World’s Cutest Thanksgiving dinner

[Xouie]

I really like my turkey about 12 pounds dressed. Sounds like you are doing great! 15-17 pounds live wt. would be a great size! Smoke one maybe?

So to get a 12 lb dressed, you start with 15-17 live weight? We’re about 2/3 of the way there! Yay!

I’d love to smoke a turkey, but have no idea how to smoke something big without a special smoker. (The electric one I have always blows the breaker no matter where we plug it in.) I just have one of those stand-alone roasters that does a traditional turkey really well.

 

[Parront]

So to get a 12 lb dressed, you start with 15-17 live weight? We’re about 2/3 of the way there! Yay!

I’d love to smoke a turkey, but have no idea how to smoke something big without a special smoker. (The electric one I have always blows the breaker no matter where we plug it in.) I just have one of those stand-alone roasters that does a traditional turkey really well.

Figure you get 2/3 of the live weight to eat. They grow fast! So 15 pounds would only be ~10 pounds of roast, especially since you might not count the feat, neck, and assorted giblets. Your electric roaster might not hold one much larger than 12 pounds, so you will probably want to do them before they get up to 20 pounds live wt.
We used to have a charcoal smoker with a water pan that made some fantastic smoked meat. No electric needed. Cheap used, too.

 

[Xouie]

All right! Abbott weighed 16 pounds on Wednesday evening. I weighed him early because I was gone Friday. So by all predictions he’ll be ready for his big moment tomorrow. Love my meat birdies! I’ll take time today to think through my setup and give him a peaceful sendoff.

 

[Parront]

All right! Abbott weighed 16 pounds on Wednesday evening. I weighed him early because I was gone Friday. So by all predictions he’ll be ready for his big moment tomorrow. Love my meat birdies! I’ll take time today to think through my setup and give him a peaceful sendoff.

That is a pretty fast growing meat bird, you got him in April when you first posted, right?

 

[OrlandoMama]

Well, I guess that by the time you prepare to eat them, they will have lost their cuteness anyway

ETA: We eat our chickens too, despite their cuteness etc.

So I was randomly reading threads and came across this one and I’m raising a turkey for thanksgiving that I love to death and even though he’s big now, let me tell you his cute personality is still completely there and he’s still a cuddly sweetheart especially with my 3 year old. That darn bird is spoiled just as much as the dog lmao

 

[Xouie]

So I was randomly reading threads and came across this one and I’m raising a turkey for thanksgiving that I love to death and even though he’s big now, let me tell you his cute personality is still completely there and he’s still a cuddly sweetheart especially with my 3 year old. That darn bird is spoiled just as much as the dog lmao

He will be the best thanksgiving dinner you ever have! Somehow the more you love them, the more you appreciate the food they provide.

 

[Parront]

He will be the best thanksgiving dinner you ever have! Somehow the more you love them, the more you appreciate the food they provide.

One of these days, I might just have to get some poults. One of the best holiday dinners I ever made was a roast goose. YUM!

 

[Xouie]

That is a pretty fast growing meat bird, you got him in April when you first posted, right?

Had to go back and check — they hatched around April 20th. They were slower growing than my Cornish cross at first, but now they are putting on almost 2 pounds per week.

our turkey feeding schema:
30% protein starter weeks 1-9
Allow free range starting at week 4
Add scratch bowl at week 6
Lower protein to about 25% at week 10

So they get free choice on feed, but spend most of the day grazing and playing out in the yard.

 

[Xouie]

At the final weigh in last night, Mercedes beat out Abbott and went to processing first. Here are the weight results:

Live weight: 17 pounds, 11 ounces
Carcass weight: 13 pounds, 8 ounces
Giblets weight: 13 ounces

A little over 3 pounds lost, about 20%, from live to processed total weight. He was a good birdie and he’ll be an excellent dinner!

 

[OrlandoMama]

One of these days, I might just have to get some poults. One of the best holiday dinners I ever made was a roast goose. YUM!

For warning though! You will fall in love with it! No joke they are puppies in the bodies of birds and they have the biggest personalities. Mine followed me around EVERYWHERE as a baby and literally demanded to be held and cuddled and even though he’s a big ol Tom now he’ll try to crawl in my lap if i’m sitting down. If it’s your first time with turkeys my best advice is to detach yourself asap no matter how much they want to love on you, that or if you’re 100% okay with it emotionally love them with all your little heart but know that essentially you are going to have to butcher them and that it’ll definitely be heartbreaking the more of an attachment you have.