Not letting them eat for a few days

[Forestfarm]

Definitely not a few days!!! Like others have said, 12 to 24 hours is good. However, I've started to feel kind of bad doing that so the past two times I have given them some cracked corn to snack on the morning of processing. I begin processing in the morning so I find the food is still mostly in their gizzard. It doesn't have time to break down. I feel better knowing they don't feel hungry in their final moments, but this is personal preference. Also, you'll get good at not nicking the intestines, and then it really isn't a problem even if there is food in there. You absolutely can slaughter and process a bird that just eaten. People just do the not feeding thing as more of a precaution so there is less chance of an intestine coming open and getting waste in the meat.

I like your cracked corn idea, I think I'm going to try that next time! We had some delays the last time I helped a friend butcher her freedom rangers and the roosters began to get more aggressive towards each other, I'm guessing because they were pretty hangery by then.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I like your cracked corn idea, I think I'm going to try that next time! We had some delays the last time I helped a friend butcher her freedom rangers and the roosters began to get more aggressive towards each other, I'm guessing because they were pretty hangery by then.

Great, I hope it works out for you! Yeah, it's been successful for me. You could probably do whole corn as well. It makes me feel good knowing they aren't hungry in those last moments (and actually, they are getting one of their favorite treats!), and I do think it will keep some of that aggression down.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

This is the pic that wouldn't load yesterday.

 

[NatJ]

I take my chickens out of the coop the night before...In the morning I ... deliver them to the lady who does my processing. She does not seem to have any trouble finding the gizzards.

I think you mean crop, not gizzard. The gizzard is always easy to find: a big muscular lump in the middle of the chicken.

The crop is the one at the front, that you can feel through the skin to see if the chicken has eaten recently, and it does get very small and flat when empty.

when the crop is empty, it is really hard to find - it flattens out and practically disappears in there, and it's annoying to have to hunt for it.

Finding an empty crop probably gets easier with practice, but I agree that a full crop is very easy to find.

I have almost never butchered chickens with empty crops. I have a tendency to plan too many things in any one day, and I wouldn't want hungry chickens if butchering gets put off to another day. Or I decide to butcher on the spur of the moment, and again that means full crops & guts.

 

[K0k0shka]

Finding an empty crop probably gets easier with practice, but I agree that a full crop is very easy to find.

I have almost never butchered chickens with empty crops.

And this is why I don’t have enough practice - I don’t starve the chickens before butchering, so I rarely ever find empty crops. I only process small numbers of chickens, and they live with the flock, so being able to see their system in full working order is helpful, a snapshot of the overall health of the flock. Are they eating well? Digesting well? So I prefer them to be full when processing.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

you mean crop, not gizzard. The gizzard is always easy to find: a big muscular lump in the middle of the chicken.

The crop is the one at the front, that you can feel through the skin to see if the chicken has eaten recently, and it does get very small and flat when empty.

Thanks, you're probably right. I thought I read a post in which somebody said the gizzard shrinks after not feeding for several days, but I probably misunderstood. Crop makes a lot more sense. One thing I am noticing is how huge these birds' livers are! Wish I had taken pics, you'd be amazed. Bigger than my palm. Way bigger than what you see in the deli, fried (I don't like them so I don't buy, and I discarded mine, I won't cook them, either.) The heart is typical of other birds, you can see why they are so lethargic. They need a bigger heart to support their bulk.