Royal Palm Ques.?

[Acre of Blessings]

How can i tell a tom from a hen when they are poults?

 

[reallemons1]

We got royal palms for the first time this year. I'm just waiting for my toms to strut and their wattles to get bigger. Other than that I don't know how to tell toms from hens

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Maybe someone else may know and then we can both find out.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

We have a royal palm tom hes 1 year old. When he was still in the brooder he would strut around with his tail in the air that was when he was a few weeks old depending on how old yours are they may be hens.

 

[pdpatch]

sexing of turkey chickens

1. Vent sexing
The Cloaca is examined shortly after hatching, and experienced sexer can have up to 99% accuracy in this method. But experience turkey sexes are fewer then there is Chickens chick sexers. The same diargams for chickens apply.


wing feather sexing:
This method really only works if a certain gene has been introduced into the turkey breed. But from the paper I read there is certain disadvantages to have this gene present. It appears that some of the Big Breasted turkeys may have this gene present so some turkeys can be feather sexed for about the first 16 days.

http://jhered.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/88/3/238.pdf

2. DNA
If you really want to know there is several services I have come across for Zoo's that will do a DNA test to determine the sex. But it's not cheap.

3. Sex characteristics.

For the small flock owner this usually ends up how it's done. Unless you purchased sexed pullets. But that can be from 80% to 98% accurate. So you still need to keep an eye out for Sex characteristics.

Usually for most turkey breeds you can use what's called secondary sex characteristics.
Some will start to appear in the second week other around 7 to 9 weeks.

a. strutting
This can start as soon as 2 weeks, the males will spread there tail feathers. Pull there heads back to there body. The wing tips will drop.

b. the snood
At around 7 to 9 weeks the snood or bump just behind the beak will start to change.
For males it will start to become larger and softer.
For females it may receded in size and become

c. appears of the Neck (Caruncles)
The males will usually start to develop what looks like blister. But they are not.
female normally don't have Caruncles. These may start to appear at 5 weeks or so. By the 7 or 8 weeks the differences will be obvious.

d. size and weight:
If you have both male and females the males will be larger and heavy if hatched at the same time.

e. Mating Behavior:
Some of our male outlets appear to by trying to mate with the females .
about 8 to 9 weeks.

f. Beard:
This is a flap of skins the develops on male turkeys at 9 weeks it is not yet readily visible

ref: http://www.cpdosrbng.kar.nic.in/TURKEY%20FARMING%20GUIDE.pdf
ref: http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/resource-room/general/poultry/turkey.htm
show diagrams of male and female turkeys.

4. Color sexing:

I have not seen this introduced into turkeys.

5. Testing of the Turkey embryo.
from day 5 to hatching the embryo can be tested to determine the sex of the turkey. This method is usually only used in
large scale commercial farms.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Thanks for the helpful information pdpatch