Last updated: October 2026
A group of turkeys is most often called a flock. The traditional collective noun is a rafter of turkeys, and groups of wild turkeys are also commonly called a gang. A hen with her young poults is called a brood.
So all of those answers are right, depending on whether you’re talking to a farmer, a word lover or a wildlife biologist. Below you’ll find what each term means, how wild turkeys actually group up through the year, the names for individual turkeys, and a few tips if you’re keeping a backyard flock of your own.
Key takeaways
- Flock is the everyday word for a group of turkeys, wild or domestic.
- Rafter is the traditional “proper” collective noun, though you rarely hear it on a farm.
- Gang is often used for groups of wild turkeys; a hen and her poults are a brood.
- Males are toms or gobblers, females are hens, young males are jakes, young females are jennies and babies are poults.
In this guide
Names for a Group of Turkeys
| Term | What it means | Where you’ll hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Flock | Any group of turkeys, wild or domestic | Farms, hunters, biologists, everyday speech |
| Rafter | The traditional collective noun for turkeys | Trivia, quizzes, word lists |
| Gang | A group of wild turkeys, often a large winter group | Wildlife fact sheets, hunters |
| Brood | A hen and the poults she hatched | Wildlife surveys, poultry keepers |
If you only remember one word, make it flock. It’s correct in every situation and it’s what extension offices, hatcheries and wildlife agencies use most.
Why “Rafter”?
“Rafter” belongs to a long English tradition of colorful collective nouns for animals, the same tradition that gave us a murder of crows and a parliament of owls. Many of those terms were more playful than practical, and nobody knows for certain where “rafter” came from.
You’ll see it in quizzes and trivia every Thanksgiving, but in real life almost no one who raises or studies turkeys says it. Use it for fun; use “flock” when you want to be understood.
Pro tip: a group of turkeys is not called a “gobble.” Gobbling is the call that toms make, mostly in spring to attract hens and announce themselves to rivals.
How Wild Turkeys Form Groups
Wild turkeys are social birds, and the makeup of their groups changes through the year. A Georgia wild turkey fact sheet describes the pattern for the eastern wild turkey:
- Spring (breeding season): winter flocks break up, usually around the third week of March in Georgia. A dominant gobbler may gather a small harem of hens, “as many as 6 or 8, but more often 2 or 3.”
- Summer: each hen raises a brood, generally 4 to 10 poults. Poults start flying up to roost on low branches at about 10 days old and are strong fliers by about 18 days. Late in summer, several hens and their broods often share the same area.
- Fall: flocks are mostly adult hens with their poults. Older gobblers form their own small groups or travel alone.
- Winter: flocks of 20 or more are common, and on good winter range several groups may feed together in “gangs” of 30 or more birds. Young gobblers leave the family flocks and band together.
Even within a flock, turkeys don’t always sleep together. Old gobblers, young gobblers and hens may feed side by side during the day and then roost in separate trees at night, and they seldom use the same roost two nights in a row.
Watch: All About Wild Turkeys
This short video from an environmental education center gives a quick introduction to wild turkeys and how they live.
Names for Individual Turkeys
The University of Kentucky’s poultry extension lists the standard terms:
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tom or gobbler | Adult male |
| Hen | Adult female |
| Jake | Young male |
| Jenny | Young female |
| Poult | Baby or young turkey |
A few body-part terms come up a lot too. The snood is the fleshy flap that hangs over the beak, the wattle is the flap under the chin, and the caruncles are the bumpy growths on the throat. On a tom, all three turn bright red when he’s courting or upset. Mature toms also grow a beard, a tuft of stiff, hair-like feathers on the chest.
Keeping a Backyard Turkey Flock
If you’re raising domestic turkeys, your group is simply a flock, and a few basics help it thrive:
- Know what you’re buying. Domestic turkeys are all one species. The Broad-Breasted White is the standard commercial meat bird, while heritage varieties such as Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Standard Bronze and Royal Palm grow more slowly and can mate naturally.
- Raise more than one. Turkeys are flock birds and do better with company.
- Feed poults properly. Young turkeys need a higher-protein starter than chicks. Our guide to what turkeys eat covers feed by age, treats and foods to avoid.
- Protect the flock. Turkeys need a secure, predator-proof shelter at night, just like chickens. Many of the coop tips in raising chickens for beginners apply to turkeys too.
Check the law before keeping wild turkeys. Wild turkeys are protected game birds, and some states, including Kentucky, don’t allow you to raise them, even domestic strains of wild birds. Stick with domestic breeds unless your state wildlife agency says otherwise.
Group Names for Other Farm Birds
Turkeys aren’t the only birds with fun group names. Here are a few you’ll hear around the farm:
| Bird | Common group names |
|---|---|
| Turkeys | Flock, rafter, gang; brood (hen with poults) |
| Chickens | Flock; brood (hen with chicks) |
| Ducks | Flock; raft or paddling (on water) |
| Geese | Gaggle (on the ground), skein (in flight) |
| Quail | Covey |
If a mixed flock is in your future, our guide to raising quail for eggs is a good next read.
At a Glance: Turkey Group Names
FAQ
What is a group of turkeys called?
Most people call it a flock. The traditional collective noun is a rafter, and groups of wild turkeys are also called a gang.
What is a group of wild turkeys called?
A flock or a gang. Large winter groups of wild turkeys are often described as gangs, and a hen with her young is a brood.
What is a baby turkey called?
A baby turkey is a poult. A young male is a jake and a young female is a jenny.
Is a group of turkeys called a gobble?
No. A gobble is the sound a male turkey makes. The group is a flock, rafter or gang.
How many turkeys are in a flock?
It varies with the season. Wild broods usually have 4 to 10 poults, and winter flocks of 20 or more birds are common, with gangs of 30 or more on good winter range.
Do turkeys sleep together in a flock?
Wild turkeys fly up to roost in trees at night. Hens, young gobblers and old gobblers often feed together by day but roost separately, and they rarely use the same roost two nights running. Domestic turkeys should be shut in a secure shelter at night.
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