Bourbon Red Poults

[Friskybinx]

I am super new to turkeys and am curious when you can start to tell what is a hen vs a tom. What signs do you look for? My poults are approximately 8 weeks old now. Here are some pictures of them

 

[R2elk]

I am super new to turkeys and am curious when you can start to tell what is a hen vs a tom. What signs do you look for? My poults are approximately 8 weeks old now. Here are some pictures of them

Bourbon Reds are one of the easiest to tell males from females once they get their adult feathers.

Females have light colored lower edges on their adult breast feathers.

Males have dark or black lower edges on their adult breast feathers.

Juveniles all have light color lower edges on their breast feathers. This "tell" only works once they have their adult feathers which should happen around 3 months and definitely by 6 months.

 

[Peppercorngal]

You would know because the boys would start to "display". Mine starting displaying at 2 weeks old! See?

 

[Friskybinx]

You would know because the boys would start to "display". Mine starting displaying at 2 weeks old! See? View attachment 4144477

I thought I had read this isn’t reliable because all poults do this. @R2elk is that right?

 

[Peppercorngal]

I thought I had read this isn’t reliable because all poults do this. @R2elk is that right?

No, all poults do not do this. I have standard bronze turkeys that never did this and also one of my new ones does not do this!

 

[R2elk]

You would know because the boys would start to "display". Mine starting displaying at 2 weeks old! See? View attachment 4144477

Displaying at that age is a dominance thing more than a sex thing.

@OneMountainAcres has a confirmed hen that displayed when only days old.

The only positive sexual identification at that age is a DNA test.

 

[R2elk]

I thought I had read this isn’t reliable because all poults do this. @R2elk is that right?

Not all poults do so but the ones that do are dominant poults no matter what their sex is.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Displaying at that age is a dominance thing more than a sex thing.

@OneMountainAcres has a confirmed hen that displayed when only days old.

The only positive sexual identification at that age is a DNA test.

Displaying at that age is a dominance thing more than a sex thing.

@OneMountainAcres has a confirmed hen that displayed when only days old.

The only positive sexual identification at that age is a DNA test.

Even though female poults will display and strut, they do not all do it. Sorry, just speaking from my limited experience and research online. Please forgive, I won't respond to posts any more. No worries.

 

[R2elk]

Even though female poults will display and strut, they do not all do it. Sorry, just speaking from my limited experience and research online. Please forgive, I won't respond to posts any more. No worries.

I never said all poults will display. What I said is that dominant poults will display no matter what their sex is.