Turkeys

[petal]

I like your website by the way bramble poultry.

[Bramble-Poultry]

thanks very much. its going to be changing again as the new influx of birds and new announcements.

We have just been awarded the BHWT Poorly Hen rescue status, meaning we take on any injured or sick Battery Hens from the rescues, as well as supporting the rescues themselves. We have joint regional rehoming status for Powys, so all that needs to go up on the website too!

[walldanzig]

thanks Bramble I think I need to keep the longer they where hatched in august so had 5 months. Probably could have done with a little longer. Im going to hatch in april next year Which I will be ordering from you ;-)

[OverWyreGrower]

Our Whites were between 8lbs and 15.5lbs this year... fine weights for our customers, but we would have liked them a little heavier.

We did 8 this year, and I don't think (without bringing in help) we'd be able to process more than 12 though

[Bramble-Poultry]

we bought in a bloke to slaughter ours, charged £1 per bird. i then had to pluck and dress the 150.......

[chris]

was going to say, having to slaughter 150 would have been a mission by yourself!

How did he do them?

[Bramble-Poultry]

ok - if squeamish - look away now!

he brought up what looked like a metal clothes rail with a trough underneath. He herded half a dozen birds at a time into a shed so they were away from the others, stunned them with an electric stunner, then hung them by their legs on the clothes rail and slit the throats. they drained into the trough beneath.

By bleeding out they pass into unconciousness and die peacefully. Its the manner approved by DEFRA, and usually done under supervision of a veterinary surgeon to ensure you do it properly, however, our vet couldnt make it and by the time he did it wa all over.

It was then up to me to sort out the carcasses. The blood in the troughs was barrelled up, and the feathers bagged, and the inners and trimmings from the turkeys (heads feet etc) bagged and all taken down to the incinerators in town. They needed to be bagged up separately as each gets treated different. Apparently the blood gets sent off for use in fertiliser, the carcasses are burnt and the ash used as fertiliser, and the feathers either get burnt off or used in some animal feed!

[Scarlet]

It must take days to pluck 150..

[Glutton4...]

I have witnessed this method first-hand, BP. I didn't find it distressing at all. Very humane, in fact. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

[chris]

*steps back from G4*

[Bramble-Poultry]

@scarlet - i think i have RSI in my thumbs still! family affair - the breast feathers and back feathers come out quite easily, the wings and teh tendons are swines and usually left to me and my pliers/nail in the wall!

@glutton - must say, i was impressed at how humane the whole thing was. i could have got myself set up to do it, but finding the £700 odd quid for the kit and then getting the licence was not possible that close on to christmas with other commitments i had. but i may consider doing it next year myself

[OverWyreGrower]

@scarlet - i think i have RSI in my thumbs still! family affair - the breast feathers and back feathers come out quite easily, the wings and teh tendons are swines and usually left to me and my pliers/nail in the wall!

Oh, the wing and tail feathers.... darn things... such a PITA to get out!!!

[walldanzig]

What do you guys think of the mechanical pluckers you can buy they look like they knock the turkeys around something rotten

[RichmondHens]

What I gather from people who have used plucking machines the birds still have to be finished by hand, the machine only takes the majority of the feathers off, but not all by any means. Unless you are processing loads and loads I would stick to the hand method and save your money.

[chris]

Do you dip in hot water first? Looking on youtube some american chap seems to do that. Watched a video of that plucking machine, kind of like a washing machine - poor thing heh