The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: princesspiggy on December 17, 2011, 09:01:14 pm

Title: turkey weights
Post by: princesspiggy on December 17, 2011, 09:01:14 pm
what weights are ur turkeys killing at?
we have usually bought hybrid minis, this year we have standard hybrids.
our last 3 to go are 4kg, 4.25kg and 5.25kg - thats before dressing but after de-feathering.
im thinking the 4kg is a bit small?
i havent weighed them before but im sure the minis might have been bigger (quicker to mature apparently).
what % do u lose after dressing?
what are u charging per kg?
thanx
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: manian on December 17, 2011, 09:14:06 pm
we have norfolk black x slate
we have sold them for £8 per kilo
our dressed weight were 5kg-7kg
Mx
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: Hermit on December 17, 2011, 10:53:54 pm
We have wild american bronzes, the hens weigh out about 7lb  the stags we have yet to kill but normally 10lb upwards.Dont worry about weight it is only the huge double breasted commercially bred monsters that reach the big weights Quality is what counts. Just wish more folk would think about their xmas turkey earlier we are still getting calls about ordering a turkey!!!!
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: Cinderhills on December 18, 2011, 04:57:53 pm
We are waiting to get our four Bourbon Reds back at the end of the week but last year our three hens were about 8-9lbs each (the two stags were killed by the fox so I am interested to know their weight this year).
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: fifixx on December 18, 2011, 06:49:11 pm
Interested in how people sell their turkeys - the traditional way is weight when plucked but not dressed - but, people are so used to supermarket ready-packed stuff that last year I had people saying that the weight they paid for wasn't what they got...

This year I am going to point it out carefully!
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: 28jen28 on December 18, 2011, 09:31:18 pm
my norfolk black came back at 8.2 kg really happy with it, especially as it was the first bird i raised for the table
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: princesspiggy on December 19, 2011, 12:28:19 pm
- the traditional way is weight when plucked but not dressed

i didnt realise that. what do u lose after gutting? 10 % ?
which bits are kept for giblets?
also - a friend is wanting the hearts and liver etc - now if im hanging them before gutting for 5 days or so, are the livers going to fresh enough to eat - just asking as i was under the impression (HFW) that pigs liver should be eaten very fresh - ie same day?
thanx
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: bigchicken on December 22, 2011, 06:08:17 pm
Weigh mine today, hen was 7kg and the two jocks were just under 10kg and they look good lots of fat when I gutted them.
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: princesspiggy on December 22, 2011, 07:35:08 pm
im sure the minis matured quicker than the standards.
i told by rbst reps that breeds such as bronze and norfolk black take even longer to matue and are kept beyond xmas. is that right?
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: manian on December 22, 2011, 08:04:23 pm
.
i told by rbst reps that breeds such as bronze and norfolk black take even longer to matue and are kept beyond xmas. is that right?
hi
we had norfolk blacks and our stags were about 8kg and hens 6 kg - these were july hatchings
our mid august stag was 4.5 kg
so not needed to be kept post christmas ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: Womble on December 22, 2011, 09:34:31 pm

FWIW, our bronze hens have ended up at about 6kg oven ready, and the white ones just over 5kg. I have to say though, I think they were fully grown a month ago, since they stopped eating as much, and have hardly grown since mid November. They look fantastic though, and I can't wait for Christmas dinner!

I would love to comment on the stags, but out of ten poults, we didn't get any. This is in marked contrast to our laying hens, 86% of whom have turned out to be boys this year!!  >:(
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: TheCaptain on December 22, 2011, 10:35:14 pm
My Norfolk blacks (4 hens, 7 stags) were all a bit smaller than last year and the chap I get the chicks from has also said that his are smaller. That is, all except 'King Tuk' who weighed in at a massive 13.2 Kg and won't fit in the oven.

hens between 4 and 4.75 Kg, Stags between 6.75 and 8. and we charge £10.99 a kilo.
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: robert waddell on December 23, 2011, 03:13:03 pm
the last turkey to get done in was weighed after the fateful dead and weighed 18 kilos intact
after plucking guts removed head and neck of legs of at joint and wings cut back the outer end of the wing is removed as there is nothing on it dressed weight ready to go in the oven is 14.230 kilos  so that is 3.77 kilos that is discarded
just for argument sake if it was £10 per kilo dressed =£142.30 it would need to be £7.90 untouched then your time
hope this helps you with your calculations :turkey: :farmer:
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: Andrew on December 23, 2011, 03:34:59 pm
Hope you have a big oven Robert. Very impressive weight. We had first chops from the tamworth last night, delicious.
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: Cinderhills on December 23, 2011, 08:33:42 pm
My Bourbon Reds were 9lb each hen and stags 13.5lb and 15lb.  Not as much as others on here but we really love their meat and these are perfect sizes for us.
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: robert waddell on December 23, 2011, 08:43:41 pm
our lightest were just over 4 kilos they were hens the majority of ours this year were stags
never tried the bourbons   have tried the kelly bronze hard to pluck cleanly and they never got to a decent weight  we need them  at 14 kilos plus for crowns   i would try the black ones/red   but i would be left to pluck and gut and that wont happen :farmer:
Title: Re: turkey weights
Post by: princesspiggy on December 23, 2011, 11:39:15 pm
My Norfolk blacks (4 hens, 7 stags) were all a bit smaller than last year and the chap I get the chicks from has also said that his are smaller.

actually this years 6 week poults were the smallest wev ever had, so maybe thats why they havent grown so much. i usually pick them up and are allowed to choose which ones i want. this year, with high petrol prices, i got them delivered for a very reasonable £3 (would have been £15 in petrol for me to collect).

wel try again with the norfolk blacks next year, had slight accident with the fox..hmm