Dual purpose chickens?

[Maeschak]

No water or anything? Do you pack the meat tight in the jar?

I usually add 1-2 TB of water but it really doesn't make any difference. Most people and the National Canning website (can't remember real name) say not to use any liquids at all. Just meat and salt! (Salt optional). Don't worry about making nice cuts either as it will all come out like 'pulled chicken' since you are raw packing it. It will also make its own stock right in the jar while pressure canning.
So, to raw pack pressure can chicken I just: cut the meat off the bone directly after butchering, pack it tight into pint jars (about 14 oz of meat), throw in a teaspoon of salt, get bubbles out, clean rims, place lids and rings, and then pressure can.
It looks like dog food when done but it is extremely tasty. To eat, I like to pop the chicken jar (no lids) into the microwave for 10 seconds to loosen up the broth/stock in the jar before removing the chicken. It is the best freaking broth/stock I have ever eaten- even better than the stock I make with the carcasses after pressure canning the meat.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I like to add a little bit of chicken stock to my jars when I can chicken. It makes it easier to get the bubbles out and I know that the heat has transferred to all the meat in the jar. Plus I get more broth when the canning is done. It is not needed though. My sister cans her venison without any additional liquid and it is super tasty. Home canned chicken is such a great thing to have on the cupboard shelf. Quick, easy suppers that are so flavorful and healthy. I also canned my chicken stew and it was really good. I can dump it out, thicken it and have it on biscuits as stew, or in a pot with some rice or noodles as chicken noodle soup. YUM! Best thing for a cold I have ever had.

 

[bobbi-j]

You might want to try pressure canning after butchering. Just cut the meat off the bone directly after butchering (no rest time needed with this method) and put straight into your mason jars for pressure canning. Add a bit of salt and that is it! The meat looks nasty pressure canned but I assure you it is fantastic tasting.

This is what I do when I have enough to make it worth the effort. Then I freeze the carcass to make bone broth later.

My parents have already put in a request for any spent hens that I butcher. Dad loves his chicken and dumpling and the stores do not carry stewing hens any more. I gave them 2 of the 5 month old roosters when I butchered them and they were very appreciative. But, I did not get an invite to supper ...

I think the next ones you give them should come with stipulations...

No water or anything? Do you pack the meat tight in the jar?

I don't add water. Yes, pack as tightly as you can. I put in 1 tsp. canning salt per jar.

I usually add 1-2 TB of water but it really doesn't make any difference. Most people and the National Canning website (can't remember real name) say not to use any liquids at all. Just meat and salt! (Salt optional). Don't worry about making nice cuts either as it will all come out like 'pulled chicken' since you are raw packing it. It will also make its own stock right in the jar while pressure canning.
So, to raw pack pressure can chicken I just: cut the meat off the bone directly after butchering, pack it tight into pint jars (about 14 oz of meat), throw in a teaspoon of salt, get bubbles out, clean rims, place lids and rings, and then pressure can.
It looks like dog food when done but it is extremely tasty. To eat, I like to pop the chicken jar (no lids) into the microwave for 10 seconds to loosen up the broth/stock in the jar before removing the chicken. It is the best freaking broth/stock I have ever eaten- even better than the stock I make with the carcasses after pressure canning the meat.

And you can do so much with it!!!

 

[LovinThisFarmGirlLife]

Do you feed the dual purpose chicks that you would butcher the meat builder feed?

no, they're all fed layer pellets right now. should I be feeding meat builder feed? Will that effect them for egg production? Man, I have so much to learn!!!

 

[LovinThisFarmGirlLife]

I like to add a little bit of chicken stock to my jars when I can chicken. It makes it easier to get the bubbles out and I know that the heat has transferred to all the meat in the jar. Plus I get more broth when the canning is done. It is not needed though. My sister cans her venison without any additional liquid and it is super tasty. Home canned chicken is such a great thing to have on the cupboard shelf. Quick, easy suppers that are so flavorful and healthy. I also canned my chicken stew and it was really good. I can dump it out, thicken it and have it on biscuits as stew, or in a pot with some rice or noodles as chicken noodle soup. YUM! Best thing for a cold I have ever had.

I've thought about canning as an option and decided against it initally because I bought canned chicken from costco and YUCK!! But I'll try canning chicken on my own and see how it turns out...

 

[LovinThisFarmGirlLife]

I do the killing, plucking, butchering, cleaning, wrapping, canning and cooking. The chickens are my project, so I get to do all the chores, feeding, coop cleanout, etc. also.
DH sure does enjoy the fresh eggs and suppers! To be fair, he has a lot of repair and maintenance to do around this old farmstead.

I'm hoping to get there one day!! Part of my problem is I dont know how to process them. When hubs kills wild birds he just cuts out the breasts so neither of us know how to pluck them. Do you do it by hand? Someone also mentioned scalding. I dont even know what that is! I wish ther were local chicken butchering and processing lessons!

 

[FredsGobblers]

youtube videos will be a good source on scalding and plucking
example: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...1E98158BCBABDF3809D41E98158BCBAB&&FORM=VDRVRV

 

[aliciaplus3]

scalding is just dipping them in boiling hot water for 15 seconds after they are dead to make pulling the feathers out easier. I use a large stock pan for mine.... I have some turkeys that we will be processing later this year so I will be looking for a bigger pan..... mine will do a 9-10 pound bird Ok but anything larger would be a problem.
P.s I did can some veggies in chicken broth and my husband loves it as a soup starter.... just add a can of chicken and anything else that is wanted and finish the seasonings and soup is served.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

My sis swore by injecting brine plus cooking very slow in its juices and seasoning. I have not tried the first part though because have not had a bird as tough as the one she fixed once for Thanksgiving but it was an old old emu.
Personally.... No bird is too tough to make jerky with. Stewing or soup always seems to work for me even if it got a little overcooked and dried out with the first cooking.

 

[bobbi-j]

We scald at about 180-190*. If the water is too hot, it will also scale the skin, making it tear. When the temperature is *just right*, the feathers almost wipe right off. If you're canning the chicken and don't need to save the skin, you can skip the plucking part and just skin them.