To eat a 1 year old turkey or too tough?

[LibertyRockFarm]

We have a hen and a Tom bronze breasted turkey about a year and a few months. They were supposed to be our breeders and that was unsuccessful for many reasons. QUESTION: has anyone successfully culled and cooked/ate a turkey that age? Concerns are is the meat too tough for us and would it be a waste of time to process for us instead of process for pig consumption? Any and all advice is welcomed!

 

[All4Eggz]

Our family has eaten roosters that were far older than 1 yr. Sometimes they reached 2-3 years old. I would assume it is similar with turkeys. One year should be fine, not too tough. 2-3 years is when it gets pretty tough.

 

[Molpet]

I enjoyed an 18 month old BBB hen and a 4 yr old heritage tom. Both were great.
Turkeys don't seem to get tough like a chicken, so long as you rest them until rigor mortis has passed..a few days.

Fyi Commercial BB are artificially inseminated. A heritage tom has a chance of breeding a BB hen

 

[LibertyRockFarm]

Thanks!! We have done the same with roosters and even older hens too. For some reason his size is making me think differently. He needs to go, we if we get a meal great! If not, well he won’t go to waste!

 

[Happy hen lover]

People eat wild turkeys! I heard cook with apples maybe boil the meat not roast.? If nothing else feed chickens or your dogs if you spoil yours like I do mine. Not a lot at once though.

 

[Huntmaster]

Thanks!! We have done the same with roosters and even older hens too. For some reason his size is making me think differently. He needs to go, we if we get a meal great! If not, well he won’t go to waste!

Only tough turkey I have had from those raised was because it was over cooked and dried out. If you think it will be to tough for your liking you can always grind meat into a turkey burger it is very good . I grind turkey all the time for turkey burgers and things like meat loaf very good and something different. Only thing is with BBB, BBW they can get so big you can not fit them in some ovens. I raise heritage turkeys so never have that problem and when cooked right a very excellent roasting bird.

 

[R2elk]

We have a hen and a Tom bronze breasted turkey about a year and a few months. They were supposed to be our breeders and that was unsuccessful for many reasons. QUESTION: has anyone successfully culled and cooked/ate a turkey that age? Concerns are is the meat too tough for us and would it be a waste of time to process for us instead of process for pig consumption? Any and all advice is welcomed!

There is no such thing as a bronze breasted turkey. I am sure you are referring to a broad breasted bronze.

Broad breasted turkeys are normally fertilized by artificial insemination. If you want turkeys that reproduce naturally, stick to heritage varieties.

One year old is not old for a turkey. I have processed 4 year old turkeys that were tender and fine.

 

[Svett]

There is no such thing as a bronze breasted turkey. I am sure you are referring to a broad breasted bronze.

Broad breasted turkeys are normally fertilized by artificial insemination. If you want turkeys that reproduce naturally, stick to heritage varieties.

One year old is not old for a turkey. I have processed 4 year old turkeys that were tender and fine.

If you feed them their full diet then they cannot reproduce, tom becomes too big and at best damages a hen but if they are kept free range and on reduced diet then they breed normally like all other turkeys. Just don’t let them get too big and they will be fine. If free ranged from early on they don’t get as big and if you reduce their feed they are great, they are not sterile it’s their size which stops them from breeding normally.

 

[R2elk]

If you feed them their full diet then they cannot reproduce, tom becomes too big and at best damages a hen but if they are kept free range and on reduced diet then they breed normally like all other turkeys. Just don’t let them get too big and they will be fine. If free ranged from early on they don’t get as big and if you reduce their feed they are great, they are not sterile it’s their size which stops them from breeding normally.

Prior to artificial insemination, the ones used for breeding were yearlings. The older they get the less agile they become and the less capable they are of successfully breeding on their own.

Even if they successfully produce fertile eggs it is not a good idea to let the hens sit on their eggs or brood poults. They cannot move their feet as delicately as heritage varieties can and do unintentionally break eggs and step on poults.

 

[Svett]

Very true, I use 8 months old toms and they get culled after the breeding. Even at 8 months and on diet they are still quite big and worrisome but they can breed if one raises them especially for breeding. I do keep some eggs under the turkey and the rest are incubated in the incubator and once they start coming out I put them under the turkey so she could look after them, she teaches them to hide from eagles and other predators and I l loose fewer chicks as a result.