Can I butcher a chicken without seperating it from food for a while?

[GimmeCake]

I have an accidental roo which I'm planning on sending to freezer camp very soon. The only problem is that I have no place where I can put the chicken while waiting for it to finish off all the food it's currently digesting. Can I go ahead and butcher it anyway?

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, you can do it, just a tad messier is all. Withholding feed is not a requirement.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Yes, you can. The intestines will be fuller than they otherwise would be, so you have to be careful when gutting, and they may have food/water in their crop. This can leak out when you slit the throat if you cut the esophagus.....or if you chop off their head. It is pretty gross, but good rinsing will take care of it.

When I am butchering and there is any liquid coming out of the esophagus or I think that there might be, I will use a piece of butcher's twine and tie it off. It is located behind the trachea which, if you haven't butchered before, is located at the front of the neck and has visible rings in it.

I have used a small kennel cage to put a chicken or two in when I was planning to butcher the next day....even a cat carrier would work...or a cardboard box with holes.....just some thoughts.

 

[Black wallnut]

Yes butcher away. People have been harvesting wild birds for centuries for food.