Is that what is causing all of my families allergy problems?!?! All 5 of us have runny eyes, snot, and headaches. I’m certain it’s not the flu either. Yuck.
It should be frozen immediately. This is of course a little late. Turkeys are bigger birds and it takes much longer to cool them. For food safety reasons you need to cool them as fast as possible. When I butcher turkeys, I have ice water ready to put them in the minute I am done butchering and then freeze them as soon as I am done butchering. You can keep a bird in a fridge for maybe 4 days without brining. Brining helps them last longer. If you have a vacuum packer it also keeps them a lot safer. If I had one and just planned to cook it I'd go ahead and freeze it until the day before and then thaw it in cold water and weight it down so it wasn't exposed to air.
It probably is that and some other fall allergies. There's some nasty pollens this time of year like rag weed etc. Plus because we have had a lot of moisture there is always a chance of mold spores in the air. I get sick every fall from allergens. But it occurred even when I lived in a city. Best bet is to take an antihistamine and or decongestants.
I don't raise turkeys, but the recommendation is two days for a raw turkey in the fridge without freezing it. I would not leave it in there till Thanksgiving without cooking it or freezing it myself.
Danz, I have another confession, I don't eat my own chickens any more. I use to do a lot when the kids were growing up, but with just the two of us, we quit. I have been able to move my excess chickens, so it is not a problem.
