A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

aliciaplus3 · Oct 29, 2020

Studabird said:
I know how you feel. When I was a kid there were actual butcher parties and everyone came and had fun and got a lot of work done (many hands make light work). Now though everyone is afraid of doing the gross stuff. I was finally able to move to the country and get some birds for butchering. My daughters are about to experience their very first butcher and they are really not looking forward to it.

my daughters are 16 and 17 and have never been told that helping mom was an option... ie if mom says we are doing something pull on their muck boots and jump in.... lol
the older girl refuses to kill the birds but will take them from dead to ready to eat, the younger one has no problem dispatching them or anything else she is asked to do. they do squabble over who Gets to run the plucker sometimes but other than that they just buckle down and go to work.
I was impressed with one family at our last butcher party they were genuinely interested in learning everything. I think they were more interested in what equipment makes things easier.

Studabird · Oct 29, 2020

My family never had a plucker but thankfully that wasn’t one of chores on butcher day the only time I had to do that was on a successful turkey hunt.

yesterDAYNE · Oct 29, 2020

One of my girls, Milk, had an absolutely TERRIBLE molt this year... Thankfully shes growing back now!

R2elk · Oct 31, 2020

Happy
Halloween!!

aliciaplus3 · Oct 31, 2020

Happy Halloween!!

Bantambird · Oct 31, 2020

I roped some more veterinary students into helping with butchering and NPIP testing. Did you guys know that, unless a veterinarian gets their DVM in the broiler belt( deep south) or gets a fellowship in poultry medicine ( in Georgia) they get very little bird study at all? I get extra help and they learn what healthy guts look like and how to collect blood from birds!

I'll have to likely set up a meal to entice more folks an make it a real butcher party, lol.

They still have branding parties here in the spring . Shocked my husband when we went to help a neighbor of my parents'. This teenage girl trusses up a young bull calf, brands, vaccinates, and removes his testes, then throws em onto the branding fire and cooks em right there. Good ole rocky mountain oysters are the traditional fare of the branding party

my husband nearly died a little...

R2elk · Oct 31, 2020

Bantambird said:
I roped some more veterinary students into helping with butchering and NPIP testing. Did you guys know that, unless a veterinarian gets their DVM in the broiler belt( deep south) or gets a fellowship in poultry medicine ( in Georgia) they get very little bird study at all? I get extra help and they learn what healthy guts look like and how to collect blood from birds!

I'll have to likely set up a meal to entice more folks an make it a real butcher party, lol.

They still have branding parties here in the spring . Shocked my husband when we went to help a neighbor of my parents'. This teenage girl trusses up a young bull calf, brands, vaccinates, and removes his testes, then throws em onto the branding fire and cooks em right there. Good ole rocky mountain oysters are the traditional fare of the branding party my husband nearly died a little...

I imagine you have heard the lamb docking stories.

Bantambird · Oct 31, 2020

R2elk said:
I imagine you have heard the lamb docking stories.

Hehehehe yeah, although sheep aren't kept much where my folks are at, semi arid short grass prairie interspersed with salt flats. I think they would be closer to greener places with more browse?
Not to say they couldn't live there, just it's not easy country and cows tolerate rougher climate.