Help sexing narragansetts

[Baybrio]

These Narragansetts are about 2 1/2 months old, any ideas on sex? I can barely tell them apart.

They are so curious about the camera I usually get photos like this:

 

[Lagerdogger]

The pictures are kind of tough to see things on, but the bottom one is a hen, and if you can't see any differences between them they are probably all hens.

At 10 weeks, you should be able to notice elongating snoods (bump on top of the nose) on most toms. Also, the caruncles (bumps on neck) should be getting bigger than in the bottom picture, especially nearer the base of the neck. But your right at the cusp of beong able to see these differences.

Keep watching and these changes may appear any day. Also look at their feet. Females have more delicate feet, and this difference should really become apparent in the next two or three weeks. The toms should start outgrowing the hens as well. My Narragansetts right now are 14 1/2 weeks. I just weighed some tonight, and the toms were about 10 lbs while a small hen was only 6. Obvious size difference.

If you have toms, it will be much more apparent in 2 or 3 weeks.

Let us know.

 

[Baybrio]

Thanks Lagerdogger,

I'll watch them for the next several weeks and then try and get some better photos. I would have included more head shots but I can't tell which one is which unless I can see their leg bands. These are my first turkeys, now that they have stopped constantly peeping I am enjoying them. I had no idea they could fly so well!

 

[Lagerdogger]

It amazing how loud they are when they are young, isn't it. Its nice when they get old enough to quiet down a little.

I clip a wing so they can't fly so well in their pen. But recently I've witnessed a couple of crashes as they try to get up on the shelter roof. One resulted in a temporary leg injury. I'm thinking I might stop the clipping and see what happens. If one flies over the fence, I don't think its going anywhere. I'm sure it will just follow me back in the pen.