she is a HE! new pitcures please check out (page 3)

[Dogfish]

Definitely a hen, not a tom that is slow to develop.

Size difference is due to different breed. Not sex.

Notice the feathering pattern on the bourbon hens runs up the neck, and how the dark bird has similar feathering? Classic hen fether pattern.

I had a hen strut a few times. But she is still a hen.

 

[farmerlor]

Very nice hen. She's probably got some bronze in her which accounts for her larger size.

 

[jasonm11]

Quote:
thank you all very much. I will be picking up a tom tomorrow and wanted to make sure i did not have an complications with my current birds. One other question. Should I keep the new tom and hens apart for a few days while tehy get used to each other or go ahead and introduce them immediately?

 

[farmerlor]

Quote:
thank you all very much. I will be picking up a tom tomorrow and wanted to make sure i did not have an complications with my current birds. One other question. Should I keep the new tom and hens apart for a few days while tehy get used to each other or go ahead and introduce them immediately?

Depends on where your Tom comes from. If you trust the place and aren't worried about bringing home diseases you can toss his happy butt in there as soon as you come home. Otherwise you'll want to quarantine for at least a couple of weeks and then put them in together. With breeding season upon us I wouldn't wait too long but you want to be safe too.

 

[jasonm11]

what are the biggest things to watch for with introducing new birds?

 

[farmerlor]

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With turkeys there's really not much to watch out for. They'll work it out themselves generally with relatively little bloodshed.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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Turkeys do crazy things when introducing new birds to a flock, even hens, but I'm sorry, that is a hen you have pictured, and I 'm not guessing either. ALL bronze colored turkeys if they are a hen will have buff lacing on their breast feathers just like yours does. A tom will be all black, or solid colored. Also, the neck feathers just go way too far up for a tom on her. Compare the breats feathers of your new pair and you will see the difference I'm talking about.

Do post some clear pics though will be glad to take a look at them. BUT even hens will do what you said this one did. They are called boss hens in wild turkeys, basically a dominate hen. When I put new birds in with my wild or domestic stocks, often the first bird to kick their butt will be a hen. Yes, they puff up, drop their snood, make all kinds of nosie, fight and strut around them just like a tom would. The only think a hen can do that a tom can is gobble. Now if you hear it gobble, I'm wrong... But they can also in rare cases grow beards and have spurs.

But for sexing young bronze based birds, that laced breast is the first thing you will see that will tell them apart and is always 100% accurate, this is only in the young adult plumage though. All will have lacing in their poult feathers, but once they start to molt into adult colors, it's quick to see, usually happens around 4 months old.

 

[jasonm11]

Quote:
Turkeys do crazy things when introducing new birds to a flock, even hens, but I'm sorry, that is a hen you have pictured, and I 'm not guessing either. ALL bronze colored turkeys if they are a hen will have buff lacing on their breast feathers just like yours does. A tom will be all black, or solid colored. Also, the neck feathers just go way too far up for a tom on her. Compare the breats feathers of your new pair and you will see the difference I'm talking about.

Do post some clear pics though will be glad to take a look at them. BUT even hens will do what you said this one did. They are called boss hens in wild turkeys, basically a dominate hen. When I put new birds in with my wild or domestic stocks, often the first bird to kick their butt will be a hen. Yes, they puff up, drop their snood, make all kinds of nosie, fight and strut around them just like a tom would. The only think a hen can do that a tom can is gobble. Now if you hear it gobble, I'm wrong... But they can also in rare cases grow beards and have spurs.

But for sexing young bronze based birds, that laced breast is the first thing you will see that will tell them apart and is always 100% accurate, this is only in the young adult plumage though. All will have lacing in their poult feathers, but once they start to molt into adult colors, it's quick to see, usually happens around 4 months old.

I will try to get some close ups in the next day or so. In the mean time I will listen for a gobble.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

sounds good, in the mean time, look at those breast colors I mentioned, gobble aside, they are the easiest sure fire way to sex bronze turkeys.
also when posting pics to be sexed, the breast is what we need to see, along with head and neck, back or tail shots dont really tell anything on sex in younger birds.

Also the snood on toms by now should be 3-5 inches long and nickle sized or better at the base, yours is just a hen's snood, they still have one, and it can expand a little, but nothing like toms do.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I saw your edit to the first post, and I don't know a lot but I have to agree with everyone else that sure looks like a hen. I want to add that my dominant hen acts exactly like you described, putting her tail feathers up & wings down like a male anytime there is a new introduction to the flock.