Heat & Turkeys - question from first timer

[junkprospector]

Yeaterday was the first "warm" day in Boise, reaching upper 80's. It will get a lot hotter during the summer - up into the 100's for a few weeks... When i was out checking on the birds yesterday, i noticed that the turkey wasn't as red in the throat as normal and his carnacules were less inflated than what i've seen in the past. He's not lethargic or anything, still walking around and observant and curious - so my question is could this be from the heat? I know the color and carnacules are all for display - however i didn't know that the size of the carnacules can change - "inflate" and "deflate" at will...
i'm wondering
- if the heat could cause the size reduction
- is a reductiuon in carnacules during hot days normal turkey behavior

 

[chicks and hens2]

maybe someone else will come along soon to answer your question but my adult Jake's neck and face can sometimes turn almost white when not aroused and a few minutes later he is the deepest red and blue you could ever imagine, so I think it's just normal. my younger Jake's are the same way but their colors are not as vibrant yet at 3 months of age

 

[kuntrygirl]

Everything that I had read about a turkey's caruncles does not indicate to me that they deflate or inflate. I understand that they modify the "length" as you can read below. For me, when I see my Tom's caruncles changing color, it DOES appear as if they are inflating, thus in term making them look bigger than they really are. I think it's the color change that makes you think it is inflating or deflating. Could this be what you are noticing? Or are you 100% certain that they are inflating and deflating?

Caruncles
On both the sexes, the caruncles are fleshy, bulbous bumps that grow over the head and neck. Even though they are less pronounced on females, the caruncles on a male turkey grow large and are especially pronounced on the lower portion of the neck. Usually pale in color, the caruncles engorge with blood and turn to bright red when the turkey struts or becomes aggressive.

The facial features are termed secondary sexually characteristics and toms can modify the color of the caruncles and length of the snood during sexual display.

 

[TV]

The caruncles can change dramatically. My Red Bronze tom recently had a run in with some wild Rio Grande toms and took a pretty good beating (I think more mental than physical). For several days he moped around and his usual large display of caruncles seemed to nearly disappear. After a few days, his confidence restored, he is strutting again with curuncles fully engorged and huge. The difference is amazing.