Sex that turkey!

[windwalkingwolf]

Bruce yelps and purls like a hen. Omg, I wish he'd lay an egg, or gobble, or strut, or SOMETHING to settle the matter!

[windwalkingwolf]

[Killerbunny]

Snood is quite long for a girl and also he seems to be losing feathers from his head and neck as if he's going to develop male characteristics such as caruncles.

[WLLady]

Male....well very subordinate male

[windwalkingwolf]

I know! And he's very tall. But, then he tucks his shoulders in like a hen, and yelps. Methinks he must be whatever is the equivalent of an xxy person. wwz? Can that even happen in turkeys?

[poultry_admin]

10 to 20 % of hens have beards. Less than 10% a single spur. If I'm not mistaken due to too much testosterone.

Why not the other way around and too little testosterone in males?

[Killerbunny]

The hen turkeys beard is normal in BSWs (close to 100%). It is one of the secondary sexual characteristics. It develops from the same patch of skin follicles as the males but is not as large.
Quote from Cirrus Hill
"a small beard is standard equipment on the girls,
the hens will also display, fanning their tails and strutting, but don't do the "dance"

[WLLady]

I have a red slate i was so excited was a girl....until everyone gpt out and she ended up by "herself" for a night with another hen that was 2 years old. She started gobbling and strutting and is very definitely a male. Put in with other males and he goes all hen like...lol purring yelping the whole bit....

[windwalkingwolf]

What's weird, is that Bruce was raised with chickens. When put out with the turkeys, he spent a good three days throwing himself at the toms, making googly eyes, the whole 9 yards. He was ignored by both genders, and eventually decided he was a chicken after all lol. Now that he's back outside again, and was promptly and violently rejected by turkey kind (the girls tried to kill him), he is hanging out with chickens once again.

[windwalkingwolf]

I have a red slate i was so excited was a girl....until everyone gpt out and she ended up by "herself" for a night with another hen that was 2 years old. She started gobbling and strutting and is very definitely a male. Put in with other males and he goes all hen like...lol purring yelping the whole bit....

I'm glad Bruce Jen is not alone in the world with his...quirks
This behaviour and physiology could be very useful as a tactic to be able to survive in fiercely competitive wild turkey populations, but he's not being accepted here. Nobody will even let him tag behind as they forage... he's a pariah, and lonely--hanging with the chickens all day for the most part, but camping on my back step at night. I feel so bad for him, and wondering if I should have turkey dinner sooner rather than later, before I'm more attached.