Anyone ever raised a Turkey only to find they could not eat it?

[JennsPeeps]

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Ahh... Dena! Let me live my little urban homestead dream already!!

 

[coffeelady3]

That turkey would end up living a nice long life out there with the girls!

 

[JennsPeeps]

Probably true.

(Thread hi-jack alert)

The banty is doing a buk buk bukAWK all the time now. Totally cracks us up. She does it when she can't find the others. It's so funny! I checked her vent today (she was NOT amused) to see if she's been doing some laying unbeknownst to us. She hasn't.

(back to the regularly scheduled topic)

 

[Buster]

I have two turkeys and I will relish eating every bite of those dumb food wasters.

Seriously, there are birds I have had a hard time butchering (did it anyway) but the turkeys don't even show up on that list. My two turkeys waste more food than 30 of my chickens consume combined.

 

[Beekissed]

My sister did this! She had turkeys and some left over roos that she just couldn't bear to eat when it got down to the wire. So, she pawned them off on me, thinking I wouldn't be able to do the dirty deed either, but she thought I had more space than did she. She was right...I had more space in my freezer!

I butchered them immediately. She called that evening to check on them and I told her they were in Frigidaire Heaven. She was shocked...even though I told her that they were going there! She said she had been worrying about them all day and she called to see if she should be in "mourning" or not. I told her to get out the black dress and veil, honey, cause they have tossed off their mortal coil!

She actually thought I wouldn't do it and would keep these birds into doddering old age. Too funny!

 

[picklespickles]

beekissed you sound just like me.

 

[Marlinchaser]

I think the turkeys are great follow me around like a puppy, will come sit next to me in my lawn chair, just fun to be around.

BUT I had no problem holding them to see who weighed the most. (Actually I did have a problem because they were heavy) Then I opened the kennel and took fattest Tom for a ride in the car. 3 days later when to pick him up and brought him home, 7 lbs lighter, he's in the freezer waiting for the right moment to come along. I had no problem and the kids had no problem, they are betting on how much the next ones will weigh.

 

[ninjapoodles]

I have to admit, even though we've already processed our first chickens, I HAVE had these feelings about the turkeys. They're so incredibly dumb, and so trusting, and darn it, they imprint on you and follow you around like little lovesick puppies. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking, "I am in trouble--I have a dozen pet turkeys."

BUT THEN the toms began to mature. Hoo, boy, has my attitude changed. It's funny, because it's pretty much the same phenomenon Barbara Kingsolver talked about in her book, Animal, Vegetable Miracle. The "cute" posturing becomes obnoxiousness, and confidence begins to morph into aggression (nothing toward US, yet, knock wood), and the first wounds begin to show up among the boys, who are now fighting in earnest.

It is looking a littler easier to thin out the boys' ranks, now.

I don't know if I could do it if I had just one, though, because wow, that ONE is going to be stuck to you like glue. You will be its MOMMY.

 

[Mahonri]

Our 19 week old roo, "Jeffrey" is either getting processed today or we are relocating him.

My kids will be upset either way. He just doesn't stop crowing and I'm afraid we are going to have a complaint.

I processed a lot of roos when I was a kid, but this one is going to be hard for me so I'm thinking we may just catch him and let him go in the neighborhood to the south. I'm certain some illegal alien that passes by will find a way to catch him and make him dinner though.

 

[Richard]

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I know its just a chicken but I dont believe you should just dump it off in a different neighorhood.I think there are laws against that and if theres not there should be thats just my OP thou