Transgender turkey?

[birdfreak1831]

This is turkey habitat. They are surprisingly trusting, some follow me a little ways on my walks through the forest. Others wait for me by my front door in the mornings, even peck the door.
They know I`ll be out with treats. Occasionally one will eat out of my hands, like my chickens do. Most crowd closely around me.
We always have a winter"herd", some years just a couple dozen, this years an extra big bunch - around 60.
In summer there are always mothers getting together, taking care of their young between them. I call them nursery groups, it`s really neat to watch. Most often two hens but sometimes three or even four with an enormous amount of kids they are guarding.

My question is about a tom who started coming around with five half grown youngsters, leading them and watching them just like the hens do in summer. I have never seen a male do this before. Not to disparage him, I think its great, but from what I have observed about turkeys, the guys are normally [just] sperm donors and leave the girls to the incubating
of the eggs and raising of the young.
Has anyone else seen this fascinating behavior in boys?
What do you think?
And my snarky question : is he transgender and is there such a thing?

 

[R2elk]

This is turkey habitat. They are surprisingly trusting, some follow me a little ways on my walks through the forest. Others wait for me by my front door in the mornings, even peck the door.
They know I`ll be out with treats. Occasionally one will eat out of my hands, like my chickens do. Most crowd closely around me.
We always have a winter"herd", some years just a couple dozen, this years an extra big bunch - around 60.
In summer there are always mothers getting together, taking care of their young between them. I call them nursery groups, it`s really neat to watch. Most often two hens but sometimes three or even four with an enormous amount of kids they are guarding.

My question is about a tom who started coming around with five half grown youngsters, leading them and watching them just like the hens do in summer. I have never seen a male do this before. Not to disparage him, I think its great, but from what I have observed about turkeys, the guys are normally [just] sperm donors and leave the girls to the incubating
of the eggs and raising of the young.
Has anyone else seen this fascinating behavior in boys?
What do you think?
And my snarky question : is he transgender and is there such a thing?

It is highly unlikely that he is transgender. There are a fair number of stories on BYC about toms that have tried sitting on nests of eggs and others of toms that have basically raised young poults. It is not that uncommon.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/41982627/?q=tom+sitting+on+eggs&o=relevance&c[node]=20

 

[birdfreak1831]

It is highly unlikely that he is transgender. There are a fair number of stories on BYC about toms that have tried sitting on nests of eggs and others of toms that have basically raised young poults. It is not that uncommon.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/41982627/?q=tom+sitting+on+eggs&o=relevance&c[node]=20

Thanks for your input. That`s neat, the guys getting involved.
Maybe I shouldn`t be so surprised. My little rooster gets into the nests with hens sometimes.