For many of us, turkeys are familiar as the delicious main course on holiday feasts But beyond the dinner table, turkeys have distinct names depending on age, sex, and groupings Understanding turkey terminology can be useful for farmers, hunters, nature enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to learn more about these unique birds.
In this article, we’ll explain the proper labels for male, female, young, and groups of wild and domesticated turkeys. Let’s explore common turkey names and terminology.
Female Turkey Names
There are two main terms used for female turkeys depending on their age and maturity.
Hens
Hen is the name used for an adult female turkey once it reaches reproductive maturity This usually occurs by one year of age.
Some key facts about hen turkeys:
- Weigh 8-15 pounds compared to 20+ pounds for males
- Nest on the ground and lay 7-10 eggs in the spring
- Incubate eggs for 28 days before hatching
- Make yelping and clucking vocalizations
- Care for poults after hatching
In the wild, hens are smaller, drabber, and less decorated than their male counterparts. They lack the flashy colors, pronounced wattles, and long tail feathers of adult males. If you see a small, plain turkey, it’s likely a mature hen.
Jennies
Young female turkeys under 16 weeks old are specifically called jennies. This name is used from hatching until the turkey becomes a mature hen around one year old.
Identifying a jenny can be challenging since juvenile males and females appear quite similar Here are some tips
- Jennies may have slightly smaller legs and feet than juvenile males.
- Their snood and wattle are less prominent.
- Jennies make higher-pitched yelping sounds.
Once a jenny survives to adulthood, it earns the name hen. So jenny refers exclusively to adolescent female turkeys transitioning to maturity.
Male Turkey Terminology
Male turkeys also have distinct names depending on their age:
Toms or Gobblers
The terms tom and gobbler are used interchangeably for adult male turkeys. Compared to females, toms are much larger and have brightly colored, iridescent plumage.
Distinct characteristics of mature male turkeys include:
- Red or bluish snood projecting over the bill
- Bright red wattle or flap of skin under the neck
- Spurs on the legs used for fighting
- Beard of black bristle-like feathers on the breast
- Long, fanned tail feathers
- Loud, frequent gobbles
So if you see a turkey strutting about making lots of noise, it’s a tom. Gobbler or tom both refer to a male turkey over one year old.
Jakes
Male turkeys under one year of age are called jakes. During their first year, jakes gradually develop adult markings and behaviors. Compared to mature toms, jakes have:
- Smaller leg spurs just beginning to form
- Shorter tail feathers and snood
- Fewer iridescent body feathers
- Higher-pitched gobbles
With time, jakes mature into adult toms capable of breeding. Calling a male turkey a jake indicates it’s still a juvenile.
Baby Turkey Name: Poults
Newly hatched turkeys are known as poults, similar to chicks for chickens. Poults retain this name until around 8-10 weeks of age. During the first weeks of life, poults stay close to their mother hen for protection, warmth, and guidance.
Characteristics of poults include:
- Covered in downy, fuzzy feathers
- High-pitched peeping vocals
- Follow mother’s sounds and movements
- Cannot fly initially
Within a few weeks, poults develop more mature plumage and become either jakes or jennies. Poult specifically refers to the youngest stage of a baby turkey.
Groups of Turkeys Terminology
When multiple turkeys are together, there are specialized terms to describe the group:
- Hen and poults – a female turkey with her young
- Brood – a group of poults together with a hen
- Gang – male turkeys of various ages assembling as a group
- Flock – mixed group of male and female turkeys
So a gaggle of turkeys may be called a gang, brood, or flock depending on whether it’s all males, a female with poults, or a mixed gathering.
Key Takeaways on Turkey Terminology
To recap turkey terminology:
- Female adult turkey – Hen
- Female juvenile turkey – Jenny
- Male adult turkey – Tom or Gobbler
- Male juvenile turkey – Jake
- Baby turkey – Poult
Learning the proper turkey terms can be helpful for farmers, hunters, wildlife enthusiasts, or anyone interested in learning more about these unique birds beyond the dinner table. Next time you see a flock of turkeys, you’ll know if you’re looking at jakes, toms, hens or jennies!
Frequently Asked Questions on Turkey Names
Turkey terminology may seem straightforward but some common questions come up. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
Do male turkeys gobble?
Yes, gobbling is a distinguishing behavior of mature male turkeys, also called toms or gobblers. Loud, frequent gobbling is part of their courtship ritual.
What’s the difference between a poult and a chick?
Poult refers specifically to a baby turkey under 8-10 weeks old. Chick is the term for a baby chicken. Both names indicate the youngest juvenile stage after hatching.
Can female turkeys also have beards?
While uncommon, female turkeys can occasionally develop a beard too. However, beards are predominantly seen in males. A beard alone does not confirm the turkey’s sex.
Do domestic and wild turkeys have different names?
No, terms like tom, hen, jake, and poult are used for both wild turkeys and domesticated farm turkeys. The names apply equally to wild and domesticated birds.
Is a juvenile male turkey called a tom?
No, tom refers only to mature adult males over one year old. A male under one year old is called a jake rather than a tom. Tom indicates full male maturity.
What’s a group of turkeys walking together called?
Multiple turkeys together are called a flock, gang, or rafter. More specific terms like brood refer to a hen with her poults versus an all-male gang.
Turkey Basics-Gobblers and Hens
Let’s begin with the basics of distinguishing male wild turkeys (gobblers) from females (hens).
Gobblers are larger-bodied birds, with a darker coloration, at times appearing almost black. In bright sunlight, their feathers cast a brilliant bronze or metallic iridescence. Gobblers have a featherless, red head (sometimes with blue and white coloring, too) with prominent wattle and fleshy, red growths (called caruncles) on their neck. They also have a “beard”—a tuft of black, hair-like strands—protruding from their chest.
On adult gobblers (called toms), the beard can be 7-9 inches or more in length, but on young gobblers (called jakes) the beard is <6 inches long. Typically, gobblers hang out away from hens during the summer since they take no part in raising young.
Hens are more brown in coloration and smaller in size than gobblers. They have a head that is more blue-gray in appearance, often with feathers continuing up the back of the head.
Occasionally hens will have a beard, but it is thinner than on gobblers and is quite often kinked. Hens can also have some feather iridescence, but not to the same extent as gobblers.
How many gobblers and hens do you see in this picture?
2 gobblers (both jakes, note the larger size, less-feathered red heads, and tiny stubble of a beard protruding from the chest of the jake on the right), 4 hens (one mostly hidden behind a jake, but you still can clearly see the typical head of a hen turkey poking out), 1 unknown. If we were here in person live, the birds would move about and we could probably determine that the unknown is another jake, but given what we can see in this photo, it’s best to just call this partially obstructed bird an unknown.
Poults develop very quickly (they must in order not to be eaten!) and feather types, appearance, and body size change rapidly as they age. Based on these characteristics, we can estimate the age of poults. For simplicity, we divide poults into three age classes.
1 week old or younger. Poults that are no more than about a week old are still covered with downy feathers and are very small (<5-6 inches tall). They look like little puff balls about the size of your fist.
Turkey Poult Class 1
2-5 weeks old. Poults in this class have grown longer wing feathers, but still are mostly covered with downy feathers on their body and still lack long tail feathers. They are about 6-10 inches tall, similar in size to a Blue Jay. In appearance, they look to be all wings (which is good because it means now they can fly into low trees to escape ground predators). Poults on the older end of this age class will have started to grow some juvenile plumage on their bodies, but still have short tail feathers.
Hen with class 2 age group poults
Hen with older class 2 age-group poult (borderline class 3)
Hen with class 2 age group poults
6-8 weeks or older. Poults early in this stage still have some down feathers occurring on the neck and head, but their body is covered with juvenile type contour feathers. They have visible tail feathers now, black-and-white barred wing feathers are emerging, and they stand about 10-12 inches tall, similar in size to a crow or a chicken. By about 8 weeks of age, poults are beginning to grow new “adult” looking body feathers and will have a mixture of juvenile feathers and adult feathers on their body. They are about half the size of the hen and will continue to grow to almost the same size as the hen by the end of the summer. Turkey Poults
Because they are very similar in size, late in the summer it can be very challenging to determine if a group of similar-sized turkeys is a flock of hens without poults or a hen and her older-age-class brood. If you’re unsure, it’s best to mark them as unknowns.