We 'did' the Christmas Turkeys

[OverWyreGrower]

Well, on Friday night we took the plunge and slaughtered our first birds for meat.... 3 Christmas turkeys!

It went as well as can be expected really.

We did them at night, and apart from the fact that we spent 4 hours working in minus-5 degrees, it was fine.

I didn't manage to restrain the first bird well enough, and it's wing-flap nearly dislocated my knee (mega-bruise!)

However, the other 2 went fine.

Plucking took an hour for the first bird and then about 45 mins each for the other 2.

Our garage is lovely and cold, so the birds are hanging in there. We start to dress them tonight (in order of them being picked up ready for Friday)

I think if we did it again, we'd take a day off work, rather than do it all in one evening, and Mr OWG says we will run a heater in the garage for the plucking!!

Roll on Christmas Dinner!!

[Eco-Chic]

Congratulations. Rather you than me, I have to say.

What does 'dressing' them involve?

[Nicos]

Well done! they're going to taste absolutely wonderful!

Are your plucking fingers sore? ....we used to help a farmer friend pluck some of his birds in the run up to Xmas- it was a massive family gathering and at the end of it my fingers always felt sore from yanking out the feathers for a few hours.

What sort of weight did they get to?

[matthew2riches]

Any pics? What weights did you achieve?

And a biggie.... How much did they cost you to produce each from chick to culled & dressed bird?

I'd like to have a go but was put off for a reason I can't think of. I've done loads of chooks though...

[OverWyreGrower]

Congratulations. Rather you than me, I have to say.

What does 'dressing' them involve?

Dressing is removal of the head and feet and the innnards - basically making them 'table ready'!

Well done! they're going to taste absolutely wonderful!

Are your plucking fingers sore? ....we used to help a farmer friend pluck some of his birds in the run up to Xmas- it was a massive family gathering and at the end of it my fingers always felt sore from yanking out the feathers for a few hours.

What sort of weight did they get to?

Any pics? What weights did you achieve?

And a biggie.... How much did they cost you to produce each from chick to culled & dressed bird?

I'd like to have a go but was put off for a reason I can't think of. I've done loads of chooks though...

The males came in at about 2 stone, and the female at about 1.5 stone, though they'll lose about 20% from the dressing. Big birds!!

They were £7 each as 6 week old birds, and we'll sell them on for £2.50 per lb (much cheaper than our local butcher). Should make a profit of about £50 or so (as we are only selling 2 of them).

I'd say they are harder than a chicken - the sheer size of them means that you need 2 people to handle them. Mr OWG couldn't have restrained AND slaughtered them himself, and the plucking would have taken much longer, especially when there are 3 birds to do. I was lucky that the wing caught me where it did! If it had got me anywhere near my face, I'd have been looking at a broken nose/smashed cheek bone; and if it had got me in the chest, a broken rib or two. Defintitely not for the faint hearted!

[Bramble-Poultry]

We have done ours too - ours took slightly longer than a few hours but then we did considerably more than you did, took the day off to do ours and it took the whole day!!

Let them hang for a couple of days like all birds they should hang, If hung un-dressed in a cold dry place (less than 3degrees) then they will keep until new year easy, gutting is easy and should take around 1/2 hour each bird if you want "virtual" help just yell - actually a turkey is the easiest bird to dress out due to its size - you can get your whole hand in the cavity.

Matthew - cost hmmm - well obviously costs a small producer more than a commercial farm but surely the taste and knowing where your meat comes from outweighs the cost. But a good average is around £30 ber bird to table weight (including buying the poults) assuming you need no more inputs other than turkey crumb, grower and finisher, and if you get it right you can grow 5 birds - sell 3 keep 2 and the ones you sell will outweigh the cost of raising all five - just look at the cost of a 14lb turkey in the supermarket!

[Bramble-Poultry]

OWG - we have sold ours at £3.50 a lb and that is seriously underpriced - heritage turkeys fetch around £70 - £80 each.

Mighty buggers when they get going aren't they, I got a lovely whack from one of ours and mike has a gash up his arm from ones spurs!! Quicker and easier try a humane dispatcher next year and quieten them down by covering their heads!

[OverWyreGrower]

OWG - we have sold ours at £3.50 a lb and that is seriously underpriced - heritage turkeys fetch around £70 - £80 each.

Mighty buggers when they get going aren't they, I got a lovely whack from one of ours and mike has a gash up his arm from ones spurs!! Quicker and easier try a humane dispatcher next year and quieten them down by covering their heads!

Our local butcher is selling the whites (like ours) for nearly £4 a lb!!! They are not even heritage/rare breed etc...

They hardly flapped until they were very near 'the end' after the bleed. We used a t-shirt to restrain them (and me on top of them holding their feet and their bodies), and spoke to them, stroking them all the time. The first one just wasn't tied in the t-shirt properly and got a wing free! My knee is black and blue and I'm limping quite severely. Note to self - get some shin pads!!

[matthew2riches]

Note to self - get some shin pads!!

Ha, ha!

You need a padded suit like they use when they dispose of bombs

[Snadger]

Very well done to all of you!

I could fancy maybe fattening a couple for next year, one for us and one for the rest of the family.
Can you keep em with chooks? What time of year do you need to buy the poults? Also how old are they when slaughtered?

I have never tasted fresh turkey, only frozen, but this year I have bought a fresh turkey crown (there's only two of us this year!)

I'm looking forward to it, but not as much as I would if I'd 'Grown my Own'!

[Brengirl]

Please STOP IT. There was I, really looking forward to my roast turkey on Friday but then you lot come along and spoil it all. Did you really have to go into such detail of how my Christmas lunch actually got to the table. I thought they were born 'table ready'. Another fantasy hits the dust.........

[Glutton4...]

Well done OWG - sounds like a dangerous sport to me - Do let us know how yummy they are.

[Bren In Pots]

Congrats, it sounds a huge task compared to the brace of pheasants I skinned and dressed at the weekend.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Snadger - NO you cannot keep poults with chickens or on ground where chickens have been due to worms and the threat of blackhead (I know people who do it though and get away with it but they worm every other week!) To be fair if you have a good worming routine already you may be ok but its a parasitic worm that causes blackhead

If you are buying a comercial strain you buy poults around mid July and they are 17 - 18 weeks to table weight, If you go for a heritage breed then you are looking at 25 weeks to table weight as they are slower growing.

If you want to grow 2 get at least 3 - they are born with the innate ability to die at will. If you manage to raise all 3 then you have one to pop in the freezer for easter!!!

Bren - its is actually quicker and easier to do a turkey than a pheasant, they are lose featehred so they come out quick and easy and don't tear the skin, no where near as fidly. Also much easier to dress out as you make 2 quick slits and get you hand inside.

[matthew2riches]

If you want to grow 2 get at least 3 - they are born with the innate ability to die at will.

Errrrr... how awful??