How to Score a Turkey

Before you begin to score your turkey, be sure to note that all measurements are taken in 1/16-inch increments and converted to decimal form. A conversion chart for measurements is located at the bottom of this page.

Step 1:

Weigh your bird in pounds and ounces and convert ounces to decimal form.

Step 2:

Measure each spur. Spurs must be measured along the outside center, from the point at which the spur protrudes from the scaled leg skin to the tip of the spur. Add both spur measurements and multiply the combined length of the spurs by 10. This is the number of points you receive for the turkey’s spurs.

Step 3:

Measure the beard length (a beard must be measured from the center point of the protrusion of the skin to the tip) and convert it to decimal form.

Next, multiply the beard length figure by 2; this is the number of points you receive for the beard length. If you have an atypical bird (multiple beards), measure each beard, convert them to a decimal number, then add those figures together and multiply by two. This is the number of points you receive for your turkey’s beards.

Step 4:

Add together the weight, the points for spurs and points for beard(s): This is the score you receive for your turkey.

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Conversion Chart

1/16 = .0625
2/16 = .125
3/16 = .1875
4/16 = .25

5/16 = .3125
6/16 = .375
7/16 = .4375
8/16 = .5

9/16 = .5625
10/16 = .625
11/16 = .6875
12/16 = .75

13/16 = .8125
14/16 = .875
15/16 = .9375
16/16= 1

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