Show Off Your Biggest Thanksgiving Turkey!! (Graphic Pics)

[MysteryChicken]

FYI they make a beer can holder for that, mines from the dollar store. View attachment 1969496

That’s weird that your guys were tough and dry, how do you cook them? How do you kill them?
I’ve never ever had a tough one, even my four year old hen. They free range when possible, otherwise they’re on flock raiser, and they’re butchered at 5 months to a year depending on how much I’ve got going on!
I shoot them more or less separately and if I notice the survivors getting stressed, I let them settle down for a few hours, killing an upset bird (or any animal) is a sure way to get tough meat.
If they’re roasted it’s low and slow, but mostly I skin and quarter them for easier packing and cooking. I love slicing a breast into 1” thick steaks, give em a few minutes on the bbq, they’re still just barely pink inside and dripping with juice ...soooo good!

BBQ turkey steaks sound nice.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

FYI they make a beer can holder for that, mines from the dollar store. View attachment 1969496

That’s weird that your guys were tough and dry, how do you cook them? How do you kill them?
I’ve never ever had a tough one, even my four year old hen. They free range when possible, otherwise they’re on flock raiser, and they’re butchered at 5 months to a year depending on how much I’ve got going on!
I shoot them more or less separately and if I notice the survivors getting stressed, I let them settle down for a few hours, killing an upset bird (or any animal) is a sure way to get tough meat.
If they’re roasted it’s low and slow, but mostly I skin and quarter them for easier packing and cooking. I love slicing a breast into 1” thick steaks, give em a few minutes on the bbq, they’re still just barely pink inside and dripping with juice ...soooo good!

Because I suck in the torture chamber. I should be in that tv show the worst cooks in America. Roasting a chicken tomorrow. Store bought and didnt have beer so I have a can of cherry coke ready for it. LOL Thats a cool looking gadget

 

[Granny Hatchet]

As far as how I cull them check my name . LOL You eat turkey pink as in raw ?

 

[MysteryChicken]

As far as how I cull them check my name . LOL You eat turkey pink as in raw ?

I've eaten chicken that was under cooked a few times. Never gotten sick. I've also eaten smoked turkey legs that were only partially cooked, still raw inside, still not sick from it.

 

[Mylied]

As far as how I cull them check my name . LOL You eat turkey pink as in raw ?

I was thinking the same thing about pink poultry. Lol. But then my aunt likes raw hamburger so to each their own.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Is there anyone out there who can chime in on the eating qualities of bourbon red and/or royal palm turkeys?
I too like pretty colours but not at the expense of taste

We raise heritage breeds Black Spanish, Royal Palm and Red Bourbon. They taste great, they don't break their legs while growing, and they lay a lot of eggs for 7-8 months. Ours all have good temperaments too, friendly nonaggressive. They are not going to be 40+ pounds mostly around 20. We butchered ours young around 6 months. Hens were 7-8 pounds and Tom's were 12-14.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

We raise heritage breeds Black Spanish, Royal Palm and Red Bourbon. They taste great, they don't break their legs while growing, and they lay a lot of eggs for 7-8 months. Ours all have good temperaments too, friendly nonaggressive. They are not going to be 40+ pounds mostly around 20. We butchered ours young around 6 months. Hens were 7-8 pounds and Tom's were 12-14.

Turkeys are expensive, since these lay so well I've been incubating the eggs. I sold a bunch of young turkey poults and then raised some for us to butcher. I added 2 hens to my breeding stock. We have 6 hens and 2 toms that we're keeping back.

 

[aliciaplus3]

My DD has 2 black Tom's and 8 hens in her breeding pen now. She collected 3 eggs from there today(we turned lights on them so she could be hatching for Jan 1st and get them ready for our fair in july.) I have a slate turkey in a separate pen with 5 hens, a slate and a golden narragansett that were hatched in may or june so not ready to lay, a black girl that should start soon and 2 standard bronze girls that are just finishing up their molt. I am hopeful we will hatch Lots of babies, last year we hatched around 60 we even offered a few for sale at the local feed store!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Barely fits in the roaster. Had to cut the neck off, & shove the bird in the roaster.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Turkey almost didn't fit in the oven. Wasn't able to get that picture.