Interactive lesson

Turkey and guinea fowl meat and eggs, step by step

Interactive lesson: when to kill, preparation and scalding, chilling below 4 °C (40 °F), jointing and the freezer, safe roasting, eggs, manure and the price per kilo.

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The whole lesson as text

1. When to kill

A turkey is ready when the breast is full and the feathers are smooth.

Age at slaughter — Heritage turkeys go at 24–28 weeks, hybrids at 14–20 and guinea fowl at 12–16 weeks. Old breeding birds are for boiling, stock and casseroles.
A full breast — The breast is full and the keel barely felt; legs and thighs are well fleshed. Check the weight by weighing 2–3 birds a week before.
No pin feathers — The feathers are smooth and complete, without many young feathers still growing. A bird in moult is hard to pluck; if you see a lot of pin feathers, wait 2–3 weeks. The bird is healthy and not within a medicine withdrawal period.
Oven and freezer — A whole turkey of up to roughly 7–8 kg (15–18 lb) fits in an ordinary 60 cm oven; a bigger one must be jointed. One 6 kg turkey needs roughly 15–20 L of freezer space.

Why: An 8 kg bird needs far more time to chill, thaw and roast than a chicken. So with turkey you plan backwards, from the date you need the meat.

The dressed carcass is roughly 75 % of live weight for a turkey and 70 % for a guinea fowl.
For Christmas or Thanksgiving, kill the turkey 2–5 days before and keep it at 0–4 °C, or kill it earlier and freeze it.

2. Preparation and slaughter

A turkey is heavy and strong, so get everything ready beforehand and work in pairs.

No feed, but water — Take the feed away 8–12 hours before slaughter, but leave water until the end. Crop and gut will then be empty.
Catching in pairs — Catch calmly, in the morning, in the dim house. The wings can strike and injure, so two people hold a turkey.
Cone and sharp knife — A killing cone made of sheet metal or a plastic bucket, sized for the turkey, holds it still. A sharp knife, a cut-resistant glove on the holding hand and a stable table.
Scalding and plucking — Scald a turkey at roughly 60 °C (140 °F); a 6 kg carcass needs 60–80 L (13–18 gallons) of water. Guinea fowl can be dry-plucked straight away, while still warm. Scalding water burns like hot oil: pan stable, children away.

Why: Humane slaughter and the rules are in module H41-01, and preparing poultry in H42-01. Here is only what is different for turkeys and guinea fowl.

If you see changes in the internal organs (white or yellow spots on the liver, swelling, pus, foul contents), don't eat the meat and ask a vet.
Meat for sale usually has to go through an approved slaughterhouse. Check with the FSA, your local authority, DAFM or your state department of agriculture.