Killing Turkeys

iano93

Well time to kill the turkey, we have not had turkeys last christmas but had 2 the year before, the pulling the neck method we found very difficult and it took a few goes til we finally got the poor bird killed..twas hard on man and bird to say the least:o:rolleyes:
Any alternative method which is effective and quick ? How are ye killing yours?

E. Fudd

The best way I've always found is if you can get your hands on a "bull squeezers" or the proper term is actually a burdizzo from your local friendly farmer. These are basically a big nut crackers (excuse the pun!)

hang your turkey by the legs, place the bull squeezers around it's neck, about two inches back from the head, and give one good squeeze. Jobs oxo.

Word of advice though, once you've squez, drop the bull squeezers and stand well back, the turkey will flap like f**k. Either that or get someone good and strong to hold the wings in a kind of bear hug fashion..

bbam

E. Fudd wrote: »

Word of advice though, once you've squez, drop the bull squeezers and stand well back, the turkey will flap like f**k. Either that or get someone good and strong to hold the wings in a kind of bear hug fashion..

If you procure a parking cone, cut it back from the top, slide the bird in with only the head out at the top, the cone will control the bird once dead...

As for the squeezers?? Never heard that

Bizzum

bbam wrote: »

If you procure a parking cone, cut it back from the top, slide the bird in with only the head out at the top, the cone will control the bird once dead...

As for the squeezers?? Never heard that

Cone sounds a great job.
Not so sure about the Burdizzo.

Anyone ever use a spade (etc) handle on the back of the neck, birds head on the ground, handle on the back of the neck, stand on the handle while holding the bird by the two legs..........And lift!
It's certainly works.

charityboy

used to tie their legs together and hang them of the front loader and squeez their neck with the burdizzo then give a pull down on the neck, worked well but stand well back when done

chickenfarmer

E. Fudd wrote: »

The best way I've always found is if you can get your hands on a "bull squeezers" or the proper term is actually a burdizzo from your local friendly farmer. These are basically a big nut crackers (excuse the pun!)

hang your turkey by the legs, place the bull squeezers around it's neck, about two inches back from the head, and give one good squeeze. Jobs oxo.

Word of advice though, once you've squez, drop the bull squeezers and stand well back, the turkey will flap like f**k. Either that or get someone good and strong to hold the wings in a kind of bear hug fashion..

I really don't approve of the burdizzo !! That is choking the bird. :mad:

The correct way is to hang the bird by the legs, the wings need to be held to stop them from bruising the breast meat. Then bend the birds head back and push down. You are trying to pop the spinal cord from the back of the brain to ensure the bird dies instantly. The birds eyes should close immediately if done properly. This method is the most humane and also the best to ensure the quality of the meat.

lakill Farm

Ok, im no expert but for years and years i have seen turkeys killed.

Firstly my granddad use to keep them and well i use to get to help
Then i worked with a butcher and he use to kill 200-300 a year
And finally myself and dad keep a handful for ourselves.

We killed last night. 15- 18 mins from alive to New york dressed :P

Pick turkey up by the legs and turn up side down. encourage them to flat. (they should flap (almost like they want to fly) for 10 seconds approx) this warms the blood up in the wings and stops so much flapping after killing

Second hang turkey up by the legs and with there back to your side choke the bird. make sure its killed and head and neck are well separated (about 3 inchs)

I finally killed my 1st and 2nd birds last night. Dad is killing 25 years since he was about 24 or 25. The reason i havent killed up until now, well its not how strong you are, its technique. I knew that if i made an ass of it, that within 5 seconds he would insure the job was done.

Happy plucking.

whelan1

put our turkey on starvation this morning, my da will ring his neck tomorrow

NewApproach

This is so cruel

Askim

NewApproach wrote: »

This is so cruel

How else should we do it ?

I choose to eat meat & i want it killed as quick as possible, people here are just asking advice on how to do just that.

i can't see how it is cruel

A

lakill Farm

whelan1 wrote: »

put our turkey on starvation this morning, my da will ring his neck tomorrow

So your killing 21st? and clean out 24th?

ellewood

chickenfarmer wrote: »

I really don't approve of the burdizzo !! That is choking the bird. :mad:

The correct way is to hang the bird by the legs, the wings need to be held to stop them from bruising the breast meat. Then bend the birds head back and push down. You are trying to pop the spinal cord from the back of the brain to ensure the bird dies instantly. The birds eyes should close immediately if done properly. This method is the most humane and also the best to ensure the quality of the meat.

+1 deffo the quickest and easiest way havent done it for a few years but used to do a good few each year this way and it was very quick on the bird - also remember when plucking them they would sh1t all over you if you didnt watch them.

NewApproach

Askim wrote: »

How else should we do it ?

I choose to eat meat & i want it killed as quick as possible, people here are just asking advice on how to do just that.

i can't see how it is cruel

A

Could you not use a gun or at least an axe.

whelan1

lakill Farm wrote: »

So your killing 21st? and clean out 24th?

yup, i remember the first year we had turkeys my ma decided she would have the biggest 1 a few weeks before christmas, we killed it and plucked it and hung it in the pantry BUT we had forgotten that we had put cental heating in since we last hung a bird, when she put it in the oven the smell was rotten:D we all had mc donalds for dinner that day

iano93

whelan1 wrote: »

yup, i remember the first year we had turkeys my ma decided she would have the biggest 1 a few weeks before christmas, we killed it and plucked it and hung it in the pantry BUT we had forgotten that we had put cental heating in since we last hung a bird, when she put it in the oven the smell was rotten:D we all had mc donalds for dinner that day

We have the bird on starvation since yesterday morning will kill this evening before this we only had them on starvation for 12-24 hours 2 years ago and it was a bit messy so hopefully this job should be cleaner, a neighbour is doing the job using the handle of a brush technique..

reilig

NewApproach wrote: »

Could you not use a gun or at least an axe.

That would be cruel. By using the method's described above, you break the turkey's neck and sever the main nerve. The turkey feels nothing. If you shoot the poor bird it feels a lot of pain and suffers until it dies.

You can't chop a turkey's head off with an axe because you need it intact in order to hang the bird.

lakill Farm

I may have been over stong on choking on turkey last night .

reilig wrote: »

That would be cruel. By using the method's described above, you break the turkey's neck and sever the main nerve. The turkey feels nothing. If you shoot the poor bird it feels a lot of pain and suffers until it dies.

You can't chop a turkey's head off with an axe because you need it intact in order to hand the bird.

fodda

reilig wrote: »

You can't chop a turkey's head off with an axe because you need it intact in order to hang the bird.

What does that mean?

whelan1

i'd say he means hang, that the blood would flow out??? my turkey just broke out from its starvation area!!:o

who the fug

Moi, always went with the handle of the brush, and quick jerk upwards method

sh1tstirrer

I use a cone made from a plastic oil drum. Put the bird in with its legs tied and slit its throat. No flapping and a fairly instant death.

whelan1

years ago when we had a good few turkeys we brought some of them to ganly craiges auction in ashbourne, the way some of the animals where presented was terrible , blood everywhere, i dont know how some of them where killed but itmust have been hard on man and beast

Miley2

Whats the benefit of putting them on starvation diet? Easier to clean out?
How much per pound would you pay for a free-range turkey?

whelan1

Yup easier to clean out.... nothing worse than cleaning out a full turkey- with a hangover

lakill Farm

I remember the feeling of starting to clean out 300 turkeys. It defo wasnt fun.

To be honest you would want €50 for a 20lb turkey.

whelan1 wrote: »

Yup easier to clean out.... nothing worse than cleaning out a full turkey- with a hangover

reilig

[Guys I have deleted some posts from this thread as they are offensive or related to offensive posts. Keep it calm. Its Christmas. Good will to all and the like. No need to let things get out of hand!]

Reilig

Ding Dong

we killed our geese sunday and theyre hanging to be dressed thursday. 1st time rearing our own. looking forward to tasting the results and deadweight etc. goose is v expensive to buy this time of year so hoping this might be an annual thing

lakill Farm

Can i step out of line and ask the following?

Where and when did you buy geese? are they expensive? what did you feed them?

Also how did you burn the small feathers? parafin oil?

The reason i ask, i would love to keep 6 geese next year for fattening only, they have a wild strek otherwise

Ding Dong wrote: »

we killed our geese sunday and theyre hanging to be dressed thursday. 1st time rearing our own. looking forward to tasting the results and deadweight etc. goose is v expensive to buy this time of year so hoping this might be an annual thing

who the fug

Am I the only one who hates turkey meat, reminds me of being stuck in a shed plucking

The smell

whelan1

who the fug wrote: »

Am I the only one who hates turkey meat, reminds me of being stuck in a shed plucking

The smell

thats a bit like when you eats goats cheese you can get the taste of a smelly goat in your mouth

jmrc

A big goose is a lot harder to kill than a turkey....

Ding Dong

lakill Farm wrote: »

Can i step out of line and ask the following?

Where and when did you buy geese? are they expensive? what did you feed them?

Also how did you burn the small feathers? parafin oil?

The reason i ask, i would love to keep 6 geese next year for fattening only, they have a wild strek otherwise

got mine from Sean Kent in Arklow. he raises hundreds, mostly for uk. most people begin to advertise goslings around july / august. mine were about 10-15 each for 6 wk olds. you need grass for geese. during autumn and winter when the nutrition in grass goes i supplemented w wheat and apre boiled potatoes / bread etc. dont need a much high fencing. 3 ft would do. singed the featers w lit meths in a bread tin. no bad smell apart from the singed feathers. waiting on finding out their deadweight once dressed. would do it again next yr

lakill Farm

Very interested in looking into this. . Well im off nw to a removal and funeral and omorrow evening have to Bone and Roll and Stuff one turkey and clean out the other few.

Ding Dong wrote: »

got mine from Sean Kent in Arklow. he raises hundreds, mostly for uk. most people begin to advertise goslings around july / august. mine were about 10-15 each for 6 wk olds. you need grass for geese. during autumn and winter when the nutrition in grass goes i supplemented w wheat and apre boiled potatoes / bread etc. dont need a much high fencing. 3 ft would do. singed the featers w lit meths in a bread tin. no bad smell apart from the singed feathers. waiting on finding out their deadweight once dressed. would do it again next yr

greysides

lakill Farm wrote: »

Very interested in looking into this. . Well im off nw to a removal and funeral and omorrow evening have to Bone and Roll and Stuff one turkey and clean out the other few.

That's great....................you give those birds a great send off!!:D

whelan1

Ding Dong wrote: »

got mine from Sean Kent in Arklow. he raises hundreds, mostly for uk.
i bought my stock bull from him, his daughter was on the front of the journal last week with the geese, its some operation he has there

Ding Dong

whelan1 wrote: »

Ding Dong wrote: »

got mine from Sean Kent in Arklow. he raises hundreds, mostly for uk.
i bought my stock bull from him, his daughter was on the front of the journal last week with the geese, its some operation he has there

thats right. has huge fields full of them! you could use the fileds as a putting greens theyre so smooth after the geese.