Should I eat him, keep him, or re-home him?

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I just noticed that my up until now, pet BB turkey tom is trying like crazy to mate with my chicken hens, resulting in them being plucked on the back and one has a wound (though not bad).
I originally got this turkey as Thanksgiving dinner but we fell for him and kept him, we never had another turkey and he was lonely alone so we left him with the chickens.
The plan was this spring coming up, to make him his own home and get him away from the chickens, just because we wanted to seperate them.
Now today I saw him try to mount one of my BO pullets first hand and I had never seen him do it before.
I can't keep him with them, he will kill them either by slashing them open with his claws or squashing them with his weight.
I thought about giving him away to someone as a pet but then I've given him away after all the money we've put in him to feed him and raise him, and who knows if they would just take him and butcher him.
Technically he was a meat turkey, we just got attached to him because he was sweet.
If I seperate him out I feel the need to give him a companion, which I don't really want to do because I don't need turkeys on my farm and I can't afford to keep animals here just to have them, he's the only one currently. Everything has a purpose.

I'm really thinking about eating him. He's about 7 months old, he won't be tough will he?
He must weigh over 25 pounds...

 

[Mahonri]

After you have processed him, soak him in ice water overnight.

He should still be tasty.

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Quote:
Now why in the world would you do that? tenderize the meat or something? (I dont know the first thing about processing meat birds, my ladies are all pets) but seriously, Why?

 

[mrsengeseth]

I'd eat him too. Soak the different cuts in buttermilk before using...like for instance you can take the breast meat, cut into strips, soak in buttermilk over night and the next day fry up as you would fry chicken. Have a huge lpate of turkey fingers. JMO

 

[MissPrissy]

Mix one gallon of hot water with 1 cup of salt.

Mix one gallon of hot water with 1 cup of dark brown sugar.

Set them aside to cool.

Take a cooler and at least 1 bag of ice in it.

Add the 2 gallons of salt and sugar water.

Mix well.

Add the clean/dressed turkey.

Add more nbags of ice and submerge the turkey under ice and water brine.

If it is cold where you are put it in your unheated garage (where passing strays can't getin it).

Leave it for 3 days, checking at least once a day to make sure the ice isn' melting and the turkey is submerged.

On day 4 take it out and take it to your kitchen and wash it well.

Fill the cooler with cold clean water and ice. Let the turkey sit to the next day.

Remove. Rinse well. Slow roast it. Baste it every 30 minuntes to keep it juice and moist.

When a meat therometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat not touching the bones comes up to 165F degrees the turkey is done.

Remove from the oven and let it rest covered with foil for 30 min.

Then slice and serve.

The best meat you will ever eat from a turkey.

Bon Apetite!

 

[obsessed]

I'd eat him too!!!!

 

[Mahonri]

I just knew MP would come along with the correct answer.

Wishin' I had a turkey out in the back yard now.

BTW... have we seen if there is such thing as a cross between a turkey and a chicken?

I've seen some wild pics of crosses on here before.

Churkey... sound delicious.... wouldn't want to call it a Turken, folks would think it was a NN.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Gosh I have no idea....


LOL Churkey

 

[Opa]

Quote:
Sure there is...............it's called a turducken.......