Ways to butcher a turkey

[CochinBrahmaLover]

OK so we have a 30lb turkey whom I agreed to help butcher for neighbors who wanted to buy him. Well, needless to say, I'm not sure how to butcher a turkey. I as gonna chop the head, but I don't know if I'm strong enough, and then cutting the jugalar vein sounded good, but in instructions on how to kill the turkey it said "Wait for the turkey to die, this may take several minutes"

So that meant NO. Any other ways? If I don't get any replies until like 10ish tomorrow I'll just go ahead with the chopping of the head, Thanks in advance!

 

[chicken pickin]

Good luck with what ever way you decide to do it. We have 26CX and 2BBW we are processing tomorrow. This is our first time ever doing something like this. Our plan is to put them in a home made kill cone for the chickens and slit the neck to bleed out. We are thinking we are going to do that also with the turkeys and maybe using a 5gallon bucket as the "kill cone" but honestly I dont know fully what we are going to do with the turkeys. After you process your turkey Id love to hear how it went and what you decided to do. I can use as many tips as possible. Good luck.

 

[weavers rocks]

WE just finished harvestin 5 wite leghorn cockerels took 1 and30 min two nephews got em outof cage for me and held em on chop block and help skin a little what they could dressed weights were 1lb and a half and two pounds each 14 wksold breat fryers kept the five pullets for eggs.

 

[Buster52]

Well, I've processed a few turks and have done it both ways. Unless you have a strong arm, keen aim, and a sharp axe, you might want to rethink that method. Sometimes if you don't strike just right, it just bounces off of a big turkey like that. Then you've got a monster bird on your hands and you are swinging until you finally hack through. I'm an ex-roofer, from the days when you used only a shingling axe to both nail and cut the wood shingles and shakes, so I'm pretty good with an axe, but have missed a time or two. It wasn't pretty, for either me or the bird.

Slitting a turk is a much more sure thing. And if it is done right, lasts nowhere near "several minutes", at least with the bird conscious. The blood and oxygen are completely cut off from the birds brain, so it makes no sense to assume they suffer for any length of time. Just make sure you cut the soft part of the neck on both sides, on the soft skin just below the bone under the ear. Make it nice and deep so the blood gushes.

We will be processing 25 BBWs over the next few days and we will be slitting.

Course, you may be already done with the deed and have likely found out for yourself, by the time you read this. Either way, good luck with it.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Haha, your right, we did the deed.

Soo, we just chopped the head. Course, wehad to hit him several times to kill him, but my dad used a bigger axe then my mom and got the head off.

So we just plucked it, gutted it, and are gonna skin it. Chicken Pickin > For the CX, put them in a kill cone, and make good work of them. Have ice on hand, and just put one in the cone, slit it, then put it on ice, repeat. Otherwise it will take FOREVER. As for the BBWs, use a good strong axe. Have some hold it down and brace the neck on wood, then one good swing will kill. but use a LARGE axe! If you cut the neck do what Buster said

 

[chicken pickin]

Thanks for the info! I cringed at the thought of you having to hit him several times to get the head off, Ill avoid using the axe lol. We will def be using kill cones and sliting both the CX and the BBW. How long did it take you from start to finish for the turkey?

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Several. Hours.

Sooo, start from morning to night.

 

[chicken pickin]

Really?! Several hours for one turkey? If thats so Im in trouble.

 

[LilyD]

Really?! Several hours for one turkey? If thats so Im in trouble.

We just did 8 BBW. What I can tell you first off is that a 20 to 30 lb turkey will not fit in a 5lb bucket lol. Also lifting the turkey to put them in the cone after the second or third bird with them flapping as you try and do it is very hard. I put mine up on a table (Was actually the back of my truck bed) with the head hanging down and a bucket underneath with some shavings in it.

I agree with what's been said above. The ax is hard, might be easier with a heavier ax but the chances that the bird will move it's head are great. Also I would worry about human body parts getting in the way trying to hold the bird down. For me too many chances for issues.

I did the sharp (razor sharp) knife and cut the vein. First bird I cut one side which is what I do with a chicken. With a turkey especially that size you really need to do both sides and then they bleed out much faster. Killing plucking and everything took about an hour per bird but I didn't have a plucker that I could use with the turkeys since I have the one you hitch on the drill and I can't hold up a 30 pound turkey for that long so using it for plucking was kind of impossible.

Good luck.

 

[chicken pickin]

Thank You for your tips I appreciate it. I was thinking of using a 5gallon bucket not a 5lb bucket not sure if thats still what you meant in not using it. Though your way does sound like a better idea, placing it on a table and doing the cuts. I appreciate the advice and I will use it. And Im glad you also said 2 cuts( I wouldnt have thought of that) I want it to go fast and painless with the least amount of suffering.