Three newbies attempting 8 Cornish rocks this Friday!!!

[jen85]

Well my cornish rocks are 9 weeks old and pretty fat so Friday is the day. I bought a killing cone and am hoping they fit in it. I have never killed anything (intentionally) but have raised chickens since I was little. My sister and her 3 kids are helping as well as my friend. Neither one knows anything about chickens or butchering and have a hard time with "gross" things. I am pregnant and feel like puking 24/7 lol... This should be an interesting day! I have read a lot on here, and plucked chickens when I was young. I've read that some people put the birds in icy water before the fridge? Some don't and also does dish detergent help? The birds are dirty on their stomachs. The rest of the layer chickens are clean but these guys lay down all the time in whatever happens to be there. How long do you keep them from eating before butchering? Any tips are welcome!!!

 

[Chick Charm]

I like to wash mine X's with the hose after bleeding and before dipping them.
Sorry about your puking. This smell is not going to help you any with the need to spew.
I like to get mine chilled asap after cleaning them out. I also like to rest mine 2.5 to 3 days before cooking or freezing. I also like to take away feed 12 hours or all night before if I do them in the am.

Wish ya the best. Get everyone to help and 9 birds will go very fast. Then you may get by without having to do anything.

 

[jen85]

Thanks The hose after they are dead is a good idea. I doubt I will get to sit back and watch. This is my sister that thinks fresh eggs are gross. But she offered to help since I'm pregnant I'm considering getting a video of her response to it all.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I know that when I was pregnant, it help if I ate small meals BEFORE I was really hungry to get through the worst of it. Perhaps if you have a small meal right before you start getting set up, and try to keep your mind off the steps necessary it might help. Read up on all the steps the day before and get everything you can ready then (if nighttime is a better time for your stomach).

There is a lot of strange smells involved, and if you are like me, smells set the morning sickness off as much as anything. Perhaps if you work in a really well ventilated area that will help. A squirt of dish detergent in the scalding water does cut down on the funky smell of skalding , dirty chickens, as does squirting them off with a hose before scalding.

I found it kind of interesting to separate all the good innards (heart, gizzard, kidneys, liver) from the nasty innards, but that may be a step you want to skip with a queezy stomach and a sister who things fresh eggs are gross.

 

[jen85]

Thank you! We are starting early so we will have time if unexpected things happen. Oklahoma likes to have sudden storms lately. My mom loves gizzards so I might try to save them.... Maybe. Most everything is being done outside so that should help.

 

[carolinagirl58]

hubby, our neighbor and I did 18 of them on Friday in a little over two hours. We had a DIY plucker though which saved a bunch of time, but I did all of the actual butchering myself and it was my first time too. Some videos say to feed them right up to butchering so it's easier to find the croup but I fasted mine so they would be a little on the empty side. I had no trouble locating and removing the croup. Cleaning them was actually so much easier than I expected for it to be.

 

[jen85]

Wow! That is fast! If it doesn't go too bad this time I plan on building a plucker and doing more next time.

 

[LovedMyAlydar]

We plan on getting meat birds next year. The killing part is what I will have a hard time with. Hubby will get that job. I will have to read how it goes for you guys. I don't mind cleaning things after they are dead, doesn't gross me out, but the killing is what I just can't bring myself to do. Guess I am a big wuss.

 

[jen85]

That's how I am, but my husband is only home weekends, so there are a lot of times that something needs put down and I have to wait all week for him to get home. I need to get over it. Today I have a gosling that needs put down. It hatched with problems, but it ate and drank and grew with the rest so I left it. Tried vitamins and everything else that I could and today it is having seizures and can't walk.

 

[carolinagirl58]

here's a good youtube video for you. I believe I could actually do it the way this woman does it. It looks very gentle and peaceful for the chicken (except for the part where she finishes pulling the head off). The main thing is to use a VERY sharp knife. We used a razor knife and I wasn't happy with the sharpness of it. Next time I'll use a disposable scalpel or an exacto knife.