DTC

Hey everyone I have a question. I am getting pictures of a tom that has an inch plus spurs but he'llbe lucky tohave a 5 inch beard. What's up with that? It looks like my barber took the scissors to him and gave him a trim. Thanks for any info.

strutnbuck

Well I've seen the same thing and also the opposite (long beard and knubs for spurs). Mytes will eat a turkeys beard or it's also possible that he may have burned it on embers going thru an area that had burned. Turkeys love a fresh burn and sometimes their beard gets burned.

DTC

Thanks stutnbuck.

TEmbry

Also some times during a period of malnutrition, the beard will grow a very brittle spot, and the beardcan breaks off at this point.

DTC

It shouldn't be that, he has been eating all the corn he wants.

JW

Do you have cold wetehr and ice - beards can ice up and break off.

JW

Arjuna

Corn is not nutritious...just caloric. See how healthy you get if all you eat is starchy food.

I agree with the mites and malnutrition theory. I never thought about the burn theory...possible I guess.

Also, if you live where it ices up, it could have broken off if it got iced up.

DTC

We did get alot of ice this winter. I just don't want it to be genetics. There is no doubt he is atleast a 3 yr old turkey and could very well be 4.

Born 2 Bow Hunt

Crusty snow and ice will cause the long beards to wear.....

Ky Turkey Hunter91

i once seen a tom that had a beard like a pencil and about an inch long,that was two years ago,then last year i killed a bird in the same spot the had an 11 in beard but had beard rot, i belive it was the same bird