Questions about a very late bloomer possible Tom turkey

[Tennessee Great Granny]

My son is sending me a photo to include. We hatched turkey poults out all last summer. Come the fall and we sold off the extra males and then lost the remaining breeding stock males to a pack of nasty dogs. So we wound up traveling to another state to obtain a male turkey for this year. We could only find one adult Midget White male who was purebred. We had planned on having three breeding pens but we're going to wind up with only one. The poults sell well in the spring and the toms always sell out in the fall. To our surprise we have one turkey we always knew was a female by her character and tiny snood less colored head without the typical male caruncles plus a shorter height and lower weight plus no chest beard development. But come this spring she/he has now grown a much longer snood- it's not as huge as some of our more impressive males have had. Their head is now vividly colored and bright red and blue. This bird still does not have a chest beard. And the tail feathers are more feminine than the large proud fan display our other males have had. Sorry the snood is not fully extended but the picture is what I have got for now. The colors of the caruncles which are growing do get even more brightly colored. I'd love suggestions short of something that is going to cost lots of extra money. We have not seen any breeding behaviors yet, but our other male is trying to become a dad already. It's still a bit early for Midget whites though who usually get into the family thing in March. Does anyone know of sex checking adult turkeys. I'd need a good comparison chart to go by. I will welcome all suggestions.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Looks like a hen. They too can change the colors on their heads based on their moods. She may also be coming into breeding condition.

 

[R2elk]

My son is sending me a photo to include. We hatched turkey poults out all last summer. Come the fall and we sold off the extra males and then lost the remaining breeding stock males to a pack of nasty dogs. So we wound up traveling to another state to obtain a male turkey for this year. We could only find one adult Midget White male who was purebred. We had planned on having three breeding pens but we're going to wind up with only one. The poults sell well in the spring and the toms always sell out in the fall. To our surprise we have one turkey we always knew was a female by her character and tiny snood less colored head without the typical male caruncles plus a shorter height and lower weight plus no chest beard development. But come this spring she/he has now grown a much longer snood- it's not as huge as some of our more impressive males have had. Their head is now vividly colored and bright red and blue. This bird still does not have a chest beard. And the tail feathers are more feminine than the large proud fan display our other males have had. Sorry the snood is not fully extended but the picture is what I have got for now. The colors of the caruncles which are growing do get even more brightly colored. I'd love suggestions short of something that is going to cost lots of extra money. We have not seen any breeding behaviors yet, but our other male is trying to become a dad already. It's still a bit early for Midget whites though who usually get into the family thing in March. Does anyone know of sex checking adult turkeys. I'd need a good comparison chart to go by. I will welcome all suggestions.

Looks like a hen to me.

My Blue Slate hens could grow big enough snoods that would expand to the end of their beaks.

In birds, if the main ovary becomes damaged the females can develop male characteristics but they don't actually become males.

There are companies that will DNA sex birds via feather or blood samples. Unless the prices have changed it is $20 to $25 per test depending on the method and the company.

 

[Tennessee Great Granny]

Well the male looking questionable hen turkey now has an even longer snood. Flares the tail feathers - struts and now gobbles like a male. This turkey was bullied by the older lead jenny and if this bird was a female it certainly has no female traits left except it has no chest beard. The older female who loved to bully him/her is now with our certified tom and filling a nest which I am hoping will calm her tendency to bully the other girls. No one is getting bullied at all now. I have read it is not uncommon for males to not have a chest beard because the beardless condition does happen in wild and domestic turkeys. I have decided now that the questionable gender turkey has finally blossomed into adulthood that if it is a male we will find fertile eggs from the other females secluded with it. So I'm incubating them. I suppose I could just crack them open and look for the bullseye but I need baby poults to sell anyway. The turkey baby season is just getting started here. I'll know if an egg is fertile by day 10, and there is room in the incubator.