Rules for slaughtering turkeys at home
Turkeys are the leaders in meat production among poultry. From one pure breed, you can get twelve kilograms of pure meat, and in crosses this figure can reach eighteen kilograms. However, in order to extract the maximum amount of the final product, certain slaughter rules must be followed. Before slaughtering a turkey, it must be fattened and prepared, and then plucked and cut. There are several ways to kill poultry, and they require certain skills from the poultry farmers.
Rules for slaughtering turkeys at home
Preparing a turkey for slaughter
Turkeys of different breeds are usually slaughtered at the age of eight months. By this time, the bird weighs about twelve kilograms. with proper fattening... Broiler lines grow faster than normal breeds and can reach this weight at six months, while carrier and breeding males are slaughtered at two to three years of age. Usually by this time the birds have already lost their productive qualities. If you cannot withstand such time constraints, then meat loses its taste and becomes rough. If a turkey is slaughtered at home, this requires a lot of concentrates. Usually for this purpose, special early crosses, which practically do not need walking, this will facilitate their cultivation several times.
The slaughter of turkeys at home should be done prior to molting. If the bird has changed plumage, then it will not be possible to pluck it successfully. Dark spots will remain on the skin, which will reduce the cost of meat on sale.
Immediately before slaughtering turkeys, you need to take a set of measures. Preparatory work includes:
- Before slaughtering, turkeys should not be fed for 24 hours.
- Birds should be placed in a dark room with free access to water.
- Glauber's salt is added to turkeys' drinking for better bowel cleansing.
- Two weeks before slaughter, the bird should be given rye flour and wet bran.
It should be remembered that one turkey eats several kilograms of grain, so it may take some time to completely clean the intestines. If you do not carry out such procedures, then when gutting the meat, you can stain the meat. In addition, if you do not cut the carcass with dirty intestines in time, then the remains of feces can poison the product.
There are different recommendations for when to slaughter turkeys, but the size of the feathered by this time should be at least twelve kilograms. If the required weight has not been reached, then keeping the turkey will not pay off.
Slaughter methods for turkeys
Slaughtering poultry at home can be done in several ways. On many farms, poultry farmers use an ax to kill a turkey. However, this method of killing is suitable for those individuals whose meat will be instantly processed. If a the carcass is put up for sale, then decapitation is not suitable as a method of murder.Dirt and harmful bacteria can get into the laceration, besides, the appearance of the turkey loses its commercial qualities.
Decapitation with an ax or a carving knife is acceptable for older turkeys as it is difficult to hold onto this bird.
Another indicator of the quality of meat is the maximum exsanguination. So the best way to kill a bird is considered to be a closed method of slaughter. In this case, the meat very quickly loses excess blood, and the final product retains its neat appearance.
Internal method of slaughter
Long thin scissors with sharp blades are used for this method. First, the beak is opened, after which the veins above the tongue are cut. In this part of the palate in turkeys, two important arteries pass - the jugular and pavement. If their integrity is violated, then the bird will quickly die from blood loss. After this procedure, the turkey is suspended by the legs for a while so that excess fluid is drained through the resulting wound.
During the cutting of the veins, the cerebellum of the bird should also be damaged with a precise injection. In this case, the turkey will become paralyzed and its muscles will relax. If you do not do this, then the plucking procedure will be much more difficult.
After the main part of the blood has flowed out, you can remove the feathers and fluff. The males are pluckedwhile the body is still warm, and the females are processed cold.
External method of slaughter
Each farmer has his own slaughter characteristics
This method of killing poultry does not preserve the quality of the final product as well, but it is suitable for poultry over three years old. The jugular vein is cut with a sharp slaughter knife from the outside of the neck, after which the turkeys are also hung by the legs to drain the blood. The blade of the killing device must be cone-shaped.
Farmers answer the question of how to slaughter a turkey correctly in different ways, since each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The method of slaughtering poultry mainly depends on how much the turkey weighs and how old it is. Beginners are advised to consult with experienced poultry farmers or watch instructional videos.
Plucking a bird
The procedure for removing feathers and plumage in turkeys is the same as for chickens and ducks. Some breeders prefer dry plucking after slaughter. This allows the meat to stay fresh longer. However, if several turkeys were slaughtered, then their carcasses are plucked using a half-parquet.
To do this, first, the flight and tail feathers are removed, after which the dead body is poured over with boiling water. It is important not to cook the skin of the turkey, otherwise this will affect the cost of the product. The water temperature should not exceed sixty degrees. Large feathers are removed in the direction of their growth, so the skin does not tear. Small feathers and down can usually be pulled out in any direction. After the plucking procedure, the turkey is prepared for cutting. To do this, excess blood is removed from the mouth, the legs and head are washed and wiped dry.
Turkey evisceration
For butchering the carcass, I use a special knife with a thin blade. They cut the belly of a turkey, then get the stomach, liver and heart. There are two types of turkey evisceration:
- Full cutting - the neck is cut off along the second vertebra and the joints of the paws, the internal organs are removed.
- Incomplete cutting - the neck remains, the internal organs are washed and returned back to the abdominal cavity.
Turkeys are cut in different ways depending on age and breed. Complete evisceration is most often used for juveniles with soft and dietary meats. Such individuals are usually used for baking as a whole.
Incomplete cutting is suitable for adult birds, whose meat is used for broths and minced meat. In case of incomplete gutting, the turkey is stored for no more than four days.
Storing meat
There are several ways to store turkeys before eating or selling:
- cellar or glacier;
- vacuum packaging;
- freezing containers.
The storage method depends on how much of the final product is obtained in the end. Large amounts of meat can be kept in glaciers or in a cellar. The product is kept refrigerated for a week. If there are no places on the farm with a temperature no higher than five degrees, then the carcass can be saved if wrapped in a cloth soaked in a bite.
A solution of salt will help to extend the shelf life. It is poured inside the bird a week after the slaughter of the turkey, filling the carcass by half. For one liter of boiling water, four hundred grams of salt are used. Cool the liquid before processing. After the throat hole is pulled together with fishing line or thread, and the solution is kept in the turkey for about a day. Twenty hours later, the thread is cut and the liquid is drained.
In this case, the carcasses of turkeys can be stored in the cellar for another week. Vacuum packaging is considered a good storage method. With the help of a protective film, the carcass is kept from bacteria and dirt, and the vacuum does not allow the meat to rot. Turkeys are often put up for sale in this form. In addition, vacuum packaging allows both whole poultry and individual parts to be preserved. However, if the carcass is too large, then this storage method may not work.
Freezing poultry
This procedure is mandatory for long-distance transportation of meat. Usually, carcass freezing is combined with vacuum packaging of the goods. Freezing, like slaughtering domestic turkeys, requires strict rules.
Before chilling the turkey, the carcass should lie for a while at a temperature of ten degrees. This is done so that the meat is ripe and when the body is cooled, the bird is completely frozen. Otherwise, only the top of the turkey will freeze, and the bottom may start to rot after a few days.
The temperature in refrigerators should not drop below zero, since in this case muscle fibers begin to break down. After defrosting, such meat will crumble and disintegrate.
In a frozen state, the turkey is stored for two weeks and can withstand long-term transportation in special freezers. Defrosting should be done gradually, as meat can easily lose its structure and nutritional value. It is forbidden to use boiling water when defrosting meat, this will make it dry and tasteless.