I don't know if I can do this...

[Barb Root Hinkkanen]

If you're using a sharp knife, use a cut proof glove on at least your opposite hand. Hold chicken head and restrain body firmly.

I wrap them in a large bath towel and either hold them on my lap or put them in a kill cone. Grab the head, and slice both sides, drain into a 5-gallon bucket. No processors around here, or I would've done that for my first set of meat birds.

After 21+ chickens, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I've never processed anything in my life before these chickens. I'm glad I stuck with it, it's gotten easier, or at least more predictable with each chicken.

But I also have never fully pulled a head off, that sounds pretty upsetting. That's one of those scenarios most of us hope we never have to experience. I think almost any other method you try in the future will work better and be less upsetting, so if you decide to try again, odds are good you'll have a better experience.

What to you go with feathers and innards? I have 15 too many Cochin roosters that I can’t even give away. They need to go. I was wondering if I could process them like a partridge and pull skin and all off.

I had to cull my favorite hen today. My first I did the broomstick. I was so afraid of not doing it right I pulled hard and it took her head off. I was appalled! I buried her.

When I was younger, in the farm, we chilled them but didn’t let them sit for 2-3 days.

 

[FunClucks]

What to you go with feathers and innards? I have 15 too many Cochin roosters that I can’t even give away. They need to go. I was wondering if I could process them like a partridge and pull skin and all off.

I had to cull my favorite hen today. My first I did the broomstick. I was so afraid of not doing it right I pulled hard and it took her head off. I was appalled! I buried her.

When I was younger, in the farm, we chilled them but didn’t let them sit for 2-3 days.

I'm so sorry about your favorite hen! That's so hard! You can rest easier knowing it was much more traumatic for you than for her.

If you're not going to eat or cook with the skin, you can hang them up on a tree by their feet, give them a post-mortem bath (if needed, I use dishsoap and scrub well, including legs, and spray off with a hose), and then skin like any game bird. Cut just through the skin, circle the legs, around where feathers meet leg scales just below the joint, make a vertical slice on the outside of each leg, then pull the skin away from the bird at the vertical cuts. Work the skin off like a glove, cut across the breast skin (with skin away from body), pull breast skin back towards the anus, and towards the head. Work the skin away from the back, cut the skin across the back and pull the back skin towards the tail and towards the head. work the skin off the wings. Once the skin goes as far as it can without the feathers popping through, I slice the primaries off the wingbone with a sharp knife and cut off and discard the third wing joint (wing tip).

You can cut off the tail here or later (if you're going to). I like to leave a flap of skin around/near the anus, sorta covering it, and that all gets cut off later when you pull the guts out and cut off the tail.

When you're done with skinning the body and wings, pull the skin down off the neck until you get to the head, cut the head off and discard along with the skin.

I do lots of rinses of the bird as I go, and try not to rinse the anus area after I start skinning to reduce contamination.

So basically you end up with a small flap of skin near the anus, and a skinned bird minus head and wing tips.

Remove from tree, place on table, cut off legs at joint where the scales start. Rotate, place bird on breast, remove crop from neck, cut crop and esophagus at body after smoothing them towards the crop to make sure most food is not present in the cord. Cut off neck. Rinse bird if needed. Rotate and flip over. Bird should be lying on back at this point. Cut abdomen just above anus to open the bird, widen this to both sides until you can get hand in easily, then reach in and grab heart, lungs, and pull everything out. Remove lungs if needed. Cut around skin of abdomen to remove anus connected to intestines. Also can cut off tail at this time as part of the area you remove in one piece. Remove edible entrails and save them (gizzard, heart, liver). Discard the rest of the entrails with skin and blood. Remove kidneys along the back bone if desired. Rinse bird well. Part bird now if desired.

Rest in fridge for 3 days or until rigor has passed. This resting can happen before or after freezing but if joints don't move freely prior to cooking, bird will be tough. Choose cooking method depending on age of bird. (anything over 6 months should be cooked low heat and slow methods, pressure cooking is most tender).

You can compost skin, blood, and innards, but must have a good method to keep pests and insects out of it.

If you look in the Sticky of this Forum there are some great training posts and videos, but not necessarily for skinning.

I haven't done game birds myself, but learned skinning from a hunting manual for game bird preparation and a butchering handbook, and from good advice on this site. CX skinning was super easy, my 1 yr rooster was more difficult due to more feathers and tougher skin ligaments. However, I pressure cooked the 1 yr rooster and he was delicious! Tasted like BBQ beef so I added BBQ sauce and had a sandwich. Broth made great pea or egg drop soup.

Hope I answered your questions. I think some folks remove entrails while bird is hung from the neck on a tree, but I never got the hang of that.

 

[Jmcintosh23]

My wife and I did 3 cockerels a few weeks ago. July 4th weekend.
My first time in 45 years or so. I was 17 the last time...I was 8 the first time.

Seriously, you can do it. But, without equipment (plucked especially) that's gonna take time to do all of those.

No shame in using a butcher. But maybe hold one or two back and try it yourself? The way things are going, it might be a good skill to have in the future.

I used a 5 gallon bucket. Tied paracord around feet, suspended from t post hung em upside down over bucket. Grabbed head. Sliced jugular then lowered the cord so their head was in bucket. They die quickly. But they don't seem dead...for about a year. (Ok, several minutes but it seems longer, much longer)

Anyway, good luck!
JD

I hold their head too but I hate that part after you slice jugular and they move around.. it just creeps me out.. im new to butchering. This year at my own home. I have helped my mom before but was afraid to slice at their neck until this year I just got the nerve to finally do it. I felt like I needed to fully immerse myself if Im going to be doing everything else. So watching videos helped and my mom taught me how she did it and how she processes them made it easier to accomplish. I don't know how you keep count of the chickens you butcher I feel like I've probably done at least 11 so far. Some guy down the road gave us 8 and then I accidentally left one get one over when we were moving the mobile chicken coop and butchered 2 of ours roosters that were a little on the mean side.. well also be doing rabbits i think end of September which im a lottle nervous a about. And o I did just recently butcher a duck. He was sweet but he had a broken leg some of the other ducks just attacked him and so we put it off for weeks I guess to see if he would improve and he did but they attacked him again and so I just kept him inside the hoop coop with other younger chickens until butcher day.. but it has gotten easier every time I do another one. We're raising more now they should be ready soon.. so how would you know exactly if they are ready.. as soon as they can start crowing or somewhere around 5months..? They are just hatched from our hatchery mixed Rhode Island reds and australorps and americaunas.

 

[Jmcintosh23]

What to you go with feathers and innards? I have 15 too many Cochin roosters that I can’t even give away. They need to go. I was wondering if I could process them like a partridge and pull skin and all off.

I had to cull my favorite hen today. My first I did the broomstick. I was so afraid of not doing it right I pulled hard and it took her head off. I was appalled! I buried her.

When I was younger, in the farm, we chilled them but didn’t let them sit for 2-3 days.

You had to do your favorite hen.. ? I was wondering if I will have to do mine... My husband said all of them will go and the one I have in my picture is my favorite. It's the only light one out of the bunch.. guess I'll have more favorite down the road I bet but still i will be sad ..

 

[Jmcintosh23]

What's the broomstick method?

 

[FunClucks]

You had to do your favorite hen.. ? I was wondering if I will have to do mine... My husband said all of them will go and the one I have in my picture is my favorite. It's the only light one out of the bunch.. guess I'll have more favorite down the road I bet but still i will be sad ..

Some folks eat the hens when they have too many. Other folks let them live until they're over 2 years old and their best egg making days are behind them, then they eat them. Others rehome hens at point of lay or at 2 yrs old. Others let the hens live out their natural lives and cull when they come down with an incurable disease or are too sick and old to recover. There are many management methods that do not involve the death of your favorite hen. However, it's best to make sure your favorite hen is not a meat bird, if you can manage it.

Are you sure you have a hen and not a roo? Cause yours in your picture looks kind of like a barred rock cockerel (can't see it super well, but those are usually lighter compared to the hens).

 

[ChickyCh00k]

What's the broomstick method?

It's when you hold the chicken by the feet, place its head on the ground and put a broomstick (or other type of bar) over its neck, just behind the head. Then you put both of your feet on the broomstick (on either side of the chicken) and pull the chicken's feet. It's a method of cervical dislocation.

 

[Jmcintosh23]

Some folks eat the hens when they have too many. Other folks let them live until they're over 2 years old and their best egg making days are behind them, then they eat them. Others rehome hens at point of lay or at 2 yrs old. Others let the hens live out their natural lives and cull when they come down with an incurable disease or are too sick and old to recover. There are many management methods that do not involve the death of your favorite hen. However, it's best to make sure your favorite hen is not a meat bird, if you can manage it.

Are you sure you have a hen and not a roo? Cause yours in your picture looks kind of like a barred rock cockerel (can't see it super well, but those are usually lighter compared to the hens).

It's when you hold the chicken by the feet, place its head on the ground and put a broomstick (or other type of bar) over its neck, just behind the head. Then you put both of your feet on the broomstick (on either side of the chicken) and pull the chicken's feet. It's a method of cervical dislocation.

Hmm and then they pass out or die?
I'll try that next time I guess.. I've never tried the axe thing dont have a stump in our yard. But I would like to get a cone someday I don't mind doing it that way since I already know how. I'm definitely into research different ways on making the processing better. Thanks

 

[Molpet]

Hmm and then they pass out or die?
I'll try that next time I guess.. I've never tried the axe thing dont have a stump in our yard. But I would like to get a cone someday I don't mind doing it that way since I already know how. I'm definitely into research different ways on making the processing better. Thanks

Homemade cone from Kitty litter jug

PVC cutter for decapitation

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Hmm and then they pass out or die?

Yes, when done correctly, the skull is dislocated from the spine, breaking the neck, causing death.