Main Differences Between Tom and Hen Turkey
- A tom turkey is about 3 feet tall and weighs 8 to 10 kgs, but a hen turkey is approximately 2 to 2.5 ft tall and weighs around 3 to ...
- While tom turkey has bigger bones and lesser meat, a hen turkey has small bones and is meatier.
- A tom turkey has brightly colored snood and caruncles. ...
Is a tom turkey tougher than a hen?
Toms are generally more tender than hens, despite what most people assume. Heritage, heirloom, pastured, organic and/or free range birds will almost always be tougher.
Is my Turkey a hen or a Tom?
Hens are female and Toms are male. On average, Toms are larger, so if you’re looking for a turkey over 18 pounds, you will most likely end up with a Tom. A second item to consider is when choosing between a Hen or Tom is the bone to meat ratio. Toms have larger bones and less edible portions. Hens mature in 16 weeks and range from 8-16lbs on ...
Are hen or Tom turkeys better?
Most experts agree that a hen turkey is better than a tom, but it is probably a matter of personal preference. Hens weigh less than sixteen pounds while toms always weigh over sixteen pounds. Tom turkeys have larger bones and less edible portions, which may be reason for hens as preference. Click to see full answer.
Do Hen turkeys lay eggs without a tom turkey present?
Your hen will not lay fertile eggs without a tom to help make them that way after so many days, the eggs would not be fertile anymore. parthenogenesis; would be a rare occurrence so I wouldn't put any stake or value in that possibility. I've never had any issues with my toms being aggressive. So I can tell you that they are not all that way.
Tom Turkey vs Hen Turkey
The difference between tom turkey and hen turkey is that while the former is a male turkey, the latter is a female turkey. A tom turkey is varied from a hen turkey not only in the aspect of gender but also in weight, appearance, bone to meat ratio, and in time taken to mature.
What is Tom Turkey?
Tom turkeys are adult male turkeys. Along with making about 30 types of calls, a tom turkey is also called a Gobbler as it makes gobble sounds. It takes a male turkey about 20 weeks to mature and typically weighs between 8 to 10 kgs. Their bigger size is a result of their bigger bones and lesser flesh.
What is Hen Turkey?
Hen turkey is an adult female turkey. It is smaller than a tom and weighs about 3 to 7 kgs. It takes approximately 12 to 16 weeks to rear up a hen turkey.
Main Differences Between Tom and Hen Turkey
A tom turkey is about 3 feet tall and weighs 8 to 10 kgs, but a hen turkey is approximately 2 to 2.5 ft tall and weighs around 3 to 6 kgs.
Conclusion
Even though tom and hen turkeys are both turkeys, their gender and appearance are not all that differentiates them. A tom turkey has more bones, and a hen turkey is meatier.
How to tell if a turkey is old?
In general, jakes will have short (less than ½”), conical, rounded spurs, while gobblers will have longer (longer than ½”), straight, and pointed spurs. As gobblers get older, the spurs often take on a curved, hooked form.
How long is a Tom Turkey's beard?
As a general rule, jakes will have short beards (about 2 to 3 inches in length), while the tom turkey beard can be up to 10 inches or more (they don’t call them longbeards for nothing). Sometimes toms even get multiple beards, which can be another good sign of maturity. On the other hand, sometimes toms lose their beards or wear them down over time, or jakes will sport long or double beards. A certain number of hens will also sport a beard at some point, which is why many regulations allow a “bearded turkey” during the turkey hunting season. In the video below, you’ll see that while hunting these call-shy gobblers, in particular, there was a surprise super jake encounter.
What is a gobbler turkey?
They can also sometimes be confused with hens in the field. What is a gobbler? A gobbler or tom turkey is a mature male bird. There will be shifts in physical appearance and behavior as they get older, but a gobbler is essentially a gobbler on its 2 year birthday.
Can you kill a bearded turkey?
Many turkey hunting regulations specify you kill a male or “bearded turkey” during the spring hunting season. Sometimes a bearded turkey is a sad-looking long beard, an average jake, or even a hen. So it really comes down to what you are comfortable ...
