Turkey crosses

[Gramma Windy]

I have a Red Bourbon tom, and two females--one bronze, and one Narragansett/Bourbon cross. This spring they produced 19 poults, some in incubator, and each of the hens hatching. Most of these poults look like bronzes, but some are white with buff feathering. Are the latter natural crosses with these, or is there something else in their background?

 

[R2elk]

I have a Red Bourbon tom, and two females--one bronze, and one Narragansett/Bourbon cross. This spring they produced 19 poults, some in incubator, and each of the hens hatching. Most of these poults look like bronzes, but some are white with buff feathering. Are the latter natural crosses with these, or is there something else in their background?

Learn to run Porter's Turkey Color Calculator and you will be able to predict the outcomes of the various crosses.

The Bourbon Red/Bronze crosses will all be Red Bronzes if your Bronze is really a Bronze without any hidden recessive color genes. The same thing applies to your Bourbon Red tom.

Your Narragansett/Bourbon Red cross hen is either a Red Bronze or a Golden Narragansett depending on which the father was. If the father was a Bourbon Red tom, your cross hen is a Red Bronze. If the father was a Narragansett tom then the hen is a Golden Narragansett.

If your adult turkeys are not carrying hidden recessive color genes, the poults that you are describing as white with buff feathering should be Bourbon Red poults. Bourbon Red poults are part of the expected outcome when crossing a Bourbon Red with a Red Bronze.