Thanksgiving turkey help

[Haida]

The sound of a turkey's gobble doesn't travel as far as a rooster's crow...or a dog's bark for that matter but it seems to me they gobble every time there is a strange or loud noise.

This is so true. I don't find it annoying at all, unless he's right behind you, gobbling every time you go to hammer a nail! I will say though, that the hens seem to get very VERY vocal once it starts warming up in spring. It's high-pitched and kind of squeaky, goes like "Waaark, waaaaaaaaaark, waaark!" I think she's calling for toms or something, even though she had a tom with her. This is the only time the hens got to be very loud, but it only lasted a few weeks and she only did it in the morning.

Right now, my oldest tom gets the younger ones gobbling... it is so funny. The younger ones have like no idea what they're doing, I call it "squabbiling." Its this awkward, squeaky half-gobble thing. And they always stop as soon as I pull my phone out to take a video.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I must say my turkeys have provided us with lots of entertainment. This week we are begining our long planned kitchen rennovation. They gobble excitedly at the carpenter and plumbers every time they go out to their truck for something and if I let them out, they come stand at the patio door and gobble at them through the glass. You can see the amusement on the worker's faces. It is a unique experience for them.

 

[scooter147]

We have set a date for freezer camp. The 23th. The one will go in the freezer for Christmas and the other will stay in fridge downstairs.

 

[Haida]

I must say my turkeys have provided us with lots of entertainment. This week we are begining our long planned kitchen rennovation. They gobble excitedly at the carpenter and plumbers every time they go out to their truck for something and if I let them out, they come stand at the patio door and gobble at them through the glass. You can see the amusement on the worker's faces. It is a unique experience for them.

Your guys are cute! I love telling people my turkey-related stories because it always seems to surprise them... most people I talk to think turkeys are dumb and dull and don't know how goofy they really are.

I know when it comes to butchering our birds this year, I'll probably be crying. They're just so much fun! We have never processed our birds ourselves, we've always taken them to this family-owned processing place. We're doing ours on Nov 25th... it's coming up quick!

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Our four were butchered this weekend. It was not fun. I've butchered chickens before and while I don't exactly enjoy the experience, I've become pretty efficient about it. I was physically and emotionally exhausted by the time the last one was done. It takes two people. I wouldn't try it on my own.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I can definitely agree with it being physically taxing. I've butchered four turkeys this year. My FIL's two toms and then my two toms a week later. After the hour 1/2 it took to kill, scald, pluck, gut, bag....I was exhausted for the rest of the day and sore all over the next. I even got a bruise from holding the turkey still through its death flaps (cone not big enough). It took 3 people to hold my big tom when we butchered him.
I also made the mistake of letting my guys get WAY too big - cause its all just feathers right?! Wrong! I should have been weighing them. I also only lost 2 lbs from live to dressed weight. I *think* they might fit in the oven