Who else is butchering turkeys this week?

[chickenannie]

Quote:
Wow, 54 pounds!! That's a Thanksgiving for 54 people.
Just curious, how old was it?

Also, what's your impression of the difference between BBB and the BBW?

 

[MissPrissy]

Sharon, Heather and I did turkeys yesterday -

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=107919

 

[sandspoultry]

We did a Bourbon Red and Beltsville White on Saturday. It all went very well except we had to wait for the scalding pot to heat up. We found a 50 gallon cast iron pot at a yard sale and it took about an hour to get the fire going and for the water to heat up, it was the first time we used it. Note to self....next time start the scalding water first. lol

Steve in NC

 

[reallemons1]

My DH and I did 1 Broad breasted bronze (about 35 lbs after cleaning), 3 Sweetgrass, 2 Royal palms, and 1 Beltsville White (about 15 lbs each)saturday. We heated the water in a large canner on a gas burner from a turkey cooker. Had to dip the BBB in sections, but all went well.

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

Quote:
Wow, 54 pounds!! That's a Thanksgiving for 54 people.
Just curious, how old was it?

Also, what's your impression of the difference between BBB and the BBW?

It was about 7 months old, and that was live weight, he'll probably loose 10-15 pounds after being plucked and cleaned.
My impression is it depends on what color you like. I happen to like the darker birds that don't stick out like sore thumbs.

 

[chickenannie]

Well, I took 16 Bourbon Reds to the butcher tonight. I was pleased that the one I took yesterday dressed out at 14 lbs -- I thought he'd be 11-12 lbs only. I was told to factor by .72 from live weight to dressed weight -- anybody know if that's correct?

My sweet retired father came over today (after dark) and helped me catch the turkeys. It was MUCH easier to catch them in the dark -- I'd been catching them in the daytime to clip their wings every month. Although true to my nerdy nature, one of them knocked my glasses off with its wing when I was holding it and we spent 20 minutes with a flashlight desperately looking for them around the floor of the coop pen. Found 'em (and luckily they were clean).

The Thanksgiving birds got so skeered being put in the crates... they've never known anything but free range and blue sky and seemed totally freaked out. I hope they calm down overnight, although I felt bad again because the forecast calls for snow, so we put them in the hallway of the butchering area overnight, and it smells (like butchering) and I just hope they can't tell what that smell is.

I kept my 6 breeders (5 hens and a tom) and 4 smaller ones that will be Christmas turkeys.

 

[spookyevilone]

Quote:
Hi. I'm Native American. There's no ritual, so to speak, for thanking the spirit of the animal, but you don't have to be NA to make your own.

The best way to thank the animal is to make sure it had a good life and an easy, quick, and as painless as possible death. So I was taught.

Sounds like you already do that.

-Spooky

 

[lovemychix]

Got a free frozen bird from hubby's employer. I guess it will do. Free !!!!

 

[al6517]

I processed one last month as a practice bird to help me gage the weight and fullness. he was aBB white and dressed at 26 lbs, this one is allot bigger at maybe 50 lbs live weight, should be a good dinner.

Last months practice bird 26 lbs oven weight, he cooked up perfectly, and looked even better.

AL

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
Hi. I'm Native American. There's no ritual, so to speak, for thanking the spirit of the animal, but you don't have to be NA to make your own.

The best way to thank the animal is to make sure it had a good life and an easy, quick, and as painless as possible death. So I was taught.

Sounds like you already do that.

-Spooky

Thanks. I mostly react to the fact that I'm caging a free thing and cutting it down in it's most beautiful state. I like to eat meat, but I'm not comfortable with an animal feeling fear or stress. Maybe that is an argument to butcher in your own backyard, which would be the quickest way, rather than do what I do, which is crate them overnight, and drive them to the butcher. I feel that even that extra 12 hours gives them stress and fear.

I read another article that said some cultures spend a whole day or several days in butchering an animal, preparing sausages or whatnot from all the parts. That seems like a ritual of sorts.