Need Advice. Processed Cornish x

[bigcountry82]

OK ! The processor has agreed to replace my birds with birds from his own NON - GMO Organic flock of all 6lb or larger processed birds. I REALLY don't think I could ask for more. I Understand the mistake I brought 21 birds in someone else brought 22 birds and the wrong name got put on the boxes. I am thankful that the Processor has stepped up and did all they could be expected to do to rectify the problem.

 

[rick54]

Sounds like he's going to do right by you. Restores my faith in the human race, as honesty seems like a virtue in short supply these days.

 

[aart]

OK ! The processor has agreed to replace my birds with birds from his own NON - GMO Organic flock of all 6lb or larger processed birds. I REALLY don't think I could ask for more. I Understand the mistake I brought 21 birds in someone else brought 22 birds and the wrong name got put on the boxes. I am thankful that the Processor has stepped up and did all they could be expected to do to rectify the problem.

Great! let us know how they look when they deliver.

 

[bigcountry82]

After going through a similar episode two years ago, I told the wife that we'd never transport our meat birds to someone to be cleaned again. I vowed we'd have our own equipment and the capability to do the job ourselves.

This year with the new plucker added into the assembly line, we were able to take our 15 Cornish X Rock birds from dispatch to cooling on ice in 2 hours. At nine wks. old they dressed out at 6 1/4 lbs. with two going under and one at 7 1/4.

We then canned them the next day ending up with 25 qts. of chicken and putting up 4 qts. of broth.

We currently have 30 Freedom Rangers entering their 5th wk. and 16 Pekin ducks entering their 6th wk. I can't say enough for doing the processing yourself!

What plucker did you go with I have been looking at different models and do not know wich one to choose.

Also I want to give an update my wife picked up our replacement chickens today although not our own I feel like the processor did everything he could do to rectify the problem and we will go back if we do not get set up before the next time we need processing. i will post a picture of the new birds later.

 

[rick54]

bigcountry, we went with the EZ Plucker 151. I have to say that the plucker is a wonderful piece of equipment! A couple of things I learned. One, don't throw just one bird in at a time. I have a cone stand I welded together which holds 3 killing cones. I then kill and pluck 3 birds at a time. To do just one bird, I believe the machine would rip the skin. It only takes 8-10 seconds to get 3 birds completely naked except for a couple of tail feathers and all skin intact. To keep them in longer makes for a greater chance the skin will rip.

The feathers are expelled out the bottom of the plucker. I did find that after 10 birds or so, the plucker did jam with feathers, even though I did always spray the garden hose on the birds when I threw them in the plucker. You just have to reach up into the chute and feel around for clumps of feathers and pull them out. I think part of my problem is that I don't have real strong water pressure. Anyway, it's no big deal to clean the feathers out. I consider this plucker one of those gold medal investments of a life time. And now that the FDA has approved Tyson and other big chicken houses to use China to process chickens and then send them back here to sell, I think I'll be raising all my chickens from here on out! I truly don't think you'll go wrong getting an EZ Plucker.

 

[bigcountry82]

Yeah i told my wife if I wanted Chinese chicken i would go to the Chinese restaurant but we wont be buying chicken from the store anytime in the near future. thanks for the advice on the plucker.

I have been looking at the Star Plucker pretty hard. still not sure though