Turkeys For 2013

[racinchickins]

I got my BBBs for the holidays. At 4 months, all but the one crippled girl are heavy and developing some nice breasts. The other crippled girl is quite small, but she'll make a good soup for us.

So glad you guys are bird people. Saying that to anyone else would have made me feel really, really dirty.

There are a lot of things you end up saying here that you wouldn't dare say anywhere else!

 

[Reyvaughn]

I had a hen that broke her ankle and then it healed but she eneded up getting a swollen hock, so I processed her. She was delicious. She was small but she fed 6 adults. No need to feel guilt or dirty. We love talking turkey and eatin' turkey.

Oh, I meant the "At 4 months, all but the one crippled girl are heavy and developing some nice breasts." part of my post.

My these girls have bad hocks and they are twisted. I managed to keep them going for this long, but I think it'll be just cruel to make them struggle another 2 months. Especially knowing the weight they are bound to gain in that time. I am afraid they are going to get sores or something worse. The smallest girl has no breast at all. If she doesn't feed us or make a soup, she'll be good stock and a few dark meat sandwiches.

 

[desertmarcy]

So to get them calm but not to be pest you should handle the some but not a lot? I handled my first poults a fair amount and would go give them treats, now they won't leave me alone while outside if they are out free ranging.

I'm not sure there is a middle ground but maybe that would work. I think there are definite differences in different turkey varieties or bloodlines, too. Some just seem to be naturally tamer and others more nervous. I was putting some new shade cloth up over one pen with the toms in it that I want to keep, and so I give them more attention. I was using a roll of wire to tie the shade cloth down. A couple of the toms were so fixated on that wire! They kept trying to grab it from me. Who would think some plastic coated wire would be so interesting? They must be bored

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Rey Glad you are ok, and fantastic you were able to make the birds safe. My house is still a work in progress.
Main thing is its YOURS. We owe very little on our mortgage and pay extra to get it paid off earlier.
I always keep some type of a small mortgage for the tax deduction.

Arielle Ugh.. So true! Maybe he just wanted to hang out with the turkeys.
There are still "tent cities" in some states where people don't even have a home. Just sad.
Can only hope the economy improves.

What type of turkey is everone planning to eat for the upcoming Holidays? Mine will be BR.

BBW, have 2 I will keep back until Thanksgiving is near, one each both sides of our families. 3 are going very soon, I am just waiting for a quiet day to be the bad guy.
The 2 hens, am still undecided but will likely process them soon too. I have a real hard time giving up hens. My RP tom Buddy is already flirting with them at the fence line.
I may try to breed them before they get too big. One is very small, 14 pounds at most.

Palms are so pretty!! THe lack of meat causes me a lack of i nterest.

THe white Holland though sound like a meal for 20!! ANd the MW--well they just need saving. GOtta eat more turkey.

I roasted a chicken the other day--and leftovers are inthe soup pot now cooking away. As much as I love chicken soup, I love turkey soup MORE!!!

X2, am getting away from RP. I like them a lot, but can tell by how the birds feel they aren't a good meat bird.
My oldest jakes are 5 months, and they are tall, but almost bony. My oldest jake in the BRs is a month younger and several pounds heavier.
The BRs are heavier birds even as small poults in comparison.
BR gives me both things I am most interested in, Dual purpose - personality and meat production.
The hollands and mini-whites will hopefully fit that need too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

double post

 

[Arielle]

Quote: IMHO-- go ahead and cull her now , based on her thin breast area she is not getting much food . Feeling the breast area has become one of my litus tests for how well a bird is doing.

Quote: x2 lol Mine run over to visit and when I ignore them, they find somthing else to do, bother anothe pen of birds , or go off to the paddocks. THey do stay if I have items in myhands!! lol Could be food!!!

 

[Arielle]

Most of the originals birds were from Porters.. his Black Spanish.. then I ended up with some of his experimental Black/Red crosses (I think he is calling them his Rusty Blacks now?).. and a Narragansett tom I hatched from eBay eggs.. after a couple of generations of mixing the Narragansett with the black/red and back to the Black Spanish I ended up with the Birdzillas... but I have to give most of the credit to his Black Spanish... the ones I got from him were beasts.

I have no idea what the Narragansett may have been mixed with.. but he was a big ol boy too... so I doubt he was pure

I think the largest one was close to 50 pounds at slaughter.. with the "smaller" ones hitting around 35 to 40 pounds
most of the other turkeys I had at the time were closer to the 25 to 30 pound mark..

My narri are slightly bigger than any bird I have ( auburns, BR, and sweetgrass) by visual accessment, not actual weight-- haven't weighed them yet.

50# is huge for a heritage type-- goes to show the benefits of cross breeding is true!

I do wish his descriptions were more descriptive of his birds rather than the breeds in general.

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
yeah it is big.. I was shocked when we went to butcher them.. normally I don't have any problems scalding the birds.. had to get my husband to help me with those guys!..

we also tend to have "fat" heritage birds.. I know all the "experts" will tell you that there is never enough fat on a heritage turkey to cook it without it drying out.. but ours always had a nice covering of fat a lot like the "butterballs" we used to eat.. just wish they had a larger breast (makes for good turkey sandwiches).. but the flavor of the legs and thighs just blows away any store bought bird!

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
yeah it is big.. I was shocked when we went to butcher them.. normally I don't have any problems scalding the birds.. had to get my husband to help me with those guys!..

we also tend to have "fat" heritage birds.. I know all the "experts" will tell you that there is never enough fat on a heritage turkey to cook it without it drying out.. but ours always had a nice covering of fat a lot like the "butterballs" we used to eat.. just wish they had a larger breast (makes for good turkey sandwiches).. but the flavor of the legs and thighs just blows away any store bought bird!

I can eat a whole leg-- caveman style!!! Breastmeat-- well I'll eat that if I have to. I have one child that likes breast meat though, and another likes leg meat-- for him I have to hold myself back to make sure he gets his share!! lol

My birds put on a thick fat chest about 1 inch in my 12 month olds. Hardly seem they eat at this age. I think they can fit a lot in their crop in one feeding at the feed bunk!

I wouldn't mind suiper big as I would like to cut them up for bette freezer spage useage-- and the portion of meat is still so big that we can feed 4.

To me the effort to butcher 1 40 pound turkey is faster than 6-7 chickens.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 

 

 
Most of the originals birds were from Porters.. his Black Spanish.. then I ended up with some of his experimental Black/Red crosses (I think he is calling them his Rusty Blacks now?).. and a Narragansett tom I hatched from eBay eggs.. after a couple of generations of mixing the Narragansett with the black/red and back to the Black Spanish I ended up with the Birdzillas...  but I have to give most of the credit to his Black Spanish... the ones I got from him were beasts.

I have no idea what the Narragansett may have been mixed with.. but he was a big ol boy too... so I doubt he was pure

I think the largest one was close to 50 pounds at slaughter.. with the "smaller" ones hitting around 35 to 40 pounds 
most of the other turkeys I had at the time were closer to the 25 to 30 pound mark.. 

My narri are slightly bigger than any bird I have ( auburns, BR, and sweetgrass) by visual accessment, not actual weight-- haven't weighed them yet.

50# is huge for a heritage type-- goes to show the benefits of cross breeding is true!

I do wish his descriptions were  more descriptive of his birds rather than the breeds in general. 

yeah it is big.. I was shocked when we went to butcher them.. normally I don't have any problems scalding the birds.. had to get my husband to help me with those guys!.. 

we also tend to have "fat" heritage birds.. I know all the "experts" will tell you that there is never enough fat on a heritage turkey to cook it without it drying out.. but ours always had a nice covering of fat a lot like the "butterballs" we used to eat.. just wish they had a larger breast (makes for good turkey sandwiches).. but the flavor of the legs and thighs just blows away any store bought bird!

I can eat a whole leg-- caveman style!!! Breastmeat-- well I'll eat that if I have to.  I have one child that likes breast meat though, and another likes leg meat-- for him I have to hold myself back to make sure he gets his share!! lol 

My birds put on a thick fat chest about 1 inch in my 12 month olds. Hardly seem they eat at this age. I think they can fit a lot in their crop in one feeding at the feed bunk!

I wouldn't mind suiper big as I would like to cut them up for bette freezer spage useage-- and the portion of meat is still so big that we can feed 4.

To me the effort to butcher 1 40 pound turkey is faster than 6-7 chickens. 

Turkey legs sure sound good right about now.