How to cut a turkey: how much it grows, how much it eats, how to kill it

Slaughtering poultry is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. To get good, high-quality meat and maintain its appearance, you need to follow the rules. You will learn further about when you need to slaughter a turkey (we are talking about age), what are the main features of home slaughter and the step-by-step procedure for cutting the carcass. With a little practice, a novice farmer can cut up bird carcasses in literally no time. The main thing is not to forget that sometimes it is better to look at the manual once again than to make mistakes. Also from the review you will learn which slaughter option is better to use - internal or external.

Preparing a turkey for slaughter at home

Before slaughter, the bird must be carefully prepared. At the time of manipulation, the esophagus and stomach must be free of food, otherwise it will be more difficult to gut the carcass, and the quality of the meat may suffer (two days after killing, the cloaca and goiter become cyanotic). On the eve of the scheduled date, do not feed the bird (at least 14 hours before, preferably 24 hours). Manipulations should be carried out in a dark room, but water should be freely available so that the intestines can freely empty feces.

This article will tell you what to feed turkeys.

You can give the bird a solution of Glauber's salt - it will liquefy the feces and speed up the process of natural bowel movement. It is also recommended to include bran or rye flour in the poultry diet before slaughter.

How long does a bird grow before slaughter?

Bronze North Caucasian turkeys, like other breeds, are ready for slaughter when their body weight is at least 12 kg - this is approximately 8 months. Broilers can be slaughtered even earlier because they are larger. You should not waste time, as the meat will begin to lose its dietary value and become tough. Males are released for slaughter at 2-3 months, since they still lose their value as producers.

You can learn about BIG-6 turkeys here.

The slaughter must be completed before the start of molting - otherwise it will be almost impossible to pluck the bird.

Fattening

When breeding turkeys, heavy crosses are purchased to quickly obtain meat. The most popular among poultry farmers are BIG-6, BYuT-8, Hybrid Converter, and Grade Maker. Individuals are characterized by rapid growth and accelerated gain of muscle mass. Fattening is recommended to be done with combined feeds. At different periods of life, a certain version of the mixture is chosen.

Important! For 7 days after birth, turkey chicks are fed low-fat cottage cheese, which helps increase immunity and active growth of chicks.

Turkey poults are kept in brooders for 21 days, after which the livestock are transferred to a pen for bedding. They reach productive weight at the age of 4 months. The average body weight of turkey poults is 14-16 kg. Meat yield 85%. From each turkey you can get a carcass weighing 12-14 kg.

In 16 weeks, a male turkey eats 32 kg of feed. During this time, the female needs to feed half the male’s norm. In more detail, the list of nutrition required for turkeys for the first 4 months of life looks like this:

wheat - 10 kg;
bran - 1.8-1.9 kg;
greens - 5.7 kg;
reverse - 300-350 ml;
cottage cheese - 150 g; eggs, bone meal, salt, chalk and shells in small quantities.

Did you know? Turkey meat has the highest protein content - more than 21 g per 100 g of meat, which is more than salmon. The meat contains folic acid, all 8 essential amino acids, vitamin K, and less cholesterol than turkey, only chicken breast.

Turkeys of meat breeds are kept for up to 6-8 months. For fattening, not only combined mixtures are used, but also a traditional diet, which consists of vegetables, protein and mineral supplements. Some farmsteads, in order to reduce costs, keep their livestock on pastures.

After 16 weeks, the birds are force-fed dumplings of the following composition:

corn flour - 4 parts;
oatmeal - 3 parts;
wheat bran - 5 parts;
barley flour - 5 parts;
milk, water or whey - 3 parts;
salt and yeast.

After 1.5-2 weeks of such a diet, turkeys can be sent to slaughter, but more often feeding is extended to 2-3 weeks, because such a diet provides a daily increase of 100 g of live weight.

Types of slaughter

Most farmers who raise turkeys as a business consider beheading with an ax to be the optimal form of slaughter. This method is acceptable, but only if the carcass is immediately processed into a finished product (the conditions for maintaining the purity of the meat in this case are not met, so the raw materials quickly deteriorate). Also, cutting off the head is suitable for slaughtering the largest and largest turkey, which is not so easy to handle. The ideal method of slaughter is closed, when all actions are performed through the mouth. In this case, the carcass does not get dirty with blood, it flows out quickly, and the meat does not spoil for a long time.

The faster you free the carcass of blood, the better and fresher the meat will be.

Internal slaughter

At the back of the turkey's palate are the pontine and jugular veins. The farmer must cut them to ensure normal blood flow. Take sharp scissors, open the bird's mouth and perform the necessary actions. The connection of the veins is located on the left side of the throat, inside. Move the blade back a little, then quickly inject, pointing the end of the blade (it should hit the cerebellum). This link will tell you about the English quail breed.

When you open the veins, hang the turkey upside down by its legs, don’t forget to spread its wings. Plucking of the carcass begins after the blood has drained.

External

Not the cleanest, but very popular method. The jugular vein is opened from the outside of the neck. Look for it 2.5 cm below the ear opening, in the area of the facial and carotid arteries.

What are the methods for slaughtering turkeys?

There are various methods for slaughtering turkeys. The most commonly used option is external slaughter, which is simpler and easier to implement.

External slaughter

This is the most common method of slaughter. It is divided into left-sided and opposite two-sided. This method involves making a small incision in the turkey to open the jugular vein.

Grab the turkey by the beak.
Cut through the skin, veins and arteries. The length of the cut should be 2-2.5 cm for a large turkey and 1-1.5 cm for a baby.

Below is a video of a turkey being slaughtered and gutted:

Pierce the skin under the ear and open all the veins, moving the blade to the right.
On the other side you should have a hole of up to 1.5 cm.

Internal slaughter

This is the cleanest method of turkey slaughter among all existing ones. It is also the most delicate. In another way it is also called “into the cleft”:

Stun the turkey by hitting it in the head.
Insert the knife as deep into the throat as possible, and then cut the vessels in the back palate. You need to cut on the left above the tongue. Select this location as this is where the jugular and pontine veins connect.
Stab the turkey into the cerebellum. Aim for the lower right side of the head through the palatal opening. This injection helps relax the turkey's muscles. After this, the blood comes out better and the bird is easier to pluck.
Bleed the carcass. To do this, hang it by its paws, spreading its wings. Place a basin under the turkey to allow the blood to drain there.
After this, plug the cut with a tampon so as not to stain the carcass with remaining drops of blood.
After slaughter, the bird must be plucked.

How to properly pluck a bird

Feathers are removed using wet and dry methods. Dry plucking is carried out immediately after slaughter and allows the meat to remain fresh for as long as possible. To remove large flight feathers without unnecessary problems, first scald the carcass with boiling water. The procedure is called “half-boil”, which clearly reflects its essence - it is important not to cook the meat in water (the temperature of the liquid should not exceed 60 degrees). You shouldn’t scald for too long either – a minute or even 30 seconds will be enough. To keep the skin intact, pull out the feathers according to growth. Down and small feathers are removed without unnecessary stress. The stumps must be removed, the lower fluff is singed. After removing the feathers, the carcass is put in order - the blood is removed from the mouth, the legs are washed, wiped with a dry, clean rag and gutted.

It is recommended to remove the feathers of males as soon as possible after slaughter; the female carcass should first cool down a little.

When is the best time to start plucking?

The carcass can be plucked either immediately after slaughter or after some time. The choice of method will depend on several factors: slaughter method, number of birds for slaughter. For example, during a mass slaughter, it is simply physically impossible to perform plucking immediately.

When using dry plucking, the procedure should be carried out immediately after decapitation, while the carcass is still warm. However, many experienced poultry farmers prefer to remove the feathers not immediately, but 2-3 hours after decapitating the bird.

How to gut

The sequence of gutting the carcass must be followed - otherwise you risk spoiling the taste characteristics of the meat:

Cut the belly with a sharp knife, remove the intestines, cut out the cloaca.
Take out the stomach, liver, crop, heart.
Separate the head down to the second vertebra, remove the skin from the neck to the shoulders, cut off the paws at the knee joints.

If, after gutting, the liver, heart and stomach return to their place, the bird is considered not completely gutted. It can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days.

The benefits and harms of turkey meat depend on the quality of gutting, age, and degree of fatness. The ideal option is a young bird with well-developed muscles, rich fat reserves, and a minimum number of cuts and scratches. The fact is that the quality of the meat directly depends on the age of the bird - when its beak becomes keratinized, its spurs become long, its beak ossifies, we can talk about full maturity, the product becomes fibrous and tough. It is not suitable for food, but it is suitable for making minced meat.

Safety of meat products

There are several ways to store turkeys before eating or selling:

cellar or glacier;
vacuum packaging;
freezing containers.

After the bird has been gutted, it is not recommended to consume meat products immediately. It needs some time to ripen: at this moment fermentation occurs. Under the influence of natural enzymes, the structure of the protein changes, it becomes more acceptable for consumption and is better absorbed by the body.

If the farm does not have a spacious refrigerator, then the turkey carcasses are wrapped in a cloth soaked in vinegar solution and placed in the cellar, then the storage period can be extended by another three days.

After the cooling phase has passed, the muscle fibers become stiff. After 24-48 hours (it all depends on the age characteristics of the bird), the muscles relax, and the meat product is considered ready for consumption. Young animals ripen earlier - in 12 hours.

How to cut a turkey carcass into portions

Let's look at the procedure for cutting a turkey step by step:

Kill the bird - preferably wearing safety glasses and work gloves. At first, it would be advisable to stun the animal, but you can also act “on a live animal.” Hang the turkey by the legs and cut off its head with a sharp knife, holding the beak with one hand. The blade must be drawn forward from the throat and outward to cut the veins, arteries and trachea. An unstunned bird will flap its wings and flail wildly, so be careful. You can immediately cut off the head completely.
Scald the carcass by immersing it in water at a temperature of about 60 degrees for 30-45 seconds. Remove from water and slowly remove feathers by hand or using a quail and turkey feather remover. Only thread-like feathers can be left, the rest will need to be removed.
Remove thin feathers - best with a propane or blowtorch, just don't get too hot. Just run the fire over the bird and the thin feathers will “come off”. You cannot burn meat and skin.
Place the carcass on the table and start cutting off the legs between the ligaments with a sharp knife.
Cut away the skin near the anus and between the legs, exposing the peritoneum. Leave the organs in place to avoid getting tangled in them. An incision is made around the anus in the form of a triangle, through which the entire gland is removed.
Insert your hand into the abdominal cavity, scoop out all the internal organs and discard them (except the stomach, liver, heart if you are using offal). It is not easy to get the esophagus and trachea, but it will have to be done.
Cut through the ligament between the thigh and the body, the skin, separate the legs from the thighs, and the wings.
Make an incision under the breast in the area where the internal organs were. When you reach the ribs, take your poultry scissors, cut through the bones and continue to butcher the carcass.

Turkey carcass parts.

That's all - the bird is cleaned of blood and giblets, divided into different parts. You may want to leave it whole - that is also possible. Also read how to build a turkey poultry in this material.

The back is not usually cooked, but it does have dark, tasty meat that you can simply gently pull off the bones with your hands.

It is advisable to remove the meat from the bones manually. Care should be taken with the ligaments - they can also be separated with your fingers or cut with a knife.

Helpful Tips:

You can only cut the turkey's rib bones. But the ligaments must be cut.
The scheme of actions we have indicated is suitable for working with all types of birds.
The easiest way to remove feathers after scalding is with tweezers.
The ligaments should be cut where they connect the bones. You can find it by palpating.
To remove the skin, it is not necessary to scald and pluck the bird - you can simply remove the skin along with the feathers.

conclusions

Slaughtering poultry is not easy - you need experience, dexterity and knowledge of the rules of cutting carcasses.
Slaughter methods – external and internal. The first one is used more often, although the second one is more “clean”.
The faster you remove the blood from the carcass, the longer it will stay fresh.
Scalding and roasting simplify the process of removing feathers, the main thing is not to cook or burn the meat (be careful and do not apply heat or fire for too long).
Turkeys can be slaughtered when they reach 12 kg.

Read how to care for turkey poults here.