Turkey processing What do you use? updated with processing results!

[RedfogsFlock]

We have 4 turkeys we need to process. But can't for the life of me find anything big enough to drop them in for the scalding. We've never done turkeys before. I have done duck, but I just skinned it.

What do you all processors use for the dunking pot?

 

[mstricer]

turkey fryer

 

[reesepoultry]

My canning pot....

 

[Buster52]

So funny. I just posted a link to my turkey butchering thread from a year ago...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=250526

We just did four big turkeys this evening. I use a 20 gallon metal trash can over a turkey fryer burner. I have a regular pot for that fryer, but have yet to see one large enough for my turks.

The trash can leaks a little once it gets hot, but not enough to amount to anything.

 

[Mrs. Mucket]

Our 13# hen fit in the pressure canner pot, but for a 24# tom we used a galvanized tub that was too shallow to dip but we kind of rolled him around to get everything scalded. I would have liked a bigger tub or a trash can!

 

[RedfogsFlock]

Thank you so much everyone! I don't have a turkey fryer, so the metal trash can seems like a bet for us. Our turkeys are big enough that it takes two people to lift em. They're really huge, & I believe the two bronzes will be fatty =/ Our two WBB's are of nice size tho so I think they will be able to fit no problem. I guess we will use a hoist system to dunk em?

Yup I'm a turkey processing newby! Don't think it'll be much more different than chickens or ducks. So can & then we'll get started!

Again thanks everyone!

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
You can. Check my link to an old post, above. That was my 50 pounder. I now have small pulleys rigged up to that stand, more for convenience than real need. I don't use it to dunk any more, just for killing and bleeding out.

And I now use that system for all the birds I butcher, regardless of size.

 

[RedfogsFlock]

Quote:
You can. Check my link to an old post, above. That was my 50 pounder. I now have small pulleys rigged up to that stand, more for convenience than real need. I don't use it to dunk any more, just for killing and bleeding out.

And I now use that system for all the birds I butcher, regardless of size.

I was just reading it! It's good! Our one is so big it barely fits into a large dog kennel. He's a BBB & I can't get my arms around him. We have these eye hooks attached to the steel frame of one of our sheds. We figured that would be a good place to hoist for processing. Did you find that dry plucking was just as easy as the plucking after dunking them? If we don't need to do that for plucking then that will solve a lot of problems on our end. Then we can dress all 4 this weekend.

 

[Buster52]

Dry plucking a big turk is a real bear, but doable, at least as I recollect. I now have a table top plucker which makes things much faster, so I'm a bit spoiled. But if you have no alternative...

It's just time consuming is all. It can be done.

 

[jaj121159]

I dry pluck my wild turkeys without many problems. Only the wing ends can be hard, but the feathers are larger too.