The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: chris3000 on July 20, 2012, 10:42:21 am

Title: Turkeys - hanging and bleeding
Post by: chris3000 on July 20, 2012, 10:42:21 am

Hi All,

Last year when we did our Turkeys we hung them for 10 days without bleeding them - I have seen a lot of people bleed first.

What do people currently do, is there a benefit to either one over the other?
 p.s - they are hung in a commercial cold store

Title: Re: Turkeys - hanging and bleeding
Post by: manian on July 20, 2012, 10:45:24 am

we culled ours and bled plucked and hung
but this was our first year

Title: Re: Turkeys - hanging and bleeding
Post by: Sylvia on July 20, 2012, 11:04:43 am

I would always bleed them. I find unbled poultry tastes awful.

Title: Re: Turkeys - hanging and bleeding
Post by: Snapper on July 20, 2012, 04:20:26 pm

We don't bleed anymore.
We went on a Christmas Poultry Course several years ago and they suggested that if you bleed the birds it means that bugs/germs etc can get into the flesh/carcase, particularly if they are being hung for several days as we do.
 
We don't notice any difference in taste.

Title: Re: Turkeys - hanging and bleeding
Post by: Oneeyedhen on July 22, 2012, 09:42:20 am

I know that pheasants are hung in tact, not bled, I was thinking of doing the same to our cockerals  :-\

Title: Re: Turkeys - hanging and bleeding
Post by: omnipeasant on July 22, 2012, 03:24:12 pm

We always bled our turkeys because it made them less messy to clean. The fact that this was done at christmas meant no bugs to get in! However, these days we would probably need a coldroom at christmas.