Rare bird

[dejake]

Tagged out opening day 04/14.  Bird had 20 tailfeathers instead of the normal 18.  How often have you gotten a 20 feather bird?  Thanks

[zelmo1]

Once, on my 6 bearded bird last year. I think it was a mutant, lol

[frank1969]

I wouldn't know I've never actually paid attention nor will I a fan is a fan but that is neet to know

[snapper1982]

I see it quite often. Congrats on tagging out.

[J.D. Shellnut]

Ive never counted them!

[TauntoHawk]

Where he's at in the molting process

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[dejake]

It was a full fan.  Gobblers won't start molting until after they're done breeding, which around here is the beginning of June.

[LaLongbeard]

I think the older bigger birds have 20 most of the two year olds I've killed had 18 the older birds 20. I don't think it's molting related when turkeys lose feathers to molt they lose one and start growing another so there would be one or two less or one or two smaller feathers not two extra full grown tail feathers.
Lovett Williams wrote in one of his books that keeping the ability to fly is the only thing that matters during the molting process. I've seen Gobblers with half there fan missing from a fight or maybe close call with a coyote, never affected there flying or anything else so I don't think the tail fan is as critical to flight as a wing feather  so again there would be no reason for extra tail feathers except the size of the bird.

[mightyjoeyoung]

 One of the birds I shot last year was an older adult bird that had a reverse jake fan.  Middle three tail feathers were actually shorter than the rest. Weirdest  thing I've ever seen.  Had a 10" beard and 1 1/8" sharp spurs and a head the size of a frikkin softball.  Lol

[cwb04]

First longbeard I ever called up and killed by myself here in MS had 20 tail feathers.  Sitting here looking at this fan now on my display wall.  Everyone I've killed after that has 18.

Congrats.

[guesswho]

Unusually don't count.   But a couple years ago I killed one that had more beards than tail feathers. 

[snapper1982]

I think the older bigger birds have 20 most of the two year olds I've killed had 18 the older birds 20. I don't think it's molting related when turkeys lose feathers to molt they lose one and start growing another so there would be one or two less or one or two smaller feathers not two extra full grown tail feathers.
Lovett Williams wrote in one of his books that keeping the ability to fly is the only thing that matters during the molting process. I've seen Gobblers with half there fan missing from a fight or maybe close call with a coyote, never affected there flying or anything else so I don't think the tail fan is as critical to flight as a wing feather  so again there would be no reason for extra tail feathers except the size of the bird.

Does not have anything to do with age of the bird.

[LaLongbeard]

I think the older bigger birds have 20 most of the two year olds I've killed had 18 the older birds 20. I don't think it's molting related when turkeys lose feathers to molt they lose one and start growing another so there would be one or two less or one or two smaller feathers not two extra full grown tail feathers.
Lovett Williams wrote in one of his books that keeping the ability to fly is the only thing that matters during the molting process. I've seen Gobblers with half there fan missing from a fight or maybe close call with a coyote, never affected there flying or anything else so I don't think the tail fan is as critical to flight as a wing feather  so again there would be no reason for extra tail feathers except the size of the bird.

Does not have anything to do with age of the bird.

So what is your theory of the 20 feathered fans?
This subject came up before awile back so I looked at my fans I have every single gobbler fan I've killed
83 had 18 tail fan feathers
7 had 20
All easterns and the 7 with 20 were clearly bigger older birds one from Louisiana the rest from other states. I've never killed a two year old with 20 tail fan feathers. That's my observations curious what you base your opinion on.
Clearly anyone that understands the molting process would not believe a gobbler would have   two completely grown extra tail feathers waiting to replace existing feathers. I have seen miss  matched tail fans were a Rio had lost the middle of his fan and had started replacing the feathers they were shorter in the middle like the other posters gobbler.

[LaLongbeard]

Both of these are Louisiana gobblers
a 2 year old with a 9" beard and 1" spurs
a 3-4 year old 1 1/4 sharp curved spurs 11" beard
Had no way of weighing the bigger bird but was by far the heaviest La gobbler I've killed just looking at the height and width of the fans you can see the size difference

[snapper1982]

I have killed 2 year olds with 20 feathers. My theory is that it is recessive gene. If they are to exhibit the 20 feathers they do so from the start.