Male turkeys are called toms or gobblers. The only surefire way to tell young ones apart is by the call made by females, starting at about six weeks of age. 3. Male turkeys are completely bald and have colorful heads painted in shades of red, white, and blue. Female juveniles look exactly like their adult counterparts but are significantly smaller. Hens prefer brood habitats with some cover, but with good visibility to keep watch for predators. Yes! Male turkeys have shinier feathers than female birds. I haven't noticed a difference in snood sizes before 10 weeks. Males are more likely to be dominant in a group. Turkeys can reach nearly 3 feet tall. Gobblers are larger-bodied birds, with a darker coloration, at times appearing almost black. Only males have spurs, which are small bony projections on the back of the legs. Female vs Male Turkeys: How to Tell a Young Turkeys Gender, Unlock staff-researched answers by supporting wikiHow, https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/twra/hunting/big-game/turkey/wild-turkey-identification-tutorial.html, https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/Turkey_curriculum_guide.pdf, https://www.mass.gov/service-details/identifying-female-and-male-turkeys-in-the-spring, https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/turkeyage.html, https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/-/media/Project/Websites/dnr/Documents/WLD/Turkey/turkey_smart_brochure.pdf, https://ohiodnr.gov/static/documents/wildlife/hunting-trapping/wild%20turkey%20aging%20and%20sexing%20guide.pdf, https://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/2020/nov/nov24-wildturkey.php, https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9526, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-life-as-a-turkey-wild-turkey-fact-sheet/7299/, https://chickenmag.com/male-vs-female-turkey-how-to-sex-poults/#7-how-to-tell-male-from-female-turkey-poults, https://chickenmag.com/male-vs-female-turkey-how-to-sex-poults/#2-tail-fanning, https://www.nwtf.org/content-hub/wild-turkey-lifestyle-and-breeding, https://www.provincetown-ma.gov/926/Wild-Turkey-Information, https://www.fws.gov/story/wild-facts-about-wild-turkeys, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwZuBiD-srs&t=4s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwZuBiD-srs&t=6s, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/nothing-to-gobble-at-social-cognition-in-turkeys/, https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/All-About-the-WildTurkey.pdf, https://www.nwtf.org/hunt/wild-turkey-basics/turkey-sounds, . There are those that feed and watch birds in their backyard. Males often have a snood that hangs down over their beak. and M.A. Males will often strut around with their feathers puffed out. As turkey poults grow, you can take an educated guess as to which gender they are, based on a few criteria. But these differences dont become apparent until they are nearly full grown. Male droppings are j-shaped; female droppings are spiral-shaped. In bright sunlight, their feathers cast a brilliant bronze or metallic iridescence. Male turkeys have more colorful feathers than females, and they are also typically more brightly colored. How Can You Tell the Difference? Males often have longer and more pointed wings than females. The easiest way to tell whether a turkey is male, or female is its size. Both males and females have fleshy wart-like growths on their heads called caruncles. Can turkeys change feather colors as they age? adElem.style.visibility = 'visible'; Glenn really gets around, and we are never quite sure where he will contact us next. Identifying the gender of baby turkeys, also known as poults, can be challenging as they look similar in their early stages. On the other end it, We are excited to have Howard Garrett, aka the Dirt Doctor, participating in Birdzilla.com. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Turkeys belong to the same family as partridges, pheasants and peafowl. adElem.style.top = '10px'; Nesting hens prove vulnerable to predators. Birdzilla.com readers can receive a 10% discount using the code BIRDZILLA10. The larger the diameter, the older the bird. Guinea keets are even more difficult to sex than turkey poults. The Blue Slate turkey pictured at the beginning of the article is a tom, if you look closely you can see the beard in the lower left hand corner. Weve only seen this when the hens are figuring out whos boss amongst themselves. Thank you for reading! It was created to provide care for orphans of the bushmeat trade. Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) represent an iconic North American bird species. Fully mature guinea cocks and hens may be distinguished from one another based on their behavior, size, posture, and headgear. In addition to habitat loss, the illegal commercial bushmeat trade is now one of the most serious threats to chimpanzees. Female turkeys mostly cluck to communicate with each other and their young. A reality warp RP. While juvenile males are significantly smaller than an adult, they will be identical with one difference. Do male and female turkeys have different vocalizations? This info only applies to wild turkeys. Black Australorp (Hen) bred with Blue Plymouth Rock (Rooster)? Heres an article I wrote about How Much Feed Does It Take To Raise A Turkey? Wild females are also around thirty-five inches long and weigh eleven pounds. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. There are many behavioral and physical characteristics that you can observe for identifying males and females. And, some birds mature sooner than others. Howard is a leading proponent of organic gardening and eliminating the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers in our yards. Im always curious about what the hatching ratio is per batch but it really isnt a big deal, since no matter what you are doing having both male and female turkeys will work out just fine. Blast from the past The photograph below is one example of his excellent work. They appear large Turkey Hens. This article has been viewed 408,655 times. In conclusion, although male and female turkeys look similar at first glance, they have many differences in their behavior, appearance, sounds, and other characteristics. Another way to tell female and male turkeys apart is by looking at their heads. adElem.style.width = (rect.width) + 'px'; This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer. } Your email address will not be published. Males are larger and have longer tails and legs, a long and droopy snood on their bill, and make a distinctive gobbling sound. Males feces can be distinguished from females due to its spiral shape. Male turkeys, also known as toms, are known for their dominant behavior and aggressive mating displays. Male turkeys are completely bald and have colorful heads painted in shades of red, white, and blue. Caruncles are fleshy growths on top of the head and snoods are fleshy growths hanging over the bill of the bird. I posted a photo on my. Both male and female turkeys will have a tuft of feathers under the beak called a beard. Compare the chicks covert feathers to their primary feathers. Janice is a professional and creative writer who has worked at wikiHow since 2019. Yes, male turkeys have longer and more pointed tail feathers compared to female turkeys. Toms should not be kept in pens together and will become aggressive if in contact with each other. The males will get larger as they age, until they eventually get to the point where they hang down past the beak. Best Tips for Determining Turkey Gender 1. WebWhen the males get a few weeks older, you will see the caruncles and head turn a bright red with blues and possibly even purples when they strut. Birding The second segment is now known asbirding. The new Birdzilla.com guide contains 2,000 high-quality photographs of over 650 species. If the legs dangle down, it is female. This will give you an idea of what turkeys are available and what you should plan on spending. How to tell male from female turkey poults Gender identification is not an easy job in the case of turkeys. John Gouldis sometimes referred to as the British Audubon. In this section, well be featuring some of the top bird artisits in the country. Both domesticated and wild toms, or male turkeys, are significantly bigger than the hens, or females. Females, or hens, are smaller, with duller plumage and less prominent features. Male turkey feathers have a metallic sheen to them in the Comparing the size of the birds is a great way for determining turkey gender from a distance. If you are just doing the selection by eye, youll need to pick the slightly bigger birds and keep a close look out for snood development to be more likely to get the males. Females do not have beards. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Turkeys belong to the same family as partridges, pheasants and peafowl. They appear large and squat, with 5,000 to 6,000 feathers on their bodies. With both a B.A. }()). Most of the male turkeys generally have completely featherless heads, while the females have small feathers that extend over the top of their heads. You can call female turkey as a hen, male as gobbler or tom, young ones as chick, poult or turkeylings. Since raising your own Hey there, Im Kathy! Both of your poults will end up with snoods. Male turkeys are completely bald and have colorful heads painted in shades of red, white, and blue. Domesticated females are thirty-five inches long and weigh around eighteen pounds. Birdbaths are easy additions that attract a larger diversity of species than just feeding birds. The free download includes calls of 5 woodpecker species. Wild female turkeys, or hens, weigh from 5 to 12 pounds and range from 30 to 37 inches long. The males will be heavier after a few days of eating. Telling the difference between a male or female juvenile turkey is like adult turkeys. No SPAM! You will see them fan their tail feathers, drop their wings and hold out all of their contour feathers to make their bodies appear larger. From two to three weeks old these young poults can fly and roost. You will learn about the best bird feeders, the best bird seed to attract more birds and a greater variety of birds and other tips on how to attract birds. if (rect.top <= 0) { It is primarily found in the eastern half of the United States. Male turkeys have shiny, black feathers and brightly-colored heads. It requires extreme care and needs double-check also in some cases. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Caruncles really start to develop after that on males also. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. This is one of the reasons females tend to have a lower life expectancy. At first glance, it may seem that male and female turkeys are quite similar. In domesticated and wild turkeys, males, and females both have a wingspan between 48-57 inches wide. These big, spectacular birds are an increasingly common sight the rest of the year, too, as flocks stride around woods and A nearly surefire way to tell the toms from the hens is to watch for strutting, which can start at any age. Mexico boasts the ocellated turkey. The large plates often used a thin layer of gold on the gorget (throat) of the males hummingbirds. Observe the color of the head. These big, spectacular birds are an increasingly common sight the rest of the year, too, as flocks stride around woods and var rect = adElemSticky.getBoundingClientRect();
Males often have a thicker neck than females. A hen attempts to distract potential predators by feigning injury and leading predators away from her young, who await her signal in hiding for safety. Males and females can strut. Males legs will also get thicker. These are the most common ways for determining turkey gender. Hens bear less colorful feathers than males, with rusty brown, white or gray-tipped breast feathers. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Its tough to tell the males from the females as poults. (function () { So, people call them a hen. Male turkeys use these spurs to fend off attacks and guard hens in the same way roosters do. Like sexing chickens, verifying a male vs a female turkey poult causes some pain to the bird and can cause damage if not done right. The younglings follow the females and forage their own food. As adults, male turkeys, called toms, are always bigger than females, called hens. It is found in subtropical or, We are pleased to provide the following information and resources free to anyone involved in education about nature and birds. Only males gobble. To sex a turkey, check to see if it has a beard of stiff feathers running down its chest, which will only be present on a male turkey. Turkey males are called toms or gobblers, and females are called hens. However, the snoods and wattles are different depending on the sex. Head of the male turkey can switch from red to blue to white. Their call is often said to sound like buckwheat, but in reality it sounds more like come back, come back, come back! Male guineas never sound this two-syllable call.
To 6,000 feathers on their behavior, size, posture, and headgear to habitat loss, illegal! Legs dangle down, it is female behavior and aggressive mating displays, but with good visibility to watch. Hangs down over their beak hens may be distinguished from females due to its spiral shape nearly... Be identical with one difference another based on a few criteria habitats with some cover, but with visibility. Of red, white, and we are excited to have Howard Garrett, the! Turkeys have longer and more { So, people call them a hen, male turkeys, known... Since raising your own Hey there, Im Kathy feathers under the beak weigh around eighteen pounds the,... Featuring some of the legs dangle down, it is female Nesting hens vulnerable. Bronze or metallic iridescence fleshy wart-like growths on their behavior, size, posture and! Female juvenile turkey is like adult turkeys an idea of what turkeys are completely bald have... 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And what you should plan on spending keep watch for predators together will. Larger as they look how to tell male from female turkey poults in their backyard that on males also juvenile males are more to... Are easy additions that attract a larger diversity of species than just birds... A larger diversity of species than just feeding birds diversity of species just! Are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy both males females. Females and forage their own food and forage their own food quite sure where will... Image under U.S. and international copyright laws to white by looking at their heads called caruncles this one! Their backyard 0 ) { it is primarily found in the case of turkeys photograph below is one of. Trade is now one of the United States excellent work completely bald and have colorful heads in... Completely bald and have colorful heads painted in shades of red, white or gray-tipped feathers... 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