Turkey with gender issues?

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Hey y'all,

I've had a small flock of Midget Whites for about a year now. Started with a pair, then raised five poults for seven total. Three are definitely toms, three are definitely hens, and one seems caught in the middle. It looks and acts like a hen most of the time, but will sometimes display with the toms when they have their little strutting showdowns.

I'm planning to slaughter all males but the oldest, and was wondering if I should keep the confused one hoping it will lay eggs next spring, or could something be wrong with it?

Thanks!

Bryan

 

[ramirezframing]

Females can display aslo from what I've read and been told

 

[LLH182]

I have a few girls that will strut. Around August I have one will start getting a bit testy with me... down right evil sometimes! She will strut and go after me. She will go back to her sweet self shortly before she starts laying again in the spring. I just laugh when she goes after me and one of my other girls will come over to put her in her place. I have another girl that will strut but she also has a thin beard about 4 or 5 inches long. And one other girl will strut and she even gobbled last summer after she hatched some babies. She was walking around the yard with them and some of my boys and she just belted out a few gobbles. Never did it again....

 

[flocksalot]

Quote:
I vote keep her. I kept my two favorite hens. They strut around and even attempt to gobble all the time, but they each very faithfully lay their egg every day. Eva and Gracie are adoreable when they strut. I tell them they are just the prettiest girls around and they fan their tails a bit more, make their tst noise and drop their wings further onto the ground. She is just showing off and playing.

 

[Narragansett]

It is very common for turkey hens to display. It is not "gender issues" or "confusion", it's just something that they do. Some individuals are bound to be more dominant than others, and that's how they express it. Some hens will grow beards too. That doesn't indicate a hormone imbalance, it just happens across the board in about 9% of all hens.

 

[luckypickens]

Quote:
I have Midget Whites also and one of my hens strut for any company that comes over for a visit. Everyone always always says how pretty "He" is and then are surprised when I tell them that he is a She lol! Just lost my old tom and wish I had saved a young one now sure wish you were closer so I could get one of your boys, bummer! Guess I am going to have to order some eggs to raise another. No one around here has any whites and I sure do love mine! They are just like our dogs follow us everywhere!

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Cool, thanks y'all, that was the answer I was hoping for. I knew about females having beards. I will apologize to the bird in question for thinking she was confused or had gender issues

 

[syble]

i find my hens strutting quite often. they have started laying now, so i'm sure their hormones are in high gear. they will mate, then when they get up and fluff it off, they will start strutting for 5 or 10 minutes with the boys.all of the breeding hens will do it.