Female vs Male Turkeys: How to Tell a Young Turkey’s Gender

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How can you identify the sex of a baby turkey?
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Whether you’re prepping for a hunting trip or breeding turkeys of your own, knowing how to sex turkeys on the fly is a helpful skill to have under your belt. What if you can’t get a super close look, though? Thankfully, there are plenty of obvious signs you can be on the lookout for—and we’ll show you exactly what they are. Have a group of turkey poults on your hands? Read on for some simple strategies to help you sex your baby turkeys up close.

Things You Should Know

  • Male turkeys have shinier feathers than female birds. They also have feathery “beards” on their chest, which females typically don’t have.
  • Inspect the vent opening (located under the tail, between the bird's legs) to determine the sex of baby turkeys.
  • Pick up a young turkey (or “poult”) and see if its legs lift up or dangle down. Female poults let their legs dangle, while male poults pull their legs up.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Adult Turkeys

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  1. Take a close look at the turkey’s head—are there feathers that cover the surface, or is the turkey completely bald? If you can’t spot any head feathers at all, the turkey is probably male. [1]
    • Female turkeys have blue-grey flesh that may be visible beneath the feathers on their heads.
  2. Male turkey feathers have a metallic sheen to them in the sunlight, while female feathers are far less shiny. [2] Male birds also have colorful heads that are often shaded in red, white, and blue, while female birds have plain, more neutral-toned heads. [3]
    • While female turkey feathers are a little bit shiny, they aren’t nearly as iridescent as a male turkey’s are.
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  3. If you’re looking at a group of turkeys milling around, take note of each bird’s size. On average, female hens are 33-50% smaller than their male counterparts. [4] Their legs are a bit smaller, too—the average female turkey leg is 4 1 ⁄ 2  in (11 cm) long, while the average male turkey leg is 6 in (15 cm). [5]
  4. If you’re close enough to the turkey, take a close look at the base of its legs. Male turkeys have spurs, or sharp points that stick out of the leg. [6]
    • Adult male spurs are usually at least 1 ⁄ 2  in (1.3 cm) long, while juvenile male spurs are stubby and shorter than 1 ⁄ 2  in (1.3 cm). [7]
    • Spurs help male turkeys fight other males during breeding season, which is why you don’t see them on female birds. [8]
  5. Take a close look at the feathers on the turkey’s breast—do they look black at the ends, or brown? If they’re black, you’re probably looking at a male turkey. [9]
    • Most adult turkey breast feathers are squared off at the ends, while younger turkey breast feathers are more curved at the ends.
    • This info only applies to wild turkeys. If you have a domesticated turkey, it likely has completely white feathers. [10]
    • It might be easier to take a closer look at a feather that the turkey dropped.
  6. Take a look at the turkey’s chest—do you see a line of hair-like feathers running down the center of it (also known as a beard)? If so, you’re likely looking at a male bird, since the vast majority of females don’t have beards. [11]
    • Juvenile turkey beards are only 3 to 5 in (7.6 to 12.7 cm) long, while older turkeys have beards that are 6 to 10 in (15 to 25 cm) long. [12]
    • A small percentage of female turkeys also have beards, so they aren’t a conclusive way to sex your birds.
    • Don’t confuse the beard with the caruncle or snood! Caruncles are fleshy growths on top of the head and snoods are fleshy growths hanging over the bill of the bird. Both sexes have these growths, even though the snood of an adult male is usually somewhat larger than that of a female turkey. [13]
  7. Male turkeys frequently raise their tails up into the shape of a fan—so, if you see fanning happen, you’re probably looking at a male. Female turkeys, on the other hand, usually keep their tails down and won't fan them out. Not all males fan out their feathers, though, so this isn’t a foolproof way to sex a turkey. [14]
    • Male turkeys tend to fan their feathers during the turkey breeding season. [15] Turkey breeding season really depends on where you live, but it often happens between February and April. [16]
    • Juvenile male turkeys fan out their tail feathers unevenly, while adult males fan their feathers out in a smooth arc. [17]
    • Throughout the breeding season, male turkeys often strut around while fanning out their tail feathers. [18] However, female birds occasionally strut as well, so this behavior isn’t a 100% conclusive way to sex a turkey. [19]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Baby or Young Turkeys

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  1. All turkeys have vents beneath their tails and between their legs, which allow them to mate and reproduce further down the line. Carefully pick up the bird, using one hand to gently hold the wings down as you examine between its legs. [20] If the vent looks more like a bump, the baby turkey (or poult) is male; if it’s completely flat, the poult is female. [21]
    • Don’t pick up a bird unless you feel really comfortable doing so.
    • Baby turkeys look very similar when they’re young, which is why they can be difficult to sex at a young age. It’s easier to sex turkeys as they mature and develop more distinct characteristics.
  2. Gently lift up the bird, using one hand to keep the poult’s wings down. As you lift the bird, look at its legs—are they still dangling down or tucked into its chest? Dangling legs indicate a female poult, while pulled-up legs signify a male poult. [22]
  3. If you’re having trouble identifying a poult by its vent or leg movements, pay a little extra attention to its behavior, instead. Generally speaking, male poults tend to be more brash and aggressive toward other birds, especially as they get older. [23]
    • Some common aggressive turkey behaviors include pecking and fighting. [24]
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  • Question
    At what age can a baby turkey fly?
    Janice Tieperman
    Community Answer
    Baby turkeys grow really quickly and are able to fly when they're as young as 8 to 10 days old.
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    What does a male wild turkey look like?
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    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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    Wild male turkeys are typically smaller and slimmer than domestic ones, but they share many of the same characteristics. For example, wild males have large tail fans, iridescent plumage, and the distinctive chest “beard” and snood on their faces.
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    Do female turkeys puff up?
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    While this behavior is usually associated with male turkeys, many people who keep turkeys report that females will also puff up. They’re especially inclined to do this if there are no males around, possibly as a way of establishing dominance in a group of hens.
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      Tips

      • Adult male turkeys are called gobblers , while young males are called jakes . Adult female turkeys are called hens , while young females are called jennies . Both adult and juvenile male turkeys are collectively referred to as toms . [25]
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      • The official name for any group of turkeys is a rafter . [26]
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      • Believe it or not, male and female turkeys poop in different ways—female scat looks cone-shaped, while male scat curves around in a J-shape. Older birds tend to leave larger droppings. [27]
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      Warnings

      • Young turkeys can be difficult to sex if you don’t have a lot of experience. If you need to sex turkeys for breeding purposes, hire a professional chicken sexer for help. [28]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/twra/hunting/big-game/turkey/wild-turkey-identification-tutorial.html
      2. ↑ https://wildlifedamage.cals.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/289/2020/10/WildTurkey.pdf
      3. ↑ https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/Turkey_curriculum_guide.pdf
      4. ↑ https://www.mass.gov/info-details/identifying-female-and-male-turkeys-in-the-spring
      5. ↑ https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/turkeyage.html
      6. ↑ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/id
      7. ↑ https://www.worldanimalprotection.ca/blogs/9-interesting-facts-about-turkeys/
      8. ↑ https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/-/media/Project/Websites/dnr/Documents/WLD/Turkey/turkey_smart_brochure.pdf
      9. ↑ https://ohiodnr.gov/static/documents/wildlife/hunting-trapping/wild%20turkey%20aging%20and%20sexing%20guide.pdf
      1. ↑ https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/about-turkeys.pdf
      2. ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9526
      3. ↑ https://www.fws.gov/story/wild-facts-about-wild-turkeys
      4. ↑ https://www.acpsmd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=1712&dataid=4371&FileName=Sexing%20and%20Aging%20Fall%20Turkeys.pdf
      5. ↑ https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/about-turkeys.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.forestsociety.org/something-wild/three-cool-facts-about-turkeys
      7. ↑ https://www.nwtf.org/content-hub/wild-turkey-lifestyle-and-breeding
      8. ↑ https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/turkey-hunting-new-hampshire/know-hens-gobblers
      9. ↑ https://www.audubon.org/news/10-fun-facts-about-wild-turkey
      10. ↑ https://fortheland.org/turkeys/
      11. ↑ https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/njfw/turkey-sexing-aging-measuring.pdf
      12. ↑ https://www.mspca.org/animal_protection/about-turkeys/
      13. ↑ https://opensanctuary.org/large-breed-turkey-special-care-considerations/
      14. ↑ https://extension.unh.edu/resource/raising-turkeys
      15. ↑ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/nothing-to-gobble-at-social-cognition-in-turkeys/
      16. ↑ https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/Wild-Turkeys-WDM-Technical-Series.pdf
      17. ↑ https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/-/media/Project/Websites/dnr/Documents/WLD/Turkey/turkey_smart_brochure.pdf
      18. ↑ https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/print-publications/l/wildlife-management-notes-wild-turkeys-l-269.pdf
      19. ↑ https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/docs/administration_pdf/turkey.pdf

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      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. Alternatively, you can look at the color of the turkey’s feathers. If it has colorful feathers, it's likely a male, but if it has brown or gray feathers, it's probably a female. You can also watch to see if the turkey fans out its tail or makes gobbling noises, which only male turkeys do when they're trying to display dominance. For more tips, like how to tell how old a turkey is, scroll down!

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