[Oliveview]

One of our turkeys is 2.4kg and the other 1.8kg-  I hoped to be able to eat one of the birds at Christmas.  What weight is ´lost´ when the bird is plucked/cleaned out?  My neighbour said yesterday that the bird would not be ready till next years feria- September   I think it would be around 13 months old then    The bird is just to feed the two of us at Christmas.  The Spanish hereabouts don´t go in for roasting meat! If it aint in a sauce it aint any good
Pamela

[Bigblacktaximan]

even the largest one of those doesnt sound very large (5.28lbs)

I've never raised turkeys but arent they usually sold about a week before Christmas ? (all the turkey farms around here are advertising "Order now for Christmas"

Hopefully you still got nearly 6 weeks growing yet.

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Pamela, you will lose approx a third/half to skin, bones, head etc.

Brian culls our turkeys around 17th to 19th December, plucks straight away then hangs somewhere cool for a week before gutting.  Leave gutting until the last minute as that's when the meat will begin to turn.

ours last year ranged from the hens which were smaller at approx 14lbs to the stags at around 25lbs plus.  Of course end weight will depend on the feed and their age, weather, exercise etc.  But you don't want to save your turkey until next September!!!!  It will be a bit tough.  ideal age is 5 to 6 months.

[Oliveview]

We got them mid September, I think they may have been about 2 months old, just guessing at that- they were very small (600gms and 400gms)  so it looks like they might be Easter birds after all! (not that I know Easter date for next year yet) or even a freezer bird and one to eat now (or then)
I guess we would want a ´ready to cook weight´ at about 8lbs, my oven isn´t big.
How can I tell if they are male or female?   
Pamela

[Aunt Sally]

The smaller you cull them the less meaty they will be.  Turkeys grow their bones first and then put on their meat.  A 12lb bird (oven ready) is about as small as you want to get a good proportion of meat.

[SMD66]

The male will get bigger and will have more 'head decoration' wattles etc.

[GrannieAnnie]

He will also have a little 'shaving brush' !!!!!!    Look on their throats.  the males have a little black bristly thing like a small shaving brush.  the hens don't have them.  Harder to see on a black bird, but very plain on the whites!

Brian said also at that age, the stags will be displaying by now.  Fluffing up their feathers, wings and tails to show you how beautiful they are!!!!

Are you feeding them adlib Pamela?   They should be eating for England (or Spain in your case!!!!)

[Oliveview]

The bigger bird has more ´warty´bits on its throat and it does hiss at me when I go to put it away and fluffs up its feathers and fans out it´s tail at me.
They like to sit on top of the ´house´ and squark as load as they can
They get pellets and in the afternoon I often give them boiled potato peelings- they like potatoes.  When we take the scraps down for the hens the turkeys are waiting at the gate for their scraps too.
Pamela

[GrannieAnnie]

When he fluffs his feathers up and splays his tail out at you, he's trying to say look at what a lovely boy I am!!!!  so looks like he will be Christmas dinner and then leave the smaller one a little while longer then put her in the freezer for Easter!

But make sure they have their pellets adlib.  Does it have the ingredients on the bag of pellets Pamela?  Be interesting to see how much protein its got in it

[Oliveview]

Here goes!  In Spanish!!
Para  pollos engorde (for chickens fattening)
Proteina 19% Materias grasas brutas 4.40%  Celulosa bruta 5.70% Cenzias brutas 5.10% metionina 0.33% (brutas means either stupid or gross weight!)

Trigo ( wheat) 33.6% Maiz 22.4% Harina de extraccion soja tostada Soya flour) 14% Harina (Flour with something else written but can´t read it) de girasol (sunflower) 11% Destilados de trigo 8.8%
I can´t read the rest as the paper is ripped.
It says to stop feeding the food 5 days before sacrifice. 
Pamela

[GrannieAnnie]

Well its got plenty of protein in it!  I'll try to remember to compare it with ours tomorrow!

The reason to stop feeding it to them 5 days before (we do ours 7 days before) is to get any medications that are in the feed out of the turkey's system before you cull it.  put them on wheat, mixed corn or something for the last week.

We use a finisher, but you only get the one sort of turkey food you said didn't you Pamela?

I've just noticed you translated the first bit as (for chickens fattening) so is it chicken food or turkey food?  We never give our turkeys chicken food.

[Oliveview]

It is the only ´fattening´ food, the sack had a picture of a few types of animals on it
Pamela