

Okay, now this is weird:
I said that the turkey had usurped the goose's nest site to use as a dust-bath and daytime hang-out? Well, the goose did build herself another nest a few meters away, and laid 12 eggs in it. Then I (finally) found the eggs, and took them away. No more eggs for a few weeks. And then... she started laying again. Why am I putting this here instead of in the goose forum? The goose has started laying again on her old nest site. She elbows the turkey out of the way, skritches around, lays her egg, and leaves. While she's laying, the turkey hovers over her, pecking at her wings and back and neck -- not aggressive, just seems curious and taking advantage of the goose's distraction to peck at her and see what she is. Once the goose has left, the turkey goes back to sitting in the nest. And spends most of the day sitting there, in the nest, on the egg.

Oh, and Rhonda/Rhodney's vocalisations have started changing sometimes, it's like s/he is trying to make the usual high warbley noise, and it comes out much lower, and reminds me of teenage boys when their voice is breaking. Is this what early practice gobbles sound like?


@NC29mom: just one turkey and one goose.
@CatJane0x0: the snood is a very peculiar thing. very very peculiar.
@birdaholic: that 2nd photo is so sweet!

 

[justanotheramy]

Well, I have my answer:

Definitely a hen!

 

[Frosty]

Are you sure that egg is from the turkey? Apart from the fact that 4 months is really young to be laying, I have never seen a turkey egg with spots quite like that...

 

[justanotheramy]

She's about 5 months now (she was 7 weeks old when I got her in mid June), which does seem young, but... broad breasted breeds have had their DNA well and truly stuffed up to make them mature fast, so it doesn't seem impossible.
And the spots are blood (which I'm not terribly worried about only because my goose's first egg was a bit bloody, too, as were the first eggs of almost all of a friend's chickens).

 

[CatJane0x0]

Awww! How neat... now I am wondering more about mine. I could swear that it is a boy.
I hope I know someday, lol