Glory day is here

[jasonm11]

Today was glory day for Thanksgiving and his crew. Three BBB and one red bronze went yo freezer camp today. The BBB were four to five months old and the red bronze was eight to nine months old. All were very healthy birds and processed between 22 and 27 lbs. this was my first BBB to raise and will probably be my last. The red bronze was still able to strut around after ladies all day and fly up twelve feet or more every night to roost. The BBB would eat sleep eat sleep and eat some more. They were unable to get air bound and were all wobbling around the yard for the last few months. They are meatier but while the red bronze was coming to the peak of his game today, the BBB were past their prime and that is just sad. Can't wait till Thanksgiving day, my red bronze should really taste good. I hope my friends enjoy there home grown turkeys as well, next year they will get to enjoy a true hertage turkey instead of the man made monstrosities I have raised for them this year. God bless you and yours this Thanksgiving Holiday.

 

[Frosty]

Wouldn't that be 'Gory' day?

We did ours today too. $ BBW turkeys, 6 months old. The tom went at 20.2 and the hens were around 17 - 18 pounds. They still got around very well and up until about a week ago at least one was roosting on top of the hoop house (about 5.5' tall). Not sure how it got up there, the ting is covered with a tarp and the chicken hens with a clipped wing struggle to get up there. I don't know if the turkey could no longer get up there or just didn't want to since we got snow and it's getting cold out? They were starting to get a lot of internal fat. I never let mine just eat constantly, so the result is probably somewhere between a heritage and a BBW?

 

[jasonm11]

That is one thing I can say none of my birds had any excess fat. I did a two yr old bronze hen earlier in the year and I bet it had throo lbs of fat in the abdomen, still don't know why.

 

[Frosty]

I think they start getting the fat when they are mature. I usually do them at 5 1/2 months but got these a bit earlier this year. Have you done any older birds before?

 

[NevadaRon]

I'm doing my tom (named Thanksgiving

) tomorrow. I've never processed a turkey before. Does anyone have any suggestions or pointers? I tried finding something on YouTube, but didn't see anything that struck me as particularly useful.

 

[ColbyNTX]

Tomorrow will be our day. Don't know if I will do 1 or 2????? I think I will do a BSW and maybe a bronze or auburn.

 

[jasonm11]

Quote:
Yeah have another set of hands to hold the bird still. Don't let it go till it goes limp. A sharp knife and proper scald temp water is biggest item to get right

 

[jasonm11]

Quote:
I have noticed the fat only in older chickens and turkeys of two yrs or more.

 

[NevadaRon]

Quote:
Thanks!

 

[Lagerdogger]

I put a loop around both legs and than back between them, and then hang them from the loop and bleed them. Its kind of gory, but I like to get as much blood out as possible. We are doing 13 on Sunday morning...3 st bronze toms, 1 Narri tom, 1 Red bronze tom, 2 golden Narri hens, 1 Narri hen, 1 Royal Palm tom, and 4 Bourbon reds (two of each). We scald them, then pull the primary wing and tail feathers before dropping them in a Whiz-Bang chicken plucker.

Can't wait for Thanksgiving!