What is a Female Turkey Called? A Guide to Turkey Terminology

While most of us are familiar with eating turkey at holiday meals, do you actually know what the male and female turkeys are called? Understanding turkey terminology can come in handy whether you’re raising turkeys, going on a turkey hunt, or just looking to expand your poultry knowledge. Let’s explore the proper names for male, female, young, and groups of turkeys.

Adult Female Turkeys: Hens

The most common name for an adult female turkey is a hen. This term can be used for domesticated or wild turkeys once they reach maturity.

Hens are smaller and less colorful than male turkeys. They lack the vibrant plumage and pronounced snood and wattle of males. Their tail feathers are also not as long or showy.

Some key facts about hen turkeys

• Weigh 8-15 pounds compared to males over 20 pounds
• Lay 7-10 eggs within 1-2 weeks in the spring
• Incubate eggs for 28 days before they hatch
• Make yelping and clucking vocalizations rather than gobbles
• Build nests on the ground hidden in vegetation
• Primarily care for poults (baby turkeys) after hatching

So if you see a smaller, less decorated turkey, chances are it’s a female adult, aka a hen.

Juvenile Female Turkeys: Jennies

Young female turkeys under 16 weeks of age are referred to as jennies. The term jenny is used until the turkey reaches maturity and becomes a hen.

Identifying a jenny can be tricky since juvenile male and female turkeys look quite similar Here are some tips

• Jennies may have slightly smaller legs and feet
• Jennies may have a less prominent snood and wattle
• Jennies make higher-pitched yelping vocalizations

Once a jenny survives to adulthood, it graduates to being called a hen. The name jenny is specific for adolescent female turkeys as they develop

Adult Male Turkeys: Toms/Gobblers

Mature male turkeys have two common names – tom or gobbler. They are much larger and have more colorful, iridescent feathers compared to females.

Their most recognizable features include:

• Bright red throat wattle hanging from the neck
• Pronounced red or bluish snood projecting over the bill
• Spurs on the legs used for fighting
• Beard of black, hair-like feathers on the breast
• Long, fanned tail feathers
• Loud, frequent gobbles

So if you come across a big, decorated turkey strutting and gobbling, it’s a tom. The names tom and gobbler are interchangeable for adult male turkeys.

Juvenile Male Turkeys: Jakes

Male turkeys under 1 year old are referred to as jakes. During the first year, they gradually develop the identifying characteristics of an adult tom.

Some distinguishing traits of jakes include:

• Smaller legs spurs just beginning to form
• Shorter tail feathers and snood
• Fewer iridescent body feathers
• Higher-pitched gobbling

With time and maturity, jakes grow into full-fledged toms with all the flashy plumage and loud gobbles.

Baby Turkeys: Poults

Newly hatched turkeys are called poults until they reach 8-10 weeks of age. These fuzzy hatchlings stay close to their mother hen for warmth, protection and guidance during the first weeks of life.

Poults communicate with high-pitched peeping and follow the hen’s sounds and movements. Within a few weeks, poults develop juvenile markings and will become either jakes or jennies.

Groups of Turkeys

When multiple turkeys are together, there are specific terms to describe the groups:

• Hen and poults – a female turkey with her young
• Brood – a group of poults with a hen
• Gang – male turkeys of various ages assembled together
• Flock – mixed group of male and female turkeys

So next time you see turkeys strutting through a field or perched in trees, you’ll know whether you’re looking at a gang of toms or a brood of hens and poults thanks to understanding the terminology. Gobble, gobble!