Just processed out at 67lbs

[flocksalot]

I'm kinda mad about it though. Mr. Blue otherwise known as Blue eyed Billy was hugh and always stayed near the girls. I was just starting to think I should keep him for a breeder when something got him. We pulled up to the house and my son saw a turkey thrashing around. By the time I got over there it was to late, so I had my husband take him down to the shed so I could quickly process him. Little did I know that something had gotten him. When I was plucking him I found canine teeth punture wounds on his neck and back. We have no dog. However, the drywall guy brought his dog today even though he has been told absolutely NO. He doesn't seem to understand why we do not want a dog in our house. I love animals, but I do not want a dog in my house ever. That includes families dogs. My MIL has tried it and gotten stopped at the door and sent packing. This is a new home. We don't even live in it yet. I sure don't want someone elses dog smelling it up. Now the likely hood of another animal being on our farm and we not knowing it is pretty slim. Our geese would have had a fit and let us know. No the only animal that could have attacked Mr. Blue was the Drywall guys dog. I really really want to let him have it tomorrow. I know my husband will be like don't say anything unless you want him to quit and then we won't get into the house until April, but I don't care. This was my turkey on my property and the turkey house is about 250 feet from the house so why was his dog all the way over there in the first place. I still have two tommys, but their hips are getting bad from all the practicing they do and the fact that they are big. Guess I'll be looking for a Bourben Red to cross my BBW with. On the bright side I don't have to do anything for them to breed. And the BR tom won't get all wiggley jiggley everytime he sees me.

I knew Mr Blue was hugh but when I hooked him onto the scale after I was done cleaning him I was shocked. I took him off (with considerable grunting and straining mind you) checked the scale and then reattached him. Yikes! He is 67lbs and 2oz. I'm thinking I'm just gonna roast his breast for Xmas. My 50 pounder for Thanksgiving just barely fit. Need to hurry up and get that house built and get my new 48 in range so I have a decent sized oven for these bad boys and girls. Sure sill miss him though. He was a funny and sweet turkey to have around and boy did he scare people. He wasn't so nice and gentle if he didn't know you. Then he was this hugh wall of beating wings and claws. Seen him go after my husband once. Think Kungfoo Ninga gone crazy. After he had to come over and sit with my son and I and get petted and told what a big strong protector he was.

 

[Mahonri]

So sorry for the loss, but I can't even imagine a turkey bigger than a bag of feed.

Unbelievable!

 

[flocksalot]

Quote:
Ya, my son, who is 8, was like he weighs more than me, and I said yeah just think if he would of sat on you before we processed him. My toms that I processed for Thanksgiving all processed out between 44 and 58 with most of them being over 50lbs. They don't eat that much either. I feed them a quart of food a day for the 5 (now 4) that I have left and after about three days I don't feed them as they have too much in their bin. They just grow hugh on the alfalfa brome and garden goodies. They do feed an army or at least that's what my mother says. Sure wish Mr Blue would have survived though. He was one beautiful boy. And the one blue eye was so cool. Right now he is taking up the extra fridge. I had to take out the racks so he would fit. Tomorrow I will (after I show my husband the pucture wounds) remove his legs and wings so he will fit into a garbage bag. I have nothing else large enough to freeze these turkeys in.

 

[KrisH]

sorry for your loss,

and I hate to ask, but, any pictures?

suer that wasn't an ostrich? (heehee) that is a HUGE bird.

RobertH

 

[flocksalot]

Quote:
I wish I could find my camera. When we sold our house it got lost in box land. We are living out of boxes. I may be able to get my husband to use his video camera to take a pick tomorrow. I'm not sure how to use it and he would be really poed if I got it all gross from blood and gore. We'll see if he will do it for me. Otherwise I can try with my cell but the pics are just aweful. I tried to get a pic of Eva and Gracie my two hens meeting the turken, caroline, that likes to come all the way up by them. Yesterday she went into their house and they were sticking their beaks right in her face trying to figure out what she was. She kinda looked like a turkey, but weird and little. It was so very funny, but the pics are so bad you can't even make out what is what.

I personally would like a pic for me to show my customers. They will be in awe and all wanting one that big next year!

I suppose if you could get and ostrich to be all white and have no fuzzy than you could say look at my wonderfully hugh monstorsity of a turkey. I keep telling my husband that it's only a little bit bigger for an emu. He thinks I'm crazy, but he sure does like eating them.

 

[welasharon]

Dry wall guy or not....I would pitch me a fit. He could throw in some freebie work if it was his dog...or I'd see about dressing out the dog too!

 

[Mugen]

Wow! He's big! What breed was he? Thanks!

 

[flocksalot]

Quote:
When I pulled up to the house he was washing his dogs paws off so he could put him back into his car. I had just ran to my sons school to pick up FFA fruit and I needed my husband to put it into the root celar or I wouldn't have even been up there to see Mr Blue flopping around. If that had happened I would have been so angry at loosing the meat. My husband works, but what I do feeds us. So loosing meat is akin to being robbed. I was thankful I could salvage, but boy does it burn me up that it happened in the first place. I just fail to understand why he doesn't understand NO DOG means ABSOLUTELY NO DOG. My husband is like "well he's just really attached to his dog" and I say "yeah, well I'm really attached to my husband too, but one of them is gonna go. Which would you like it to be." My husband is sooo lucky he is at work right now. You can bet he will be hearing all about it after I take my son to school tomorrow.

I don't know if I could dress out the dog. What would I do with it. Yuck! Beyond that I really do like dogs. Just not on my property. Last two places I owned I had ignorant neighbors that just made me not want to have any around. Besides my parrots hate and I mean HATE dogs and since I've had them for way longer than I've known my husband they win. I'm thinking that I should take the carcass into the local vet. He should be able to tell me the approximate size of the animal that bit Mr Blue. If he can't I could run it into the university, but them I would be out the meat. Since the dog is hugh and the canine puctures are deep and wide I say we got ourselves a winner, but it never hurts to have an experts opinion. My feeling is that he knew his dog attacked Mr. Blue and he didn't want to say anything as he knows how attatched to my turkeys I am. Here's the thing though had he just owned up to it I would be angry, but not out for blood. I would have said you will never bring your dog back here Or you will pay me for Mr Blue and that would be that. I also would tell my husband no more freebie eggs for him. Guess I should have realized something was up as George the goose was standing there screaming at the dog. I've never seen him do that before, but as we saw Mr. Blue I blew right past George and ignored him. I think Georgie was trying to tell me something.

I better not find any dog poo out there.

 

[RHRanch]

I am just going to put my 2 cents in. We have had a similar issue with our birds, our contractors and/or their pets. I finally came to the conclusion that they (the contractors) seem not to give a rats behind about other people's animals/property and therefore I had to lock up my free rangers (My contractors kept nearly running them over) and the guy that kept bringing his dog over, we had to tell him he couldn't anymore after his "friendly" dog attacked our dog. Basically, what I am saying is that you need to tell him that his dog is no longer welcome on your property (even in his car).

 

[welasharon]

It is your property and if you say no dogs then it is no dogs. I don't understand how he could still bring the dog. Really whether the dog got the turkey or not is not even the point...the point is, if you said no dog then no dog. I would be finding another person to hire. Is he nuts?
sharon