We didn't raise turkeys this year, but I hope to next year. When we dressed them out, I found it's pretty much the same as the chickens except:
DH walked up and shot them in the head, then carried them up to a tree where we hung them up, and removed what was left of the head.
They were LOTS easier to dry pluck than the chickens were. We got them hung up (one at a time) and both of us were yanking out feathers, one on each side. I usually keep a bucket or something close to throw in any feathers I want to save for crafts. We were able to mostly denude a good-sized turkey in less than 10 minutes. The only feathers we had trouble with were the bigger wing and tail feathers, we poured hot water from the kettle on those and finished plucking.
By the time we got them plucked, they were well-bled, and we hauled them inside to finish up in the kitchen, where it was warm, it being November at the time, and we were getting pretty cold. Brrr.
They're so much bigger and heavier, you need more space to work than with a chicken.
Heritage breeds (we had Bourbon Red and Narragansett) tasted better, but aren't as big, and they take longer in the oven before they get tender. As far as just good eating goes, I really favor these.
Broad Breasted Bronze got a lot bigger, I think they must've been around 60 lbs, live weight, probably a good 40 lb dressed, were easier to raise, because they get too big to fly off into the trees. They were also very nosy and more curious, following us around when ever we were working outside. As far as ease of raising, and huge meat production, I favor these. They are hard for me to lift, however, at least before dressing. Those birds get BIG. We butchered ours at about 8-9 months old.
So as you can see, I'm completely undecided on turkeys. I've been told that there is a heritage BBB, still capable of mating naturally, but I haven't found them. If anybody knows where to get them, I'd love to know!
