Turkey Freezer bags?

[Celie]

OK, now that I hatched, raised, did the deed and processed 3 of my thirty something turkeys, what do I freeze them in? The largest 2 weighed 34 and 35 pounds. I would like to freeze them whole for Christmas and New Years. I was wondering what others use to freeze their turkeys in? These are only 3 and I have about 8 more close to the same size I would like to process and freeze. Does anyone know where I can buy freezer bags large enough for these really large Holland White Heritage Turkeys? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Garilyn Bardash]

OK, now that I hatched, raised, did the deed and processed 3 of my thirty something turkeys, what do I freeze them in? The largest 2 weighed 34 and 35 pounds. I would like to freeze them whole for Christmas and New Years. I was wondering what others use to freeze their turkeys in? These are only 3 and I have about 8 more close to the same size I would like to process and freeze. Does anyone know where I can buy freezer bags large enough for these really large Holland White Heritage Turkeys? Thanks in advance for your help!

https://www.google.com/search?q=tur...sugexp=chrome,mod=14&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Hey, I found these under a google search, you may have to special order them though, not sure. good luck on finding some to fit those big beautiful turkeys! Garilyn

 

[back2basics4us]

There is another thread here that mentions bags and they look wonderful and easy...they have instructional pics and vieo to go with it...I have done the same thing and I feel your pain...Don't let all your hard work get freezer burn...!!!

the website is www.poltryshrinkbags.com these are the ones I am ordering...there were several posters who have used them and love them... I think they have the best all around construction and size options for both chickens and turkeys.. Have fun...

 

[Celie]

I had already checked out most of these places, but the only place I found that I did not have to buy 500 and had bags large enough to hold a 35# turkey was Cournerstone and they are "out of stock" and hasn't gotten back to me as to when they might get some in. They have a 20x28 inch(Ithink it was) shrinkable bag that sounds perfect for long term srorage, if it works, for $1.10 each plus shipping. They were 90 cents each before they ran out. They have a poly bag that is 20x30 for around 42 cents each, but you need a crimping pliers, which I used to have before the hurricane, but probably no longer have, that I used on ice bags.

Which type did you use and how did they do?
Thanks,
Celie

 

[frank53061]

Celie

Let me see now you have some were around the count of thirty Double breasted Turkeys at an age that you are able to start harvesting them.
What is your plan when you have Turkeys starting to have Hart attacks and other health problems because of there weight.
I hope you have an outlet to sell them or family to give them to.
The one way I can see to extend the Turkeys life is to put them on a Jenny Craig Program
30 Turkeys at 30 pounds is 900 pounds of Turkey Good lord thats a lot of Turkey meat.

 

[Celie]

Celie
Let me see now you have some were around the count of thirty Double breasted Turkeys at an age that you are able to start harvesting them.
What is your plan when you have Turkeys starting to have Hart attacks and other health problems because of there weight.
I hope you have an outlet to sell them or family to give them to.
The one way I can see to extend the Turkeys life is to put them on a Jenny Craig Program
30 Turkeys at 30 pounds is 900 pounds of Turkey Good lord thats a lot of Turkey meat.

Frank,

You know that I raise Heritage Holland White turkeys.

Is your memory going already, at your age?

They do not have leg or heart trouble like you are talking about.

I am selective breeding, my best, largest breasted Heritage birds, I could find, in order to breed the biggest, best tasting turkeys

I can and still have a heritage bird that can mate naturally.

The 3 I harvested this year were from last year's breeders. They are not double breasted, only fat one and a half breasted toms, about a year and a half old. The one that we ate for Thanksgiving was the smallest and the only one that was small enough to fit into the new smoker.

He tasted great, but had a little more fat than I want on a turkey, so the 2, I will be harvesting for Christmas, are going into a pen and will be fed a high protein turkey grower feed along withoats and grass.( Jenny Creig better watch out)

I have 13 hens I am keeping for my breeding program and 14 Toms left. Probably 5 or 6 of the best toms will also be kept for breeding and the rest will go to freezer camp.

We do eat a lot of Turkey(turkey burgers, cutlets, home made sausage, and the dark meat, if cooked in some leftover Beef Roast grave taste just like Beef) as well as chicken, duck and rabbit.

I like eating what I raise, because I know what they are fed, I use no medication, chemicals, or GMO and they are treated humanly

, right up to harvest, so I do not support the cruelty that is prevalent in the poultry industry today! I an thinking of deboning a chicken, duck, turkey, and stuffing them inside of each other, with layers of different dressings and some rabbit loins in the center and roasting it for Christmas.

I did a lot of this fancy stuff for special dinners or catering for weddings and anniversaries(one of my hobbies is cooking) when I was younger, but it's been a while. Well, we'll see if the old gray mare can muster up the energy, cause I have a lot of ducks on the pond, like everybody, a few extra roos,

and a few rabbits

needing to be done in, very soon. If I keep 18 turkeys as breeding stock, in Feb. I can start filling turkey egg orders,

start filling my 2 incubators (holds 180 turkey eggs each) to hatch for the people who have ordered poults

and start next years replacements for breeders.

Some of my turkeys are too young to even think about breeding or harvesting, as they have hatched staggerdly throughout the spring and summer, whenever I hatched out more poults than I sold.

I only had 2 hens last year and 8 toms, so, even though both hens laid an egg a day for about 6 months, I wound up with about 3 dozen that were not sold. This coming year, I have 13 hens that should be breeding age in the spring,

so I will be culling any that do not make the grade.

If I can find big enough freezer bags to fit, I'll start taking orders for the Holidays, too. Would you like to place an order, in case those little BR's don't cut the mustard? LOL

........................................................................Only kidding, Frank, You have beautiful birds!

Even if they are TINY!!!!

 

[Shelshanam]

Both reply posts had me cracking up!

 

[Haunted55]

I had already checked out most of these places, but the only place I found that I did not have to buy 500 and had bags large enough to hold a 35# turkey was Cournerstone and they are "out of stock" and hasn't gotten back to me as to when they might get some in. They have a 20x28 inch(Ithink it was) shrinkable bag that sounds perfect for long term srorage, if it works, for $1.10 each plus shipping. They were 90 cents each before they ran out. They have a poly bag that is 20x30 for around 42 cents each, but you need a crimping pliers, which I used to have before the hurricane, but probably no longer have, that I used on ice bags.

Which type did you use and how did they do?
Thanks,
Celie

http://www.whizbangbooks.com/ This is who I used and you can order what you want.

 

[Celie]

Thanks Haunted55,
I'll check them out. Most places only offer shrink bags to hold up to 30 pounders, tops. I will probably need smaller sizes too, but right now, my 2 big 34 and 35 pound guys are in the freezer double wrapped in untreated garbage bags, for very short term storage until I can find bags for turkeys over 30 # or they will have to be cooked. I found a local bag company in New Orleans, someone sent me the phone number to, that I will call on Monday, but they probably will require me to buy a case at a time, since they make the bags there, unless they have some over-runs or mis-prints to get rid of. When I owned a marina, on Grand Isle, that's how I bought my ice bags. I got them really cheap! I still have some really10 pound ice bags with letters backwards that I freeze chickens and ducks in. I also buy egg cartons like that for my eating egg customers. Thanks !

 

[Arielle]

Cellie, I had a problem too , so I'm eagerly looking at responses to your question. THe bags my birds where in from the butcher were large enough for the 35# dressed bird but not heavy weight, easily tearing the plastic. I rebagged the 8 into white trash bags. NOT very pretty. LOL So thanks for asking this question.