Help with cooking fresh chicken and rigor mortis--need help ASAP!!!

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horsepowerhaven

horsepowerhaven

In the Brooder
10 Years
Dec 20, 2009
65
1
39
Queen Creek, Arizona
Hello! I just butchered some roosters and we cut up two of them to make fried chicken. We wanted to take a third to roast and rigor mortis has already set in. This is my first time with fresh butchered birds.

I'm guessing I have to hold off to roast the bird with rigor mortis.

Question... We cut up two birds right away for fried chicken. Does rigor mortis set in with the cut up meat or am I good to go with cooking?

Help!! I'm ready to start cooking right away.
 
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horsepowerhaven said:
Butchered Saturday and the chicken is still totally stiff in the refrigerator. Is this normal? How long until rigor mortis passes?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you are pullin' our leg or serious here....
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The chicken will remain stiff...that is how they are when dead and raw. I don't know what you are expecting in the way of relaxation or non-stiffness but there won't be much free movement of legs and wings after death, rigor or not.

As for rigor mortis~ [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]it lasts for about 24 hours, but then dissipates after another 12 hours as muscles begin to deteriorate. [/FONT]
 
I'm being totally serious. That is why I posted here. This is the first time in my life I have ever butchered a chicken to eat, so I have no idea what to expect other than reading on the internet and You Tube Videos.

From what I have read online, it says the chicken will loosen up after rigor mortis has passed where you can move the legs and wings more freely--as you can with a chicken bought in the grocery store. Everything online says anywhere from 6 to 36 hours.

Right now, mine is still completely stiff after more than 48 hours. As stiff as it was when Rigor Mortis had set in. The chicken was quite soft and pliable right after butchering, then stiffened up, and has remained stiff. Chickens you buy from the grocery are not stiff like this, so I'm suspecting mine is still in Rigor Mortis.

I was hoping to get some expert advice on here from folks who consistently butcher their own birds. Is a home butchered chicken normally so much more stiff than from the grocery store? Do I just need to wait a bit longer?

Sorry if you think this question is stupid, as I've said it is my first time with this situation.

Thanks!
 
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Beekissed said:
As for rigor mortis~ [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]it lasts for about 24 hours, but then dissipates after another 12 hours as muscles begin to deteriorate. [/FONT]
Click to expand...


x2 Rigor mortis happens on a cellular level so it doesn't matter cut or whole after death all animal and human tissue goes through rigor.
 
horsepowerhaven said:
I'm being totally serious. That is why I posted here. This is the first time in my life I have ever butchered a chicken to eat, so I have no idea what to expect other than reading on the internet and You Tube Videos.

From what I have read online, it says the chicken will loosen up after rigor mortis has passed where you can move the legs and wings more freely--as you can with a chicken bought in the grocery store. Everything online says anywhere from 6 to 36 hours.

Right now, mine is still completely stiff after more than 48 hours. As stiff as it was when Rigor Mortis had set in. The chicken was quite soft and pliable right after butchering, then stiffened up, and has remained stiff. Chickens you buy from the grocery are not stiff like this, so I'm suspecting mine is still in Rigor Mortis.

I was hoping to get some expert advice on here from folks who consistently butcher their own birds. Is a home butchered chicken normally so much more stiff than from the grocery store? Do I just need to wait a bit longer?

Sorry if you think this question is stupid, as I've said it is my first time with this situation.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Is the meat hard too, or is it just the joints that don't move?
 
This is an excerpt from a much larger article hope it helps.

(4) ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS : The onset is slow and duration long in cold weather. Rigor persists longer in cold wet air than in fresh dry air. It is prolonged by dry cold air and cold water. The onset is rapid due to heat, because of the increased breakdown of ATP but the duration is short. If the body is in an extremely hot environment and decomposition begins, rigor mortis may disappear in 12 hours after death. It may persist for 3 to 4 days in refrigerated conditions.
Because of the number and variability of the factors which influence the development of rigor mortis, it is not possible to draw any general rule for the rate of its onset, duration and disappearance.
 
horsepowerhaven said:
I'm being totally serious. That is why I posted here. This is the first time in my life I have ever butchered a chicken to eat, so I have no idea what to expect other than reading on the internet and You Tube Videos.

From what I have read online, it says the chicken will loosen up after rigor mortis has passed where you can move the legs and wings more freely--as you can with a chicken bought in the grocery store. Everything online says anywhere from 6 to 36 hours.

Right now, mine is still completely stiff after more than 48 hours. As stiff as it was when Rigor Mortis had set in. The chicken was quite soft and pliable right after butchering, then stiffened up, and has remained stiff. Chickens you buy from the grocery are not stiff like this, so I'm suspecting mine is still in Rigor Mortis.

I was hoping to get some expert advice on here from folks who consistently butcher their own birds. Is a home butchered chicken normally so much more stiff than from the grocery store? Do I just need to wait a bit longer?

Sorry if you think this question is stupid, as I've said it is my first time with this situation.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


I don't think it's stupid at all....just thought you were just trying to make a funny!
big_smile.png
The chickens you buy in the store have had a type of saline solution injected into them that helps to break down connective tissue and muscle fibers. Your homegrown chicken doesn't have that benefit. If you left it out of the fridge for awhile until the meat warmed to room temps you might find a little more play in the joints and such but not like the body right after death.

I wouldn't worry about it much. Your homegrown chicken will not have the mushy consistency of the store bought when you eat it and will be slightly chewier and taste more nutty and rich....and that's a good thing! Most folks "rest" the meat for 24-48 hrs before freezing and this will help your bird be more tender.
 

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