

Hen turkeys are brown and have gray or white-tipped breast feathers. They are not as attractive as their male counterpart. It takes approximately 12 to 16 weeks to rear up a hen turkey. It is smaller than a tom and weighs about 3 to 7 kgs. However, the meat will be tender if the turkey isn’t too old. Only the dominant ones can sire whilst the subordinate tom turkey assists the dominant one in mating.Ĭooking a tom turkey would mean that the bones will be bigger and the meat little. In an effort to please the hen turkey, the tom turkey fans out its tail feathers magnificently. They also have beards that are 5 to 12 inches long. Hen turkeys are more attracted to tom turkeys with a longer and larger snood as it is a sign of their good health. This is its most striking physical feature because, during the breeding season, the snood extends past the beak and darkens in color depending on the turkey’s level of excitement.
What is a snood on a turkey skin#
Developing blue skin around the caruncles is unique to tom turkeys, and a brightly colored, large caruncle is an indicator of the bird’s sexual fitness.Ī bit of skin from the base of a tom turkey’s beak hangs loose and is called a snood. It has big caruncles that are fleshy, red bumps covering its neck and head. Their bigger size is a result of their bigger bones and lesser flesh.Ī full-grown tom turkey is usually black with iridescent gold, bronze, copper, red, green, and blue hues. It takes a male turkey about 20 weeks to mature and typically weighs between 8 to 10 kgs. Along with making about 30 types of calls, a tom turkey is also called a Gobbler as it makes gobble sounds. The feathers on their head and neck are small and either white or blueish-grayish in color Color of Feathers Black in color with hues of bronze, copper, gold, green, blue and red Brownish in color with buffy, gray, or white-tipped breast feathers Bone to Meat Ratio Have larger bones and less meat Have small bones and is meatier What is Tom Turkey? During the breeding season, its snood extends and darkens in color Their snoods, spurs, and caruncles are small.

Comparison Table Between Tom and Hen Turkey Parameters of Comparison Tom Turkey Hen Turkey Gender Male Female Size and Weight Big and weighs within 8 to 10 kgs Relatively small and weighs between 10 to 12 kgs Physical Appearance Have larger spurs and caruncles. Hen turkeys are smaller in size and weigh lesser than a tom turkey. However, if a hen turkey weighs about 10 to 12 kg, it develops a layer of fat that adds a flavor to the turkey on being roasted. A hen turkey is reared for 12 to 16 weeks and typically weighs between 3 to 7 kgs. Hen turkeys are full-grown female turkeys. This is because the toms grow rapidly in their early days, which increases their potential to develop leg disorders. Studies reveal that tom turkeys have poor leg health in comparison to hen turkeys despite being the same age. Tom Turkey has bigger bones and isn’t quite meaty. A tom turkey weighs between 8 to 10 kgs and ideally matures within 20 weeks. Tom turkeys are matured male turkeys and are also known as Gobblers.
