The marketing season for the bulk of the turkey crop is usually
comparatively short, extending from the middle of November to the latter
part of December. There is an increasing demand in the fall and winter
and even in late summer for young turkeys. Many turkey raisers sell their
birds alive to poultry dealers, who either dress them or ship them alive
to city dealers. In sections where turkeys are grown in large numbers, as
in Texas, dressing plants have been built by cooperative associations and
poultry dealers who collect the live birds and dress them for the various
city markets. As soon as possible after reaching the dressing plant, the
turkeys are killed, dry-picked, cooled, and packed in barrels or boxes
for shipment.
Farmers near the city markets often dress their turkeys and sell them
direct either to the consumer or to the city dealer. In territory
adjacent to large cities marketing both live and dressed birds at
roadside stands has become common.