Bearded Wonders
Why do turkeys have beards? They won’t tell us, but we have a few ideas!
No one knows exactly why turkeys have beards, but it is a general belief that the beard on a male turkey is used to show its dominance. Picking the right mate is especially important in the wild. Passing on strong genetic traits is important for the survival of the species. Often males fight for the honor of being the best and strongest in any species. Turkeys are no exception, but why fight if you do not have to? Fighting results in injuries and sometimes death.
Being able to display good health and genetics is a lot easier to do. Birds typically do this through the color of their feathers. During mating season is when their feathers are the most vibrant and colorful. Male turkeys or toms have feathers that have a bright sheen to them so they glisten in the sun while they strut. A turkey beard comes out of their chest as a modified set of feathers that never fall off. A beard will start growing shortly after the bird is hatched. It grows throughout their life; a turkey with a long beard should be an older bird indicating it has survived longer, is stronger and more dominant. This would allow its offspring to be strong and have a greater chance of survival.
A short beard could be because of poor health. If the bird is struggling to eat well, the protein fibers the beard is made of become weaker. Sometimes you can visually see a change in color on the beard or a crimp in it indicating a change in growth.
It could also be a result of bad genes. Sometimes a turkey just will not grow a thick, full beard. This could prevent the tom from being selected as a mate. Merriam’s and some hybrid species are known to not have long, thick beards.
Nature also plays a role in controlling beard length as it drags on the ground and breaks off as they feed. In colder climates, ice and snow can accumulate on a beard causing it to break. The longest beard ever recorded was nearly 23 inches; anything over 12 inches is considered extremely unique.
There are some cases where toms will have multiple beards. It is not uncommon to see a double beard, but triples and beyond are considered very rare.
The most beards ever found on a turkey was 13!
Sometimes hens will sport a beard. Scientists have estimated that approximately 10% of hens will have beards. They are almost always very thin and rarely get over 8 inches. No one knows why this is, but a theory on their abundance is due to trapping and relocating birds. It is possible that at one time there were fewer bearded hens, but when one got trapped with the genetics, its offspring carried the beard gene and it has been passed on.
Turkeys Don’t Shave!
After it is a full year old, a jake could have about a 5-inch beard. After another year, it becomes a 2-year-old tom with a beard of 9 inches or more. The beard and spurs should both grow approximately in the same fashion. An older bird would have both longer spurs and a beard – but that is not always the case because beards can break off and spur length can depend on genetics and other factors.
Hunters consider the beard a trophy part of the turkey and proudly display them along with the fan and spurs. Cut the beard off as close to the turkey breast as possible with a bit of skin remaining. Dust it with plenty of borax and let it dry. Do not try to grab the beard and just pop it off. Sometimes that will result in the beard tearing or falling apart, and that will not allow you to display it properly.