sex of turkey

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My husband is trying his hand at raising afew turkeys (just hobby). He picked up a supposed pair of blue slate poults early this spring. Both now appear to be toms as both have a small "beard" starting to grow on their chests.The thing is only one of them is starting to act like a tom what with gobbling and displaying. He's quite handsome as far as turkeys go, strutting his stuff. We do have 2 other turkeys, one a white female and the other were told was a young female bronze-mix (with what I don't know).My question is can a turkey be female with a beard or is that strictly a male thing? My turkey resource book doesn't go into this. Thanks

-- cindy bell (bellrngr@netins.net), December 25, 2000

Answers

I have had turkey hens with beards. When I had more than one tom they would dance around each other all puffed up. Maybe you do have a hen.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 25, 2000.

As a rule of thumb, a beard is a male thing. Otherwise I might have ended up in jail or with a fine during turkey season, when we are only alowed to shoot tom's. I've never heard of or saw a hen with a beard.

I did have a female teacher with a mostache, however.

hillbilly

-- hillbilly (internethillbilly@hotmail.com), December 26, 2000.


I guess your right, I learned something here today. It seams that Scott Shalaway. e-mail address is shalaway@aol.com ,who is a wildlife biologist, and has a column in Farm and Dairy, says some mature females can and do grow beards.

hillbilly

-- hillbilly (internethillbilly@hotmail.com), December 26, 2000.


sshalaway@aol.com

-- hillbilly (internethillbilly@hotmail.com), December 26, 2000.

Thanks to diane and hillbilly for your input.We were puzzled & didn't know what to do or think. Maybe if I fed the turkey-in-question some of those OTC estrogen pills...:o) . I guess time will tell. Hillbilly, I think I recall my gym teacher had a bit of moustache too :o). Thanks!!

-- cindy bell (bellrngr@netins.net), December 26, 2000.


Gee hillbilly: I was hoping I could strike it rich with an egg laying tom!!!!!

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 26, 2000.

Hi Cindy, This year we had one turkey that we thought was a male. he had a beard and layed eggs. We felt like we were running a Funny Farm. Our family and friends couldn't believe it. Neither could we.

PRISCILLA Mountain Ashe Acres Farm

-- PRISCILLA (Mtasheacres@aol.com), January 01, 2001.


sihtir

-- qasem abangar (mqa62@yahoo.com), August 03, 2001.

My wildlife biologist bro in law said too check and see if they have a penis. According to him, the penis is located right at the edge of the cloaca.

I've never checked, though, myself.

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@ecoweb.net), August 03, 2001.


This is an experiment. In an attempt to try and understand how people are coming up with those obsure threads and making comments, I have done a google search on myself and posting from it.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 15, 2001.


It worked!!!!!!! Now I know. :>)

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 15, 2001.

sihtir to any person in turkey...sikim aghzoa..gotoa...

-- qasem abangar (mqa62@yahoo.com), May 10, 2002.

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