Hi Folks, Can somebody tell me if bearded hens -are genetic? carried on male side or female side? good or bad trait for the wild population? I'm seeing her every day, she's got a big ol' beard on her. First one I've seen. Thanks, Pete

Pete my brother in law killed a nice sized beared hen last Friday morning.It was his first spring bird.Bearded hens ar not all that rare around here.I have not killed any but have saw several.

Pete the bearded hen is a genetic trait for sure. But Im not sure if it is carried by the male or female chromosome.

One farm I hunt in Henry county has the trait imbeded in the gene pool pretty good. I know of 4 different hens with beards that have been taken on the property. I see bearded hens on this property regularly. Something interesting I have noticed is that all the hen beards have crooks in them about halfway down.

On this same piece of property I have also seen various color phases and two pure white birds traveling with flocks in the fall. The two all white birds were 15 years apart.

On another farm down near the pittsylvania county line a friend of mine regularly kills nice full fan birds with 9 and 10 inch beards with not a sign of spurs or buttons, just slick legs.

iisabigone

Hey guest, maybe you ought not drink the water around where you hunt , just kidding, Have you ever shot one of those color phase turkeys? There are some in nc where i hunt but have only seen hens so far, they look like someone sprinkled a bag of flour over them.

I would assume turkeys are just like any other animal and there are abnormalities in all. For example, in the past I have dated some women who had the potential to grow a beard. I remember this one Greek girl who needed a weed eater and another who trimed her arms. Of course the German girl with underarm hair was kind of funky but it is what it is.

I would think areas with bearded hens would tend to have more bearded hens since they would pass on their genetic material to their offspring. That is why it is important to check out your potential Wife's Mom. That acorn falls pretty close to the tree most of the time.

Vic