How long to starve before slaughter

[HeatherFeather]

We're ready to process our 3 laying hens, which are done laying for the year. Its cold where we live, and the shed isn't heated, and they aren't producing...and we're hungry!

This is our first year keeping chickens, and we've never done slaughtering before. We read up on it in books, looked at many you tube videos on how to do it, including some put up by BYCers! We got set up and all physced up.....we were told by experienced friends that we had to starve them for a few days first so the digestive track wouldn't contaminate the meat if we broke it the wrong way.

Then my fiancee went out to the coop and there was 3 where there was 4 only a few hours before. The missing bird was dead in the run outside, and had been badly cannibalized.

The birds have been extra picky with each other in general lately since they went off lay. We decided not to slaughter that night, as it was late and we were grumpy and tired and shocked at the dead bird, and a little freaked out.

So we started feeding again....

Now we're getting lots of bad weather lately, snow, hail....and I feel like the birds are using all their energy to keep warm and probably losing weight.

I haven't fed them since yesterday am, is it ok to slaughter them tonight?

Heather=^..^=

 

[birds4kids]

I see your point but at the same time you are over reacting. The OP was rather ignorant to the point of causing harm but not out to deliberately mistreat the animals 6 years ago.......

How do you think commercially raised animals are kept? You think that truck full of livestock has feed and water troughs? You think they give them one last special meal in gorgeous pastures before placing them on trucks or is it more likely they starve them to save on feed and keep the truck cleaner and reduce processing waste on the other end?

People are wildly disconnected from what it takes to feed themselves these days.

It is a serious thing to take a life to feed yourself, BUT is also part of being an omnivore.

 

[gingerly1983]

It really bothers me that people exist on this planet that can treat living animals in the way that the original poster has described. I don't think any of you should be allowed to keep/slaughter chickens if you are going to respond so nonchalantly to the disgusting story described above.

You may think what you are doing is rational and justifiable, but a lot of us think what you are doing is inhumane, wrong and despicable. I think it is important that you know there are a lot of us out there that look down on you for doing this to these animals, we aren't pleased at all.

The fact that you seem to need to psych yourself up to slaughter these animals appears to say a lot also.

Bloody terrible.

You are in a MEAT BIRDS thread. What did you think was going to be the topic for discussion?!?!

 

[silkiechicken]

Usually 12 hours is enough time to clear their system. Just make sure they still have water available so things keep moving.

Since these are old layers, best choice is going to be slow cook, soups, and pressure cooker. It will help to brine/soak in buttermilk/age the birds for a few days before use. Don't forget to save feet, gizzard, heart, liver, and ovaries for making stock. It will be a very rich stock.

Regardless, they will be "skinny" compared to anything you can buy in the store.

 

[trilyn]

I would go ahead and get it over with. I've never heard of starving an animal just because of "accidentally" nicking the digestive tract. It wouldn't matter if it was full or not, either way it would contaminate the meat. You need to be careful regardless.

 

[silkiechicken]

An empty crop is much easier to deal with than a full crop the size of a baseball when it comes to cleaning. That said, I always withold feed for the 12 hours over night. So I just take it out when they go to roost, and butcher in the AM. That way they aren't "starving" as much as they haven't eaten breakfast. The biggest difference is in meat bird types where if you didn't withhold feed, their intestines are very full and about to burst because of their appetites.

 

[HeatherFeather]

Okay, great to know

Thanks so much for your quick replies.

We'll get er done tonight then. And have us some nice soup to go with this cold weather next week!

SilkieChicken...are you sure we want to use the feet for stock? They've been walking on er...chicken poop since last winter. They don't look too appealing to me. (well, and sand and straw, but ykwim)

 

[gottalovemychickens]

Dont slaughter them , ill take them in , we get lots of snow out here .

Ill give them a good home

 

[fasbendera]

We take the food away the night before so you should be fine. Good luck and depending on age you may want to stew them for chicken and dumplings or soup.

 

[silkiechicken]

If you are plucking the bird, make sure you also scald the feet at the same time. 140-150F for 30-60 seconds should do it. The skin on the feet should pull off the feet just like socks. Then the nails should pop off the tips and the feet will be clean on the inside.