1st Timer w/ slaughtering Chickens any advice?

[TxChiknRanchers]

Amazing, that guy has vertual plethora of information on chiken stuff.

Nice site ! Thanks for sharing.

 

[firechicken]

I think that is the best write up yet I have read on the net. Thanks!

FEMAT happens.

I think I am going to add that to my sig. lol

 

[picklespickles]

miss prissy says it all.

the only thing i would add is that i personally just skin it like any other animal. you lose that first layer of skin but i dont' mind that. i cook it a little slower so it doesn't dry out.

and, personally, i hang it to bleed from the side of the tree where my neighobrs kids can't see and freak out.

 

[chad]

Honestly? We've got a local processor that does a chicken for $2.75. The time, hassle, and especially cleanup for me to slaughter chickens are worth more than that to me! They also did my two turkeys last weekend for 6 bucks a pop, same deal, IMO. BTW, I'm bragging; one of my turkeys dressed out at 44 pounds.

 

[Mia]

I'd love to know how to find someone local around me that would come and slaughter 1-2 birds at a time- I don't think I could do it again. I'm still shuddering thinking I did it.

 

[crooked stripe]

Most small processors around here went out of business due to government regs. As soon as the health department hears about it they visit to check. I have been to a couple of processors here that are clean as a whistle. 25 or less chickens you can wait for. Only takes the guys about 30 minutes and vacuum wrapped. 3.00

 

[Heather J]

There's no one here who does chickens, so I'll have to do them myself again--it would be well worth the money to pay someone else to do it, if I had the choice--I'd even take them an hour or more away, if there were anyone available. *sigh*

The last batch we did we just chopped the heads off, skinned them completely, filleted them (because there is just me and DH and we're far more likely to eat it if it's already in pieces) and froze. For me to get a plucker and hassle with heating water clear out by the coops (it has to be there so the neighbor kids don't see it) is way more than I want to deal with, and since I rarely eat skin anyway....

It took four hours to do a dozen birds for three of us, and then I still had to clean up the bits of feathers that stuck to the meat. But those babies sure were tasty!