Eastern turkey

[pspitler81]

So last night i picked up my poult and felt a bump on its chest so i pulled feathers back and looked and it is a beard growing and also noticed a iridescent feather on its breast with a black tip but everyone keeps telling me that it's a hen please if you can help me sex this turkey

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[R2elk]

So last night i picked up my poult and felt a bump on its chest so i pulled feathers back and looked and it is a beard growing and also noticed a iridescent feather on its breast with a black tip but everyone keeps telling me that it's a hen please if you can help me sex this turkey.

Your turkey looks like it is a hen. I don't know the age of your turkey so do not know if these are its adult feathers. If they are the adult feathers, it is without any doubt a hen. The hens in dark colored turkeys with have light edges on the bottom of their breast feathers. The toms will not have the light color edges on their breast feathers. Even her iridescent feather has a light color on its bottom edge.

Hens can have a beard although they are rarely the size of beard that a tom can get. I personally have 2 bearded hens. All states that allow hunting turkeys in the spring permit the taking of toms and hens with a visible beard.

 

[pspitler81]

The black tipped feathers are just starting to come in you can see them down on the breast at the bottom do hens change there head and caruncles from white to bright red

 

[R2elk]

The black tipped feathers are just starting to come in you can see them down on the breast at the bottom do hens change there head and caruncles from white to bright red

You are correct so it does appear that you have a tom.

 

[R2elk]

The black tipped feathers are just starting to come in you can see them down on the breast at the bottom do hens change there head and caruncles from white to bright red

One of the earliest positive sign of a tom is when their heads turn a bright red. Later on they can also cause their heads to turn blue. Hens can have head color changes also but they are much more subtle.

 

[pspitler81]

I think its a tom any suggestions