Where does the blood go!?

I have a question. I have read one cull tutorial after the other and watched countless videos. Only my ONE question hasn't been answered by one. When you kill and drain the chicken, what do you do with the blood!? Where does it go??!

I place a trash can or bucket under the bird and let the blood drain into that. There's not that much, I measured once and I think it was about 1/3 cup in a dual purpose cockerel. Same bucket/trash I use for the innards or whatever else is going to get disposed of.

Blood can be fed to your dogs, if you wish. Or, it can be poured onto plants/trees/shrubs, I guess, as a fertilizer.

donrae said:

I place a trash can or bucket under the bird and let the blood drain into that. There's not that much, I measured once and I think it was about 1/3 cup in a dual purpose cockerel. Same bucket/trash I use for the innards or whatever else is going to get disposed of. 

Blood can be fed to your dogs, if you wish. Or, it can be poured onto plants/trees/shrubs, I guess, as a fertilizer.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much! I was not sure what to expect. I appreciate the response.

I don’t use a killing cone, I use a hatchet and stump. Blood is not collected. The blood soaks into the ground, it disappears, sometimes immediately but occasionally it takes a day or two. The area I butcher is not in the yard but in my orchard. I’m sure my trees enjoy the fertilizer.

I don’t know how you dispose of the other stuff you dispose. I bury mine in the garden in an area not immediately used. That’s probably what I’d do with it if I collected it.

No problem.

folks who have not butchered seem under the impression is't like a blood bath or something, with buckets of blood. Really not the case. Chickens aren't that big, and there's not that much blood. Lots more intestines, feathers, etc to dispose of than blood. If you're small scale and in town, schedule butchering to coincide with trash pick up and you'll be fine.

I put mine in the compost with the feathers. Very good fertilizer.

Thank you all for the wonderful responses! I think perhaps because in most videos or tutorials they have already culled many and/or just hearing "bucket" makes one wonder lol. Sounds easy enough. Now I have a hen who had a vent prolapse twice, I was able to get her back to normal however, no matter what I do she always has gleet. Is this hen safe to eat is my question?

I followed Justin Rhodes' (from abundant permaculture) advice and put a couple inches of water in the bottom of my blood bucket. it makes the bucket SO much easier to clean. I dump the blood on my woodchip pile.

we collect it in a container and use it to make "blodpudding" (swedish style bloodsausage). only really worth doing tho if you are doing at least a few chickens at a time. (we use the "english method" as described in "keeping poultry and rabbits on scraps" to kill and then slit the neck to collect the blood--that way its an instant kill.)

its very simple and absolutely delicious:

--blood from three chickens (about half cup)
--1 cup stock
--1 egg
--about 1 cup rye flour (or similar)
--1 1/2 oz melted butter
--salt, pepper, sugar, allspice, ground cloves

mix in a blender on low, pour into a small greased and floured load pan or similar, cover with foil, an bake in a waterbath at 350 for one hour. cool, then refridgerate overnight to set--leave it in the pan for storage is easiest. cut thin slices and fry in hot butter till crispy on the outside. serve as you would breakfast sausage, or on a bed of shredded cabbage with lingonberry jam (traditional, im told).

you can substitute more blood for some of the stock and reduce the amount of flour too, which is more traditional--we just usually have more stock handy than we do blood so we stretch it out...

waste not want not! theres plenty of other stuff to make fertilizer with that isnt as delicious and nurtitious imho...