is my turkey a hen or a tom

[Crystal1999]

I have a bronze tom(1inch bread) and a buff hen (with a 5inch bread) She hatched 10 baby's and idk how to tell what they are My hen will sturte just like the tom The babies are 5 mouths I don`t no how to tell How can I tell

 

[hessclan6]

Interesting! We had a bronze hen that had a beard at one time. I've heard of hens strutting although I have never personally experienced it myself. By 5 months old you should be able to tell the sexes of the poults. Toms typically have much longer snoods and wattles and should have more color/bigger caruncles on their heads. Do the babies look more like the Bronze or the Buff breed?

 

[RockerHen]

My royal palm hen struts, drums, and attempts to gobble ALL THE TIME. She always struts around my feet when I go into the pen. I've hatched 18 chicks off of her this season and right now she's raising 6 of them. Her ragged tail is from where she was broody and rubbed it against the back of the nest box.



Here are toms. Their snoods (long dangly things on their beaks) will enlarge and droop. Hens have tiny snoods which they can't elongate. Their necks are covered with large, fleshy bumps and their wattle is larger than hens. Their heads also turn bright colors, while my hen seems to only get her neck red when she's excited. The face and back of her head stays pale.



Here's my hen with a pretty face shot to illustrate. A rare moment when she's not acting like a man!

 

[Crystal1999]

I only have two baby turkey they both look like hens and both has has a breads Only one struts

My hen dose that too all the time trys to gobble but has a long bread

 

[Celie]

At 5 months, you should diffidently be able to tell a hen from a tom. Toms are larger, heavier, have more red in their heads, larger, darker chronicles, a different sound, and Bald. Hens have a row of feathers up the back of their heads. If they are not white, feather color should also be different! Can you post pictures? With a mix breed it might be difficult with feathering!

 

[frank53061]

Celie

Great information but don't forget to tell them about raising there feet to the sky trick

its good information and you know I had to poke you in the ribs

 

[epmchickens]

My white hen acts like a tom whenever she feels the chickens need her to. Its amazing! My roosters are both in "time out" right now so she's acting like a guy. Its happened before too when I didn't have roosters around. Too funny that all turkey hens are large and in charge !