How long does it take a turkey to expire...

[jaku]

Definitely cut both sides. Also, just because they're moving doesn't mean they're conscious. The sudden drop in blood pressure usually knocks the birds out almost immediately, although they will continue to kick a bit.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
if you take the head off the bleeding does slow down and the feathers tighten up they are harder to pluck, i can get a turk done from start to finish in less then 20 min by myself, hanging them upside down, I only remove them from the chain after all the feathers are gone, i do not scald turkeys

 

[Ariel301]

I would think it should be well under five minutes. We processed a 900 pound Brahma cow this summer and killed her by cutting the throat (after stunning her first with a bullet to the skull, because she was really violent!). She was dead within a few minutes, five at most, and unconscious the whole time. After making sure she was dead, we hung her to bleed. She was pretty much bled out in 15-20 minutes of hanging. A turkey being smaller and having less blood should go pretty quick.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I've done a lot of turkeys... and if you cut the throat without knicking the windpipe.... they do take at least 3-5 minutes to fully die.

I've never see one die less than a minute, out of a few hundred. A lot of times too, you have to make sure the blood didn't clot. If it does this, it will slow down the process and eventually your turkey will gain his conscious back. If this does happen, make a second cut higher on the bird towards their bodies or just wipe the clot with your fingers and agitate the cut.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

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if yours take that long and clot up your not hitting the juglar just right, mine do expire in 30 sec to a min when I cut both sides, I cut next to the jaw bone almost below the ear, I've never had a clotting problem didn't even know that there could be one, and I've done alot of turkeys too

 

[longranger]

From a physiologic/medical point of view any procedure that abruptly cuts off blood flow to the brain like a competent throat slit or beheading will result in loss of any bird brain activity in less than 30 seconds. The bird will of course continue to move and the heart often actively pumps out blood for several minutes. The movement and bleeding are what people interpret as "alive".

 

[phoenixmama]

Longranger:

"The movement and bleeding are what people interpret as "alive"

For the record, I understand that they can continue to bleed-out, and will do the whole flapping around thing after they've died. That isn't what I was referring to. I wasn't talking about the flapping around. I was talking about this turkey that continued to blink his eyes and look around well after 3 minutes even though blood was gushing out both sides. I don't know how it is possible this bird was still conscious, but it was.

So, we can talk all we want about whether or not one's method of dispatching a turkey is a "fast way" or the "right way" to do it. However, when both sides are clearly slit in the right way...with blood pouring out of both sides. Yet, this turkey was fully conscious well after 3-5 minutes had elapsed...you can understand my confusion. Maybe he had one heckuva will to live. I'm a cancer survivor...so I can understand.

The other turkeys we finished the other night died more quickly...so I guess that one was just a fluke.

 

[longranger]

Phoenixmama,


Reflex movements that uncannily resemble concious activity can occur like you described with "blinking and looking around" obviously the classic walking around, etc. I have personally seen the eyes looking around and blinking on heads that were completely detached for a couple of minutes already. Creepy to be sure but rest assured those birds are in the afterlife. I suppose the rare bird may have anomalous vessels that are still perfusing the brain but that has to be really rare THANKFULLY.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
I had one do just what your talking about, just today, freaky, and he was cut right too. Its the first time its ever happened turkey or chicken hope its never happens again

this is my 4yr doing turkeys not one or two, but 20+ a year