Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[Jennc-123]

I have really been enjoying this thread! This is Marshmallow aka Miss Marsh. She will be 20 weeks next Monday and is squatting. She loves chickening like a real chicken even though she is a CX.
We usually butcher 10+ at a time because I just get 'er done. If it's cockerels it's a small kitchen job. The secret to pin feathers is a butter knife. 10 birds here takes about 4 hours, including hearts and gizzards (no liver here lol)

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I have really been enjoying this thread! This is Marshmallow aka Miss Marsh. She will be 20 weeks next Monday and is squatting. She loves chickening like a real chicken even though she is a CX.
We usually butcher 10+ at a time because I just get 'er done. If it's cockerels it's a small kitchen job. The secret to pin feathers is a butter knife. 10 birds here takes about 4 hours, including hearts and gizzards (no liver here lol)

You are so fast! 5 birds took me at least six hours. We didn’t prep ahead though so nearly half of that was catching birds, setting up, getting ice, cleaning up, etc. Do you use the butter knife to scrape against the direction of feather growth to get pin feathers?

 

[Jennc-123]

You are so fast! 5 birds took me at least six hours. We didn’t prep ahead though so nearly half of that was catching birds, setting up, getting ice, cleaning up, etc. Do you use the butter knife to scrape against the direction of feather growth to get pin feathers?

After the general plucking and gutting they hit the cold water. Then they go to the warm soapy water for the pin feather treatment, I use the knife both directions based on feathers and sometimes use it like a tweezer with my thumb. The real key is correct water temp for scalding (150) I'm very lucky to have been taught well by a friend, I used to barely get through 3 chicken

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

After the general plucking and gutting they hit the cold water. Then they go to the warm soapy water for the pin feather treatment, I use the knife both directions based on feathers and sometimes use it like a tweezer with my thumb. The real key is correct water temp for scalding (150) I'm very lucky to have been taught well by a friend, I used to barely get through 3 chicken

Oh that’s interesting! So you do a rough dry pluck first, then gutting, then cold water and scald last?

 

[Tre3hugger]

Thought I'd drop this here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-x-for-health-hardiness-and-efficiency.76068/

 

[jolenesdad]

Thought I'd drop this here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-x-for-health-hardiness-and-efficiency.76068/

What an awesome tip to order more and sell half to reduce your costs.

Will read more later, what an awesome article.

 

[Jennc-123]

Oh that’s interesting! So you do a rough dry pluck first, then gutting, then cold water and scald last?

No, I scald first. I got ahead of myself on the explanation

 

[CindyinSD]

You are so fast! 5 birds took me at least six hours. We didn’t prep ahead though so nearly half of that was catching birds, setting up, getting ice, cleaning up, etc. Do you use the butter knife to scrape against the direction of feather growth to get pin feathers?

I don't know what happens (some kind of natural magic?) but after you do this butchering process several times, you just get faster. I am not conscious of doing anything differently or of having learned any new tricks, but suddenly butchering poultry is not more difficult, nor more physically painful, than peeling potatoes. I think a lot of the back pain I had been experiencing was due to tension; probably a lot of the balky slowness as well.

Be patient and be kind to yourself. Don't ask yourself to do more than 2-3 in a row until you find it easy. My first time, I thought I would get through all ~25 CX in one day. I did six and had to quit because it was suddenly too dark, too cold, I couldn't feel my fingers, and my back was killing me. I didn't do any more chickens for a week. My birds were so big (by the time I got them all butchered) that I had to buy EX-L shrink bags. (TX poultry is the ONLY place to buy these imo—I got them on Amazon.)

Have faith. This will soon become MUCH easier.

 

[Tre3hugger]

What an awesome tip to order more and sell half to reduce your costs.

Will read more later, what an awesome article.

Thank you!

 

[aart]

Then they go to the warm soapy water for the pin feather treatment, I use the knife both directions based on feathers and sometimes use it like a tweezer with my thumb.

Have done these, but can't imagine putting a carcass in soapy water.
Would make those suckers slickery and heard to pull out.