Largest turkey you have ever processed/purchased

[WhiteAfrican923]

Since today is Thanksgiving I was wondering what is the largest turkey you may have raised and processed or purchased from the store? Is it possible to ever raise a 100 lb turkey? I know the largest turkey recorded was 89 lb named Tyson.

 

[chooks4life]

Well, I didn't process it myself (unless you count digesting as processing lol) but the largest turkey I encountered was a Plains Turkey of the Australian sort (not to be confused with a bush turkey or a mallee fowl)... The drumstick alone, without the thigh or shin portions, was a meter long. I don't know how much the whole bird weighed. Man, would I love to get hold of those turkeys...

 

[Freeholder]

Was that an emu?!

I've raised several turkeys that had a dressed weight of about forty pounds -- they just BARELY fit in my oven whole! I was afraid I'd have to cut them in pieces, but they made it! We didn't get live weights, though. Those were BB Bronze.

Kathleen

 

[Bossroo]

On Thanksgiving day my wife went to the grocery store to get some spices that she ran out of. While there she noticed a SALE sign and lo and behold she bought a 19.9 lb.( turkey the largest one there, ) for $0.45 / lb. = $ 8.95 . She will bake it for our grandson's birthday on Monday. Yesterday's turkey is now enjoying freezer camp .

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: Lol, fair question! It was a giant white turkey, my meal actually began as roadkill. Ran in front of the vehicle. They're protected, you're not allowed to hunt them. I must find more info on them, I hope to get some in future. They can't be natives.

 

[WhiteAfrican923]

Are you talking about the Australian Bustard? BTW that is kinda strange roadkill. I was going through my grandmothers recipe box and found a recipe for raccoon. When I saw that the theme song for "The Beverly Hillbillies" started to play. I think those birds are native to Australia.

 

[SunnySkies]

When I was a kid we raised turkeys a few times. They were always about 40 lbs or so at kill. My dad used to donate the biggest ones to an auction that raised money for the school or something, and he got like $500 for those birds...

Anyhow, the birds were so big we couldn't eat the whole thing. Mom only cooked part of it and the rest was recycled to the chickens.

I'm thinking of raising turkeys next year, but I'll process them at like 20 lbs...I cooked a 17 lb one this year, and it was too much.

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: No, definitely a turkey. I haven't been able to find info on them but I haven't spent a lot of time trying, either, lol. Been busy.

I'm about 99% sure they are merely a large feral domestic turkey. They're all-white, huge, but asides from that, a normal looking turkey. We also encountered in that area (Atherton Tablelands) some monstrously large water buffalo X domestic cattle hybrids. One white or pale grey bull's horns spanned the whole road when he stood in the middle of it. Asian water buffalo hybrid I'm pretty sure.

Not sure what the go is about these turkeys. Maybe I was lied to about it being "protected" or maybe they were just referring to hunting in general in those areas being disallowed. There would be just about no natural predators in that area capable to taking a bird that large which can fly and does not frequent water, i.e. crocodiles would be about the only real threat. One of those turkeys could kill a dingo with a kick or two, if it chose not to escape by flying.

In a closer part of Australia recently I encountered what must be Jersey Giant mixes. They were all different colors but about the size of the average tom turkey if not larger. A lot of things grow differently in Australia than they do in their native lands. Wish I'd bought some of those chickens. They were offered for sale but I thought a chook that huge would simply be too much trouble to process. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows, now, lol. Lost contact with that person.