Turkeys For 2013

[Arielle]

Quote: Nice to have a husband with skills isn't it?? Bet that size "pot" was perfect!! I'll keep an eye out for a 55 gal barrel-- there is a shop in town that might do the cutting for me. THanks for the idea.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Question for everone.........Do you all pluck your turkeys when processing or do you skin them? Skinning is easier for me. What about you all?

Depends on the intended purpose, but If I process for large scale downsizing I skin and grind several, save a few breast roasts too.
Pluck the rest and save for big dinners. Either way is hard of my hands after 3-4.Have 4 BBW to do this weekend.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I pluck everything bcause I still don't have a great knife. I have tried several -- mostly because they were given to me, but a sharp knive seems to be essential to skinning. As some one that enjous cooking, I like a bird with the skin on. I like the crunch and the look of the meat. Guess in my mind it separates fowl from beef or pork.

 

[Celie]

How much do you all sell your processed turkeys for? Do you sell by weight?

I would rather the customers buy the turkeys live and process them for themselves. I will tell them how to or even let them come and watch me do it, or them buy the bird and process it while I do mine, so I sell my large Holland toms for $2.50 per pound live weight( I use a large hanging scale like you weigh fish on) or $4.50 a pound processed the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I hang the scale from the shop's gantry crane and with straps, hang a large clean double handle garbage can from the straps. Tare weight it to zero. lower the can and open the lid. Put the turkey in and the top on, hoist it off the ground and take the weight. If these Hollands were not such big birds, I could probably get more per pound, but my smaller half grown toms weigh over 20 pounds, so these better tasting more mature, fatter toms have to be around 40 pounds. I'll try to get around to weighing one tomorrow, if I can when Hubby is around, as it takes 2 people to pick one up and can him! LOL

THis begs a question--

(Sorry TamTUrkey, I"m sure it is not fun. )


Are the birds immune after the exposure? ANd do all the birds get it, or do some have immunity?? Maybe it matters what flock they come from??

A couple of weeks ago, someone on this thread said that every bird had to be vaccinated every year, because there were too many different strains of fowl pox! Like getting the flu. I don't know if I agree, because my older turkeys that got the dry pox last year, were immune to the pox that the younger ones that hatched this year got. Also, they did not get the pox during the rainy mosquito season, but the same time as last year, when the ants were bad, so I think they may be spread by ants, too. My chickens do not seam to have ever had any. I seldom feel a mosquito on my property, but my neighbor, who doesn't raise ducks, are invaded with them. An 80 year old farmer, my hubby was talking to yesterday said he always used Borax, like you use to wash clothes with, sprinkled like powdered sugar over the top of the mound would get rid of all the ants. It seams that they eat it, it guilds up gas and ants can't fart, so they die. A chemist confirmed this, but they might have been pulling my leg, IDK??? LOL

They are immune after exposure. Good question about do all birds get it. I would think that some would have immunity. Just like people who never get sick or colds and their bodies fight off those germs. I don't think that every chicken that has been bitten by a mosquito has gotten pox. What do you think?

My turkeys who got the pox this year hardly had any, or just one or two tiny black specks this year, but their parents, last year had bad dry pox! Thank God, I have never had to deal with the wet type!!!

Making improvements and keeping up the quality does require generating enough poults to grow up, and then select breeders. You are on the right track to focus on just one breed. As you know I relaly like the BOurbons, the color is a rich red; the attraction for me to the auburns is the reddish chocolate color!! lol

THe auburs and the bourbons are slightly smaller than my narrigansetts, so I am trying to keep my 2 narri boys for breeding cross breds but, I need to take more of my own advice and keep down sizing!! lol

On another note-- while butchering last night, it occurred to me that chickens are much easier (per bird) to process. My hot water pot is a large canner so I can dunk a bird completely , todo a turkey I keep moving the carcass to get the hot water too all areas. I actually thought about quitting turkeys altogether!!

I was seriously considering Narragansett turkeys for 2014, but have recently been told by someone who raised a lot of them, that they are very flighty and not calm like Bourbon Reds! Since you have raised both, what do you find ? I am surprised to hear you are getting rid of your sweet grass, since I thought you were breeding for breast size and fast growth, which I read were both characteristics of Sweet Grass!

Question for everone.........Do you all pluck your turkeys when processing or do you skin them? Skinning is easier for me. What about you all?

I pluck the ones I am going to roast and skin the ones I am going to debone and grind. Skinning is quicker, but I don't like a skinned roaster. I sometimes only pluck the breast and make a roast out of that part and skin the rest. Plucking is not hard, if you dunk it into 155 degree water first. We use a very large seafood boiling pot over a propane burner. We each take a leg and lower it in to the pot all the way to the beginning of the feet we are holding for a 10 count and lift it out. Pull on the large wing and tail feathers. If they come out easily, it's ready, if not, under for another 10 count. I feel getting the water just right temperature I the trick. Too hot and the skin will tare when you try to pluck, too cool, and plucking is a lot harder. I use an instant read laser thermometer for use with any liquid or chemical. I keep one in my kitchen drawer, handy at all times. As soon as the water hits 155, I turn the burner really low and lower him in. If I was working alone, I would have to use the crane to lower him in and out of the pot. I use a sturdy nylon rope, 1/2 inch, I think, with a loop slopped around each foot and tied to the bachoe to lift the bird while hubby lifts him and turns him upside down as the machine lifts, if it's a large bird. after he calms right back down with a few soft strokes, I cut one juggler and get the hell out of the way, before the wings start flapping. I have never had any trouble with this method, except for not moving quick enough, once, and getting hit in the head by a wing. I processed a heavy 16 pound meat chicken rooster a couple weeks ago, by tying his feet together and hanging him on a nail in a tree where I skin my rabbits, by the tie and that worked out well, but it was only 16 pounds. If I had to process a 40 pound tom, at my age, being a small older person, I would probably use a sack to put him in head first with an opening in the bottom, just big enough to fit his head through, tie his feet together and straddle him to hold him down, so my hands would be free to hold his head in my left hand and cut with my right and let him bleed out onto the grass. The blood is good for the lawn and he could not flop too much, so the meat shouldn't get browsed. When someone comes to buy a live large turkey and their cage is not large enough, we tie it's feet together and bag it in this manner, with it's wings inside the bag and it's head sticking through the hole in the bottom and then place a rag over it's face, so it stays quiet and calm on their ride home and every has made it fine, calm, safe and sound. If an animal can't see you it thinks you can't see it either! I use the rag over the head any time I have to work on any livestock and it seams to quiet them right down.

 

[Celie]

I pluck everything bcause I still don't have a great knife. I have tried several -- mostly because they were given to me, but a sharp knive seems to be essential to skinning. As some one that enjous cooking, I like a bird with the skin on. I like the crunch and the look of the meat. Guess in my mind it separates fowl from beef or pork.

I find the smallest of my kitchen knives do the best job of killing, skinning and deboning. Keeping it sharp is the key. After every processing, I have hubby re-sharpen any knives, I have used until he could shave with it. Have you tried a restaurant supply store? If you have a used restaurant equipment store in your area, they should be able to order you one, cheap! A wet stone is used to keep it razor sharp as they all will get dulled with use.

 

[Celie]

My Holland turkey hens are still laying! I am getting 3 or 4 eggs every other or third day. Last year they had all quit laying when they started to molt, but these same 4 hens are laying right through their molt. Three are first year layers, but the 4th is one of my 3 year old hens. Are you all having the same happening this year? Here in Southern Louisiana, turkeys start laying again in mid December! Do you think these will continue right through without stopping for a rest or stop soon and start up laying again later? Nature is changing the rules lately. I have oranges starting to ripen and the trees are blooming at the same time! NOW! One pear tree that only produced a single pare for the first time, has been in full bloom in the fall, instead of the spring! Two broody hens have 30 something chicks between them and two ducks are trying to help keep them warm. Rabbits, that haven't been mated, are having bunnies! A wild bird flew in when I opened the front door and won't leave, when I put it on the porch railing, so I put it in a box in a warm room till sun up and will try to release it again. And to top matters off, a young rabbit is keeping 3 chicken eggs warm and won't leave them. As soon as I put her down for a minute, she goes and sits with her belly over the eggs! Crazy! LOL

 

[yinepu]

Quote: I pluck everything bcause I still don't have a great knife. I have tried several -- mostly because they were given to me, but a sharp knive seems to be essential to skinning. As some one that enjous cooking, I like a bird with the skin on. I like the crunch and the look of the meat. Guess in my mind it separates fowl from beef or pork.

Quote:
I use a nice sharp fillet knife for skinning and de-boning the birds (I prefer a longer blade with a small, pointy "tip").. also have a diamond butcher's sharpening steel that I like.. luckily I learned how to sharpen knives when I was working at the processing plants and as a butcher!

Usually I pluck.. but if I am only planning on doing turkey burger I skin.. (also skin quail and emu.. no knife needed on the quail)

 

[LBejaran]

My Holland turkey hens are still laying! I am getting 3 or 4 eggs every other or third day. Last year they had all quit laying when they started to molt, but these same 4 hens are laying right through their molt. Three are first year layers, but the 4th is one of my 3 year old hens. Are you all having the same happening this year? Here in Southern Louisiana, turkeys start laying again in mid December! Do you think these will continue right through without stopping for a rest or stop soon and start up laying again later? Nature is changing the rules lately. I have oranges starting to ripen and the trees are blooming at the same time! NOW! One pear tree that only produced a single pare for the first time, has been in full bloom in the fall, instead of the spring! Two broody hens have 30 something chicks between them and two ducks are trying to help keep them warm. Rabbits, that haven't been mated, are having bunnies! A wild bird flew in when I opened the front door and won't leave, when I put it on the porch railing, so I put it in a box in a warm room till sun up and will try to release it again. And to top matters off, a young rabbit is keeping 3 chicken eggs warm and won't leave them. As soon as I put her down for a minute, she goes and sits with her belly over the eggs! Crazy! LOL

I'm fairly certain you own a miracle farm and I'm incredibly jealous of you.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Getting a rada knife and a sharpener will be my birthday present to myself this year!!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I pluck everything bcause I still don't have a great knife. I have tried several -- mostly because they were given to me, but a sharp knive seems to be essential to skinning. As some one that enjous cooking, I like a bird with the skin on. I like the crunch and the look of the meat. Guess in my mind it separates fowl from beef or pork.

I do love a nice crisp golden brown skin YUUUMMM

When we were growing up, my brother and I fought over the skin.
Mom would get so mad seeing it half missing before the bird was carved!
She finally just let us do it.
Am working down the last few BBWs and more excess roosters this weekend.
I see 8-9 more that are ready to go.