Tom or hen?

[missfixit5]

I have 2 turkeys, 9 weeks old. One of them struts as shown in the picture. And when it does this, it's snood gets a little bigger and redder. The other one does not do this. Is this going to be a tom? I'm reading conflicting information about hens that do this too. Any thoughts?

 

[marius86]

Hi missfixit5, from the pic I would say it looks like a tom and a hen in the back

 

[R2elk]

I have 2 turkeys, 9 weeks old. One of them struts as shown in the picture. And when it does this, it's snood gets a little bigger and redder. The other one does not do this. Is this going to be a tom? I'm reading conflicting information about hens that do this too. Any thoughts?

The one in the back definitely looks like a hen. The one in front is giving mixed signals. If it has its mature breast feathers, it is a hen also based on the light colored lower edges on the breast feathers. At 9 weeks old the breast feathers are most likely not the mature feathers. Once the mature feathers come in the breast feathers of a tom with have dark colored lower edges on its breast feathers while hens will continue to have light colored lower edges on their breast feathers. This only works with turkeys that have dark colored feathers.

The one in front also has the mohawk, feathers up the back of the neck and on top of the head that indicates that it is a hen.

All this may mean is that it is too young to tell yet or it really is a hen.

 

[missfixit5]

Thanks for responding and for the good information! I guess only time will tell!