What is a Castrated Male Turkey Called?

As a turkey farmer, I often get asked what you call a male turkey that has been castrated. This is actually a very common practice in the turkey farming industry, so it’s an important term to know. In this article, I’ll explain exactly what a castrated male turkey is called and why castration is used in turkey production.

The Term for a Castrated Male Turkey

A castrated male turkey is specifically called a “stag”. This term refers to any male turkey (tom) that has had its testicles removed through the process of castration. Other nicknames used include “dubber”, “master tom”, or “gobler”. But the proper industry term is definitely a stag.

Stags are different than female turkeys (hens) and intact male turkeys (toms). A tom turkey is fully capable of breeding, while a stag has lost this ability through castration. The terms can be a little confusing, but just remember:

• Tom turkey = intact fertile male
• Stag turkey = castrated male
• Hen turkey = female

So if someone asks you what you call a castrated male turkey, you can confidently tell them it’s called a stag!

Why Castrate Male Turkeys?

Now you may be wondering why turkey farmers castrate male turkeys in the first place What’s the point of turning a tom into a stag? There are a few main reasons the turkey industry utilizes castration

• Meat quality – Castration prevents the undesirable taste and odor that can occur in the meat of sexually mature male turkeys. The meat of stags is considered more palatable.

• Behavior – Intact toms can become aggressive and engage in fighting, especially during breeding season. Castrating them makes them more docile.

• Logistics – Stags are easier to raise and manage as they can be kept together in large groups without fighting.

• Demand – Many consumers prefer to eat stags than fully mature toms. Their milder flavor is more widely appealing.

So you can see why castration is a common practice – it improves the end product for consumers while also making the birds easier to handle for farmers.

How Stags Are Castrated

If you’re unfamiliar with the process, you may be wondering how exactly a male turkey is castrated to become a stag. There are two main methods used:

Surgical Castration

• Done by making an incision and physically removing the testicles.
• Performed when poults are 1-3 weeks old.
• Requires anesthesia and stitches to close the incision.

Chemical Castration

• Administering a drug like calcium chloride solution.
• Causes testicles to shrivel up and become non-functional.
• Usually done on poults under 2 weeks old.
• Less invasive than surgical method.

Both methods serve to sterilize male poults and inhibit their ability to reproduce. Farmers choose the method based on their own preferences, cost, and what’s approved in their state.

Distinguishing Between Stags and Toms

As a turkey farmer, it can be tricky at times to visually tell stags and toms apart. But there are a few subtle differences:

• Size – Stags tend to be slightly smaller and less muscular than intact toms.

• Head – Stags develop larger heads and longer snoods compared to their body size.

• Feathers – A stag’s feathers may look more worn since they don’t need to impress hens.

• Behavior – Stags are less aggressive, vocal, and territorial than toms.

• Wattle – The wattle of a stag is less engorged than a tom’s.

Paying attention to these cues will help you distinguish between the two types of male turkeys out in the field. It just takes some experience!

Common Uses of Stags

In the turkey industry, stags have a few main uses:

• Meat production – Stags make up the majority of male turkeys raised for meat. Their castrated meat is considered higher quality.

• Breeding – Some stags are used for breeding purposes if there is a shortage of active toms. Their fertility rates are lower though.

• Show birds – At poultry exhibitions and shows, stags are sometimes entered instead of toms due to their calmer temperament.

• Research – Scientists may use stags in research trials because they are more docile and easier to handle than intact toms.

So while they can’t reproduce, stags still play an important role in many turkey-related activities!

Turkey Castration Trends

Castrating male poults has been a common practice for decades in commercial turkey production. However, there are a few changing trends around the procedure:

• Shift to chemical castration over surgical – less labor and stress.

• Doing castration at earlier poult ages when possible.

• Experimenting with immunocastration vaccines to induce sterility.

• Focus on pain management during and after procedure.

• Concerns over animal welfare and right to intact existence from consumers.

• More small farms raising intact heritage breed toms.

• Research into genetic selection for low aggression/high meat quality instead.

It will be interesting to see how turkey castration methods and opinions continue to evolve over the coming years!

What About Female Turkeys?

A question that often comes up is whether female turkeys (hens) are spayed like how male turkeys are castrated. The answer is no – there is no industry standard practice of spaying or “neutering” female turkeys.

Since hens don’t display the same aggressive mating behaviors, there’s no production benefit to desexing them. And surgically removing the ovaries/oviduct could introduce unnecessary risks and complications.

So while stags may get all the attention, female turkeys get to keep functioning as nature intended!