- Dec 5, 2014
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I am not horrified. It sounds reasonable to me, and probably most folks here. I have gotten fairly efficient at culling extra roosters that I don't consider good breeding stock. My boy sacks them up, I put them in my makeshift killing cones (A treated 4x8 with two traffic cones with the bottoms razored out.) I snatch them from him, hang them upside down, and a slice to the jugular with a Lowe's bucket to catch the blood. I don't have to chase them cross the yard that way with their head's off. It also is effective letting gravity get the blood out. I finishing taking the head off after it is deceased. My wife brings we scalding water. I scald them then I take them to my folding table with cutting board and knives on a folding table. I put them in the chicken plucker, and whatever is left for feathers I will pull out with some needle nose pliers. I then cut the feet off at the joint, make an incision by the neck into the cavity, then I cut the skin by the legs to splay them out. Then I carefully cut around the vent and abdomen. Then I reach in and pull out all the guts. I put the gizzard and the liver to the side, and toss the feet and intestines. I then reach in and pull out the heart and put it to the side. A lot of people say the lungs are hard to removed, but I pull those out with my fingers. I then wash out the cavity with cool water. Next, I slice into the gizzard and splay it open. I take out whatever may be remaining as far as grit, an odd feather and wash it out. Then I pull out the tough yellow membrane and wash it out again. The bird, it's heart, and gizzard go into a plastic bag to cool overnight. The next day, two crock pots get going, and if you leave it alone long enough, you can peel off the meat quite easily. The meat ends up as an entre, on bread, in green chicken chili enchiladas, and the rest ends up as soup.Apologies to the pet chicken folks who are horrified by these things, but I have to share. My wife and I purchased 4 young EEs from a local guy and were assured they were all pullets, and he seemed to be right as they were all developing the same. No real difference in appearance until... one morning while tending the garden I heard the most pitiful sound come from the coop. Should have named her Caitlyn because she turned out to be a cockerel. haha We ended up with a beautiful rusty colored boy. Unfortunately, we are suburban so roos are a no no. He crowed day and night, sometimes every 15-20 minutes. My neighbors are okay and downright giddy about my chicken keeping but I didn't want to push my luck and have the city on my doorstep so I decided Bruce had to go. It was for the best because he was very aggressive and absolutely terrorized the flock. In our area, roosters aren't in demand except for eating so I didn't want to sell him. I figured if he was going to be anyone's dinner, it would be ours. So, I thanked Bruce for his life, gave him a quick, painless death, and he was cooked in the rotisserie for Sunday dinner. I've only ever had store bought chicken except for when I was a small child and didn't really remember the difference... It was the richest, most flavorful chicken I think I'd ever eaten. He was not a big bird by any means, but he provided a meal for a family of four and the carcass was slow simmered to make a beautiful stock that will become chicken noodle soup tonight. Gives you a real appreciation for where your food comes from, and a good feeling to know that you gave the animal a happy, healthy life before that "one bad day."
The key before you do a cull, is to pull the feed 24 hours in advance. It is less of a mess inside the bird that way. Now, I am not saying all this because I am hard hearted. I am not. I try to use every part of the animal I can so nothing goes to waste. I think we value life more, when you have to take an animal's life to put protein on the table. It becomes an impersonal experience to get a cold saline filled lump of flesh on a steyrofoam trey.