For the best tenderness, don't let them walk much or try to fly much, with BBB or great whites that's not hard to do. as far as taste we found that grasses and weeds is the best if they will eat it. You can also use fancy scratch, it's cracked corn and assorted seeds if they will eat it it's a good compromise for not being able to free range. Free ranging of 3 to4 hours a day will change the taste vs no free range. When a turkey gets fat they put layers of fat between the skin and muscle, the fat creates those dripping that are used for basting the turkey, this is where a lot of that extra flavor is at. Corn puts fat on, seeds, weeds, and seeds give it that different taste. You can use layer feed with a little turkey feed mixed in this can slow the growth a little.
Yesterday was butcher day here, butchering a large BBB tom is no fun. if they get their wings free and start flapping them there weight seems to double. If you scald before plucking the hot water adds weight also so you may need something to help get them out of the scalder. The big Tom's we didn't keep them whole since we have nothing that we can cook them in, we just took the breast meat, thighs and legs I guess there is about 10 or more pounds of meats for each tom. For those birds that we took the meat we did not remove there insides, just plucked feather on their legs and breast and then cut the meat off.
You also need to let the meat rest between the butcher and freezing or cooking if you don't the meat won't be tender. At least 24 hours is good 48 hours is better you can combine the marinating/brine soaking with the resting time. During this period you should try to keep then at a temperature of 34 degrees or close to it. since most refrigerators only go down to 37 this usually works.
