Sexing turkey poult - about 15 weeks old

[flockmomma]

At about 15 weeks old, what signs (if any) would you expect to see that tell you your poult is a boy/girl? How much growth does their snood show at this point? I saw my nearly 15 week old BBB strut for the first time, as in full out wings dropped and tail feathers fanned. We lost the two other turkeys we got at the same time, so it is the only turkey its age. I have three Blue Slates that are pushing three weeks old out in the brooder.

It did this when I as looking out the back door at it and its goons (my guineas, they follow it around). Twice in a row, actually. I will try to get a picture.

 

[flockmomma]

Turkey has been looking more red on its head than these pictures show.

 

[redneck farmer]

Turkey has been looking more red on its head than these pictures show.

From these pics I see some barred feathers on the side an that is a sign of a male

 

[GotCoop]

Interesting...my MW and RP toms all began displaying at about 2 weeks, and have kept it up (now 18 weeks). But, I have a bronze (12 weeks) I thought was a hen, but snood is starting to grow beyond the rest of the hens and it has barred wings, my other bronze does not.

 

[flockmomma]

This has been an "only" turkey since it was around six weeks old. We lost one turkey after about 24 hours due to turkey eating stupidity. The other had to have been no more than 6 weeks old when it escaped the pen and probably got snatched by our dog. That turkey was bigger than this one, but this one was meaner. Tended to pick on my chicks and such. I think my lone survivor was the main instigator (had to separate them from the chicks because they were picking at the other's tail feathers/butts until they were bloody). At one point I had three brooders set up in my house earlier this spring (one for the turkeys, one for my main batch of chicks, and one for my caretaker chick and baby guineas that had adopted it as their surrogate mother).

In other words, it has not had another turkey around to display more overt signs of sexual behavior up to this point. It mostly hangs out with my guineas (who have forgiven it its butt pecking baby behavior). They look so funny ranging together, like a crime boss and its goons.

 

[redneck farmer]

This has been an "only" turkey since it was around six weeks old.  We lost one turkey after about 24 hours due to turkey eating stupidity. The other had to have been no more than 6 weeks old when it escaped the pen and probably got snatched by our dog. That turkey was bigger than this one, but this one was meaner.  Tended to pick on my chicks and such.  I think my lone survivor was the main instigator (had to separate them from the chicks because they were picking at the other's tail feathers/butts until they were bloody).  At one point I had three brooders set up in my house earlier this spring (one for the turkeys, one for my main batch of chicks, and one for my caretaker chick and baby guineas that had adopted it as their surrogate mother). 

In other words, it has not had another turkey around to display more overt signs of sexual behavior up to this  point.  It mostly hangs out with my guineas (who have forgiven it its butt pecking baby behavior).  They look so funny ranging together, like a crime boss and its goons. 

They do not need another turkey to display sexual behavior.. My turkey lives with a EE chicken (both are 16 weeks old) an he struts for her like no tomorrow! One time he was soo happy to see me (I was gone for a long weekend) an when he saw me he strutted an he's to young to mate but I know he's a boy

 

[flockmomma]

I know they will strut sans other turkeys, I just wondered if it did it less because it was not around other turkeys.