How to sex young turkeys

[father0fnine]

I have 9 "Orlopp" turkeys that I bought as a straight run. I'm not even sure if they're classified as broadbrested (and afflicted with all those "meat bird" difficulties" or heritage or something else.) Anyway, I need to sex them. They're about 11 weeks so we're getting up to the 3month mark. I read in other posts to upload multiple angle photos for help but I'd rather not fill up the forum with 30some-odd photos. Can you all tell me what to look for in this breed?

D

 

[R2elk]

I have 9 "Orlopp" turkeys that I bought as a straight run. I'm not even sure if they're classified as broadbrested (and afflicted with all those "meat bird" difficulties" or heritage or something else.) Anyway, I need to sex them. They're about 11 weeks so we're getting up to the 3month mark. I read in other posts to upload multiple angle photos for help but I'd rather not fill up the forum with 30some-odd photos. Can you all tell me what to look for in this breed?

D

Orlopp Bronze turkeys are the breed Turkey and the variety Bronze. They are broad breasted.

Don't worry about filling the forum with pictures. You will only be filling this thread with pictures. There is no need to post pics of all of your turkeys. Select a few for a photo shoot and post those. Once you see the difference, you will be able to sex your others yourself.

Three months is the earliest to sex turkeys from photos. If they are late developing toms, it may take up to 6 months to sex them.

With 9 straight run poults, you should have both sexes to compare.

The toms should be getting bigger than the hens.
They should have heavier legs.
They should have bigger caruncles.
Their snoods should be expanding to well below the end of their beaks.
Their snoods when retracted can form a cone.
Once they have their adult breast feathers, the lower edge of the breast feathers will be dark or black.
Toms will develop a bald head with only a few hairs here and there.

The hens should be smaller than the toms.
Their legs will be a little bit thinner.
They will have smaller caruncles.
Their snoods may expand when aroused but will not extend past the end of the beak.
Their snoods when retracted will not form a cone unless it is an older hen.
Once they have their adult breast feathers, the lower edge of the breast feathers will be light colored.
Hens will have a "mohawk" running up the back of their necks and on top of their heads.

Juvenile hens and toms will have light colored lower edges on their breast feathers. It is only their adult feathers that will show the difference. The iridescence of bronze feathers can make it difficult to judge the breast feathers from a photo.

Juvenile toms and hens can both have the "mohawk" feathers on their heads.

Some varieties of toms don't show their full snood development until 6 months old.

 

[father0fnine]

Well, so far they all look the same to me. I'm not noticing a large difference in size, for example. In the next couple of weeks, I'll see if I can get some pictures up, then, and see what people say. I'm really hoping for at least one lady and one gent. The rest will go on the auction block or be held in reserve for... heat tolerance.

 

[cmobley]

They're a broad breasted variety for meat so may not get much mating done.