Sexing a turkey

[resthavenfarms]

I appreciate all the responses and I'll keep everyone updated for when I "figure it out for sure".

I did buy a pair of BRs, and the tom of that group is gobbling his head off--no reaction from this turkey at ALL. I figured for sure if he's a "he", then I'd get a gobble from him. But so far not yet. I dunno, I go back and forth--I'm still leaning hen though...

 

[resthavenfarms]

This turkey still looks the same, no gobble, occasional strut but the snood never elongates. Around 8 months or so now? Can it still be a tom if it doesn't look like one yet?

 

[Lagerdogger]

Quote:
I thought the distinct lack of caruncles made it look like a hen (plus the tiny snood). The lack of feathering on the back of the head makes me wonder, but I would still guess hen.

About beards, Ivan3 said they couldn't see beards until 11 months. Most of my toms beards are clearly visible by 5 months. Most of my turkeys are Royal Palm or Narragansett. Now that I think about it, my Bourbon Reds toms beard is not visible at 6 1/2 months. But you should be able to feel the beard, even if you can't see it.

 

[pdpatch]

I would say a hen, small snood, small feathers on the back of the head, no large karnuckles.

I you have a cell phone, take it out and start playing the ring tones. By the time your finish if it's Tom they will Gobble at least once.

 

[PatS]

She looks just like my 6 month-old bourbon red girls. The Toms had major caruncles and snoods long before this. My girls make a loud yelping noise that someone unfamiliar to turkeys might wonder if it was a gobble, but the boys call out a definite "gobba gobba gobba." I can't get mine to sit nicely by me anymore, like your picture. They don't even seem interested in sitting nicely for the tom, who is very interested in strutting his stuff to them. Poor boy!

 

[Pampered Hen]

From my limited experience you have a hen. My pair of bourbon reds is 7 months and then hen has just about the same size snood and dewlap as your bird. She recently grew out her head and neck feathers, but was bold for a long time. The caruncles are small like on your bird, where my tom looks like what you would expect from a tom: huge snood, colorful head (colors ever changing), humongous caruncles, huge in body size and ever strutting and he gobbles up a storm.
That broken beak tip of your bird will grow back by the way. Same thing happened to my hen.

 

[resthavenfarms]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm still neutral about what sex s/he is but I'm curious since it does have qualities of both male and female.

I have played ringtones for it, my other turkey gobbles alot and we make plenty of loud noises. No attempts at gobbling. It mainly just walks circles around me purring and cooing and it will yelp at anyone who is a stranger.

 

[resthavenfarms]

Ah and the broken beak is already grown back!

 

[Pampered Hen]

I looked your pix over again and I'm positive that is a hen. Below is a photo of mine at nearly 5 months old and you can see she is pretty much bold. I don't have a recent photo, but essentially she looks like yours. My tom never vocalizes the bark you mentioned. My hen on the other hand is a big barker.

 

[ivan3]

Lagerdogger wrote:

ivan3 wrote:
I'd guess male from the distinct development of the caruncles.

I thought the distinct lack of caruncles made it look like a hen (plus the tiny snood). The lack of feathering on the back of the head makes me wonder, but I would still guess hen.
About beards, Ivan3 said they couldn't see beards until 11 months. Most of my toms beards are clearly visible by 5 months. Most of my turkeys are Royal Palm or Narragansett. Now that I think about it, my Bourbon Reds toms beard is not visible at 6 1/2 months. But you should be able to feel the beard, even if you can't see it.​

The second shot posted by Resthaven was hennish/the first was ambiguous (to me, at least).

I think there is considerable variation in between varieties and those variations are amplified within particular lines (beard growth for instance). Here are ours in late Feb. `06 (hatched the 3rd of June '05) (9 months). The beards are just nubs. The Slates actually protuded enough so that you could see them when they weren't displaying at 11months the Royal at 10.

Here they are at at 4 months. The male's heads have a more vulturine appearance.

All three of our males were obviously so while still in the brooder, they all three strutted and butted chests, the females did not. The females always used the roosts, the males slept in the bedding:

Our only poult that hatched out this year was pretty easy to sex (knew for sure at a little over a month - behavior and shape of head).
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=386328

But that is just `informed speculation.' The crowing hen reminds me of my limitations...