What breed is this?

[R2elk]

The owner of the turkeys told me that. She said the toms have same father different mothers and the hen is entirely unrelated. She says the toms are blue slate/royal palm and the hen is blue slate/red bourbon. I do agree that the hen looks more like royal palm than any of them!

The problem is that the owner does not know what their turkeys are. The colors that are showing from the pictures that you posted are not possible results from what she told you.

This one appears to be a Rusty Self Blue (BB DD Rr).

Each of its parents had to have at least one dominant slate (D) gene. And one of its parents had to have a recessive red (r) gene. Royal Palms do not have either of those genes. One of the parents was probably a Blue Slate (BB Dd) and the other parent was probably a Rusty Blue (BB Dd Rr).

The top tom in this pic is a Red Bronze, probably (bb Rr) but there are other possibilities such as (bb1 Ccg Nn Rr).

I see no evidence of it having any Blue Slate in its parentage. It could have Royal Palm in its heritage but also needs to have inherited at least one recessive red (r) gene to make it into a Red Bronze.

The hen at the bottom looks like a possible Golden Narragansett (bb1 Ccg n- Rr) but could be a Narragansett Semi-Color Semi-Gray (bb1 Ccg n-). Either way, it does not have Blue Slate in its parentage and definitely has Royal Palm it its parentage.

When you cross a Royal Palm tom with a Blue Slate hen, you don't get a Blue Slate/Royal Palm cross. You can get Barred Black Semi-Color Semi-Gray and Tri-Color Mottled Slate toms and Barred Black Semi-Color Semi-Gray Narragansett and Barred Semi-Color Semi-Gray Dilute Lilac hens.

If the cross is a Blue Slate tom and a Royal Palm hen, you can get Barred Black Semi-Color Semi-Grays and Tri-color Mottled Slates.

 

[LovesteadMama]

The problem is that the owner does not know what their turkeys are. The colors that are showing from the pictures that you posted are not possible results from what she told you.

This one appears to be a Rusty Self Blue (BB DD Rr).

Each of its parents had to have at least one dominant slate (D) gene. And one of its parents had to have a recessive red (r) gene. Royal Palms do not have either of those genes. One of the parents was probably a Blue Slate (BB Dd) and the other parent was probably a Rusty Blue (BB Dd Rr).

The top tom in this pic is a Red Bronze, probably (bb Rr) but there are other possibilities such as (bb1 Ccg Nn Rr).

I see no evidence of it having any Blue Slate in its parentage. It could have Royal Palm in its heritage but also needs to have inherited at least one recessive red (r) gene to make it into a Red Bronze.

The hen at the bottom looks like a possible Golden Narragansett (bb1 Ccg n- Rr) but could be a Narragansett Semi-Color Semi-Gray (bb1 Ccg n-). Either way, it does not have Blue Slate in its parentage and definitely has Royal Palm it its parentage.

When you cross a Royal Palm tom with a Blue Slate hen, you don't get a Blue Slate/Royal Palm cross. You can get Barred Black Semi-Color Semi-Gray and Tri-Color Mottled Slate toms and Barred Black Semi-Color Semi-Gray Narragansett and Barred Semi-Color Semi-Gray Dilute Lilac hens.

If the cross is a Blue Slate tom and a Royal Palm hen, you can get Barred Black Semi-Color Semi-Grays and Tri-color Mottled Slates.

Wow, thank you for that! I don't fully understand how breeding/genes work but it is fascinating and I hope to learn more! Do you think they could have the varieties mixed up (in their heads) between the hen and toms? Maybe the varieties are accurate but not combined per bird how they said?

 

[R2elk]

Wow, thank you for that! I don't fully understand how breeding/genes work but it is fascinating and I hope to learn more! Do you think they could have the varieties mixed up (in their heads) between the hen and toms? Maybe the varieties are accurate but not combined per bird how they said?

I have no idea what they have. Obviously they do have the genes present to create the birds that you have, they just aren't from the birds that they claimed they are from or they really don't know what they actually have.

You can learn a lot from Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys and playing with his Turkey Color Calculator.

 

[LovesteadMama]

I have no idea what they have. Obviously they do have the genes present to create the birds that you have, they just aren't from the birds that they claimed they are from or they really don't know what they actually have.

You can learn a lot from Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys and playing with his Turkey Color Calculator.

Cool, thank you! I will check it out! I'm hatching eggs from the blue tom and hen. The hen went broody as soon as she laid her first small clutch of eggs and the toms haven't tried to attack me or my toddler so I guess those are traits desirable enough to continue breeding for meat production despite not knowing the breed. I probably will get some red bourbon and royal palm so I can ensure I have some of those genes in the pool. Thanks for your help!