Emotions after butchering

[JLin]

I butchered my first chicken today for dinner tonight. He was a nasty young rooster that was beating up on my hens, me, my daughter...I'm still incredibly sad at his loss. Just a vent

 

[TwoCrows]

I am so sorry.

I think everybody goes through this on their first time. And for some, it never gets easier.

 

[JLin]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I don't know if I could do that again. I didn't even like him because he was so nasty, but he was just being a rooster. Meh. Well on a positive note, it didn't come out to shabby for my first one. It is going on the rotisserie tonight...good timing because I'm broke until Thursday and we need to eat. Thank you rooster.

 

[TwoCrows]

Some say the "meanies" taste better. LOL I don't know but I still have a very hard time with it. I can easily take their lives if they are suffering or sick but if they are still full of vigor, I have a hard time getting past it. Sometimes it is just easier to separate them out and keep them in another way.

 

[donrae]

What you're feeling it totally normal. I hope he tasted fine and you had a good dinner.

If you're not in need of a meal asap, it works best for me to not eat them right away. Especially if it was a rooster that was unique in some way, it's just too hard for me. Putting them in the freezer for a few weeks removes a lot of the emotion, when you pull it out it's just chicken.

 

[Sid Post]

No offense intended ...

I grew up with this issue (show steers and heifers). For family members, it was an issue confusing 'pets' with livestock. A steer will never die of old age around me, that decision was made when he was castrated.

 

[Sutremaine]

It is going on the rotisserie tonight...good timing because I'm broke until Thursday and we need to eat. Thank you rooster.

General wisdom on eating chicken is to let them rest for a day or so to let all the rigor mortis out. But if you gotta eat, you gotta eat.

Edit: Rotisserie is dry roasting, correct? I'll leave it for other members to chime in, but a slow stewing might be better.

 

[JLin]

Yeah, learned about rigor last night. So we has spaghetti, lol. He is now in the freezer for another day. This is a good learning experience, lol

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Yeah, learned about rigor last night. So we has spaghetti, lol. He is now in the freezer for another day. This is a good learning experience, lol

If you chill them quickly they will be fine to eat.

If your processing slow the birds rigor up, however if you can turn and burn and chill them quickly there's no issue.

We process between 75-150 birds every three weeks, always on Wednesdays. We always have fresh chicken dinner on those days, the birds are always awesome without rigor.

 

[fire370]

We are having a couple of young spring cockerels for dinner tonite. Will be Cajun BBQ'd on the GMG. I did up a dozen or so yesterday morning that were out of one of our hatchings. Only remorse I'll have is I'll eat too much.

Also just got done putting up some habanero pickled eggs. Banty eggs are great for this.