What sex are my Bourbon Red turkeys? (almost 11 weeks)

[chooks4life]

They don't have visible caruncles. :/ I've never seen that on birds that age. It would just be a family trait, most likely nothing to worry about, but it sure does make it hard to see what gender they are. Generally even at a month old my males would be showing caruncles and coloring and behavior that's typically male, not that turkeys don't mind swapping sex roles, lol.

Well, next bet may be to check their feet in comparison with one another. Even before they get taller the boys generally have much bigger feet. Not slight differences at all.

I'm still thinking you have two pairs, most likely, because in the earlier images two of them look a lot broader across the shoulders and deeper in the body. You will know for sure soon enough I'd bet, they're about to really take off in gender disparity.

Best wishes.

 

[Angela2014]

My vote (crazy as it sounds) goes to all females. I have bourbon reds too, 2 months old, and my males have a vibrant red neck area that is clearly distinguished from the females that are more brown/pink necks like yours look in those pictures. No possible way for even a beginner like me to mistake them.

I guess different genes might result in boys that aren't as red as mine, but that's my two cents.

Oh, and my boys are already displaying, or at least they're trying to. They have been for about 2 weeks now. It's completely adorable given how (relatively) tiny they are compared to adult males, but unmistakable. Have any of yours done anything like that? Maybe that would be another way to help tell.

 

[NammasChicks]

Thank you both for the comments! I know, it's crazy. After seeing some other folks with BR's I thought I MUST have all girls... but I have gone from thinking all girls, to maybe a boy...or two? *shakes head*... If we go with the "poo" trick (boys have L or J shaped droppings and girls have a swirl) then I have to have both gender in there (maybe not 2 and 2 but both types of poo are certain!) one fluffs out feathers some, but not really acting up.... as you said, it will surely become apparent in time!

 

[NammasChicks]

Angela- Can you share photos of your BR that are 2 months??? I would LOVE to see them and observe the differences!

 

[chooks4life]

My vote (crazy as it sounds) goes to all females. I have bourbon reds too, 2 months old, and my males have a vibrant red neck area that is clearly distinguished from the females that are more brown/pink necks like yours look in those pictures. No possible way for even a beginner like me to mistake them.

I guess different genes might result in boys that aren't as red as mine, but that's my two cents.

Oh, and my boys are already displaying, or at least they're trying to. They have been for about 2 weeks now. It's completely adorable given how (relatively) tiny they are compared to adult males, but unmistakable. Have any of yours done anything like that? Maybe that would be another way to help tell.

This isn't a reliable gender sign, the bit I bolded, hence my earlier comment about them swapping sex roles. I've had both genders as young as a week displaying, even before they get tail feathers, you see the same thing with peacocks. The display serves several purposes, not just mating display, they will also display when aggressive or scared.

I've seen my turkey chicks when quite young taking turns to pretend to be either male or female, complete with one displaying to the other, who sits in invitation to mate in response to the display, then they mate, then swap roles and repeat. It's irrespective of gender at that age.

Once they hit puberty theoretically only males should keep displaying but my adult hens display a lot, always have, they even gobble and mate and do the whole typically male thing. All behaviors can be displayed by the other gender, they're potentialities within both sexes, but generally the sexes stick to their roles. Generally.

Best wishes.

 

[NammasChicks]

Here they are at 3 months 1 day!





Close-up of the above photo, one girl???

 

[NammasChicks]

JoBoHomestead- I asked a gal who has Bourbon Red's what her opinion was about my birds and showed her the same photos I posted on here today- she said if she had to guess she would say females, BUT she would have to HEAR them to be 100 % sure. That got my attention! Hear them? Huh. So I searched youtube for bourbon red and found this video I think you will find interesting as well!! He says they are 6 weeks old. I don't know about you but MY turkeys *at 3 months* have NEVER made that noise before, I 'bout jumped out of my chair I was so startled!! LOL... so perhaps it will help you ID your birds as well. I think I definitely have girls unless they are slow in every fashion. haha!
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GExW_NwUjs0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GExW_NwUjs0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

(hope the link works, I haven't tried to post something like that before...)

 

[chooks4life]

The noise he makes to them is weird and funny, but there's no need for that. Any sound with enough volume will get the same response from them. You can clap your hands and they'll 'go off'. Someone should tell him that before he gives any visitors an unintentionally hilarious demonstration of how to sex them via sounds.

An exception is where they're trained to or learn to respond to certain noises with a challenge, which is what the gobble is; if they're very human-aggressive they may gobble continuously over the top of quiet human conversation, taking every word as a challenge, or they may respond the same to faraway rooster crowing despite the quietness of it.

But that's not a guarantee of anything genderwise, hens gobble too, and display, and mount and mate other hens/males as well... None of those signs are reliable.

The sound they're making in the video actually sounds like a combination of fighting and gobbling vocalizations.

My turkey babies from most clutches (but not all) were mating and displaying from a few weeks old onwards, and showing strong gender signs physically, but none of mine gobbled at that age, so there's a possibility BB males in America gobble young without showing other gender characteristics... But it's also possible the hens do too. Only time will tell there. Some breeds have rules all of their own. :/

Best wishes with them.

 

[Champion Farm]

I hatch eggs and bourbons are ones that I hatch all the time I have a adult female and 1 baby female and a baby male if you send me pictures once they are one or two weeks old I could probably tell male or female. When you send me the pictures send them of the dot on their forehead and underneath there beak, private message me the pics in a week or two and I'll look at them for you!

 

[slingshotandLAR]

I'm trying to get a hard count on males and females also....

A few are no brainers but I still have some I just can't tell yet

They are 8 weeks old today


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