[bigchicken]

Thats my turkey killed and hanging he is a big boy.  Will have to weigh him.

[wayfarer]

Did our turkey yesterday evening and he is hanging now.  He looks good with very large drumsticks.  No idea of weight yet.

[bigchicken]

Weighed turkey and he is 10kg thought he looked more wonder what he will dress out at.

[HesterF]

That is big! My boys are just over 7kg each undressed and the hens about 4kg. We're keeping a hen and I'm actually quite looking forward to not getting up a 7am to get it into the oven. We'll do some beef too which will keep everybody happy!

[devonlady]

Weighed turkey and he is 10kg thought he looked more wonder what he will dress out at.

Will he fit in your oven?

[bigchicken]

Yes he should its a big oven

[Womble]

That's our goose killed too, and boy was she huge..... until she was plucked, and then strangely became rather tiny.

Two binbags of feathers though?!? 

[bigchicken]

I have a goose to do as well, have a spare gander that I have picked out he is getting a bit of a hard time from his father.

[HesterF]

I can't even think about killing my geese weirdly. Had somebody phone up about buying one for Christmas and I said they'd only go for breeding. I do have a spare gander but still can't face it....

[Womble]

Oh dear. Perhaps I'm becoming hard hearted in my old age?  I'll be honest, I found killing turkeys far harder than the geese, as the turkeys had so much character, wheras whatever kindness you show to the geese, they just seem to hate you all the more for it.

I kindof psyched myself up for the geese over the past few months by marking them with sheep spray each time they escaped over the fence and had to be herded back in. The one that looks as though it's been tie-dyed is going to be our Christmas Dinner! 

[bigchicken]

I supplied a turkey and a goose for the christmas dinner last year and the goose was devoured everyone loved it, they thought it was so like meat. The turkey was so juicy, both were part cooked and finnished at the venue.

[HesterF]

I've just got the opposite problem Womble! Turkeys very stupid and end up all over the place unable to work out they got there or how to get back. They even flew out of the seven foot run a few times and insisted on roosting on top of a duck house so every night I had to chivvy them down and into their fox proof shed. The geese are the characterful ones round here....

[Womble]

I know what you mean Hester. Our turkeys kept flying out over the electric netting, so I clipped their wings to stop them. They then took to roosting on top of their 6 foot high house, just to show me they still could! 
 
We separated our geese into an eating flock and a keeping flock about a month ago. As a result, I had plenty of time to get used to the idea that they were going to go. I do like our geese really, and it wouldn't feel right not to have any.  Actually I'd like to get more, but that's dependent on me finding another breed I like.

[wayfarer]

Turkey is now 'oven ready' and in the fridge.  It ended up weighing just under 9kg which is more than I had expected.  It looks great.

[bigchicken]

Thats a good weight wayfarer, I prepared my boy today and oven ready he comes in at 7·5 kg plenty for the 4 of us.