Is this a female Turkey? - NEW PICS & NEW TURKEYS!

[TinaK]

Oh flocksalot I hope you are right! lol.

My existing Turkey is a BBW.. the other 2 are I dunno what they are called! Standard type turkeys I suppose! I hope she is a female...... but hey I'll be happy either way! If it is male I'd have to find him a BBW mate... so he doesn't crush the other little lady when she is old enough to breed!

I wonder how long it will take until I'm 100% sure! Oh the joys of raising animals that I am a total novice about!!!

FarmTillURdead - I've heard rumours about geese being messy! But mine will have a nice big dam to themselves and no water dishes

They can make as much mess in their 'mud puddle' as they would like! That's the only reason I am getting them... I have a big dam and would love the geese to live on it!

and I've gone and organised to pick up 6 guinea fowl keets tomorrow night! (hopefully)... I really do live on funny farm!!!

 

[FarmTillURdead]

I have raised both and I do agree! Those BBW threw me for a loop - I couldn't tell who was what! I'd still ride money on that as a boy. But I mostly raise heritage birds and they all look like girls until the neck nodules grow and the snood starts to extend below the beak. They take a long time to mature and it always drove me nuts not knowing how many Toms or hens I had for 6 months. I'm certain this boy is about to turn the corner. I bet he is strutting already - He just needs to relax and settle in. Please keep me posted! I want to know! Did they tell you what breed they are? I would guess a mix - but perhaps across the sea there are breeds I don't know about! Educate me!

 

[FarmTillURdead]

WOW! a whole dam for your geese! How cool is that?! They sure will be spoiled! I'd love to see that! My poor geese didn't even have a puddle.

About your BBW's to be - Did you know two can't mate naturally? at least not in the US. Their breasts are too big to copulate. They are artifically inseminated at hatcheries as a breed by the millions each year.
I suppose it might be possible in rare instances and some people do keep them as pets but they don't feed them much. I had a hen BBW and she was miserable. She got so big and heavy it was hard to get around and she seemed to be starving to death all the time no matter how much I fed it. She was crazy at the feed dish every evening like a wild pig on scraps!
Perhaps they breed them differently in your area. You might ask someone local if you can breed them together. I hate to see you have birds that are to heavy to enjoy the life you are building them there. Mine nearly sufficated to death she got so big. I had to cull her. She dressed out at 19.8 pounds without the giblets. I found she was breathing and eating through a hole the size of a pencil in her neck between the breasts that pushed on it. Eating had to be painful and it was the reason she panted all the time. I couldn't get my little finger down in between the breasts and the neck into the body cavity and I have processed small chickens that I could get my thumb in there.
Just a thought - Not trying to impose my way on you. Just want to share a story that might save you from heartbreak if you are keeping them as pets.

 

[TinaK]

I don't know if this means anything... but I went up the back before to do a pre-bed check and the biggest turkey was all fluffed up and then I noticed the tiny girl turkey come out from underneath! My big turkey then quickly lifted it's wing so the little girl turkey could get back in for another cuddle. Bit cute! But does it mean anything! lol.

Thanks a heap for that info FarmTillURdead! I'd read stuff like that before but it is always nice to hear a first hand account. My mate bred my turkey from a pair he had and they reproduced naturally... so maybe the are not technically the BBW variety? I do know that his turkeys were HUGE. Bigger than any standard turkeys I have seen around. He had them for a while... until he had a major fox problem (I still think it was his dogs and he didn't want to admit it... I couldn't imagine a fox taking down a bird THAT big!)

So I'll just say they are not BBW... just BIG white turkeys

and I CAN'T wait to get the geese!!!!! My hubby has them in the back of his ute at the moment. Just waiting for him to get home! (pity it is dark already and I have to work tomorrow! Blah!). I just went outside and made them a temp goose coop for overnights! I made it all by myself

 

[Frosty]

Your turkey doesn't look like any BBW that I have ever seen, it looks more like the White Hollands that I have. I suspect that your original is a male, but time will tell for sure.

On a side note, if you get more birds you might want to think about quarantine for any new ones coming in to make sure they are healthy before your other birds are exposed to them.

They are beautiful! Your new girl looks like she has some Royal Palm in her...

 

[Frosty]

Adding that unless your new boy is really young... the new ones both look more like hens to me...

 

[TinaK]

thanks Frosty! A White Holland... now that sounds feasible!!! Probably what it is... as I said 'total turkey novice here!'

I wish I had of been able to quarantine them. I usually like to keep new birds apart for about 2 weeks but this time I just didn't have the pens set up and it was an unexpected purchase. I'd be heartbroken if anything happened to my existing turkey and duck. If the worst does happen, I only have myself to blame and I know it!

The young 'boy' is quite young..... probably 12 weeks or so? whereas my existing turkey would be 6 - 7 months? When you see the young boy and the young girl together (they are same age) there is an obvious difference between them... which made me think that one was a boy and one was a girl! lol (that what i got told they were anyway! I know turkeys are hard to sex when young though!!)

Hey but if my existing one was a boy and the two newbies were girls.... I'd be pleased as punch! That would be the ultimate best outcome!

 

[Frosty]

Being that young and seeing the difference in them, I'll have to go with them being a pair. That would also explain why they both look tiny by your big guy (though Palms tend to be smaller anyhow). Now reach under the youngsters and feel the breast area. You should feel the keel bone and the ribs sloping up from it. If you reach under the big guy, see if it feels pretty much the same. If it does, he is definately a heritage type. A BBW will feel broader and almost flat underneath because the breast will be bulky in the keel area.

 

[arherp]

I would say your white turkey (Probably either a Holland or Beltsville...) is a hen. My male turkeys strut at about 2 months of age... you would have noticed something by now if it was a male.

 

[TinaK]

I'd really like it to be a hen. It has never done any strutting before!

They are all playing happy families at the moment with no fights so far, not even at treat time! Trigger the duck and the big turkey have accepted the little guys into their home. It's all pretty cute to watch actually! Big turkey lifts it's wings to let the little ones underneath... Turkey love is so sweet! lol. Wonder how long it will last!

(nice info on grabbing their breast bones Frosty!!.. although I'm not sure how happy my big turk would be if I man handled it! lol!)