Butchering Turkeys?

[bheila]

We have butchered Jumbo CC's and other chickens but what about turkeys. What is the easiest and most humane way to butcher a turkey. Here's the deal....I don't mind scalding, plucking and gutting chickens. When it comes to my husband chopping the chickens heads off I have to hide behind our fence and put my fingers in my ears and humm until I know he's done. For some reason once the heads are off of the bodies it doesn't bother me. Another thing, I know my husband won't be able to do the turkeys on his own because they are so darn huge and strong now. As you can tell I'm having some anxiety about the whole process. So some advice would be helpful. Do you just chop their heads off like chickens or what?

 

[pdpatch]

Doing a turkey is the same as a chicken but it's bigger. In most case the person doing the deed needs help restraining the turkey. Unless you use a Killing cone.

We used the cone method to restrain the turkey. The biggest problem is I made the cone wrong for our first batch of turkeys, and they could get out so one person had to help hold it in. When I made the stand for the killing cone I made it so I could also use an axe of meat cleaver if I had to.

You might be able to find a neighbor or friend to help restrain the turkey in exchange for one of the turkeys. I had some doubts about the rest of the family being able to help when we did out broilers earlier this year. So I had lined up several people to help just in case.

 

[justusnak]

Here is what I am planning to do........

I saved the feed sacks....not the paper ones....but the ones the cracked corn comes in. Sorta plastick/cloth.
Cut a hole in the end thats NOT open...to slide the turkeys head into. The feet will stick out the opened end. Then get some bailing twine, and wrap the feet together. This will keep the turkey from beating you with its wings. Then taking the head off will be alot easier. Unless you hang it to do the deed...it will still take 2 people. After the head is removed....you will probably need 2 people to lift it into and out of the scalder. We are planning to use a metal trash can...over a fire pit....and a 2x4 between the legs for lifting. Depending on how hard the first one is....I might take the rest to be done by someone else. LOL

 

[bheila]

Thanks for your ideas...the worst part of all of this is that the butcher lives a 1/2 mile from us but doesn't do turkeys and chickens. What luck! I do feel more at ease. I think our Tom has about another month until butchering and the girls we'll leave right about up until Thanksgiving.

 

[pdpatch]

justusnak

Hope you idea with the feed bags works. With our they did cooperate to the point we could do something like that. They have a mind of there own and if what you want to do is not on there mind they won't.

The BB Bronze have been the least cooperative so far. They have knocked me off my feet, which is not an easy task since I am not a small person. They have shreaded one t shirts so far.


Using a Turkey fryer, for the BB Bronze and Great White just didn't work. So we used a heavey duty trash can and a burner from my smoker. To lift them we use a cherry picker.

Some times you can rent cherry pickers from automitve parts stores. We used a piece of scrap wood to keep them under the water while scalding. The shackles was a piece of nylon rope with s sort of slip not so they could be taken on and off easily.