Advice on first butcher with "students"

[Acre4Me]

in a few days our 7.5 week old meat chickens will be butchered. We have 12 straight run (looks like 8 males and 4 females). They are the white meaty birds with short, thick yellow legs and were named "White Mountain Broiler" and "Super Roaster" at the hatchery where we purchased them (6 of each breed).

This is our first batch of meat chickens, and our first meat chicken butchering, although we did cull and then cooked the 3 unwanted roosters we got earlier in the year from straight runs of egg layers (they were stringy and lean at the approx 17 weeks we butchered at, although fed on starter then grower feed).

We have 2 "students" who want to learn how to butcher - which is the primary reason we got these meat chickens. They are young adults and neither are squeamish, thankfully.

So, helpful tips from people with more experience are wanted. Thx.

 

[PirateGirl]

I have not butchered a chicken, but would like to learn BEFORE I need to do this to one of my beloved flock. I would want to be sure that my method/technique is quick and painless. I would think it's important for you to go over each step with your students in advance so there are less shocks and surprises and they can be confident going into it. I would want to know what to expect ahead of time. I would ask you students what questions they have before you even begin. Everyone views this process in a slightly different light and things that you worry about and wonder about may be different than them. Find out if they just want to watch the first one or be hands on. Maybe there is a youtube video they can watch ahead of time to be better prepared. Personally, I would be nervous of somehow messing up in a way that either extends suffering of the chicken or in a way that makes the meat somehow unsafe to eat. Ask your students what concerns they have ahead of time. Everyone learns differently and everyone will have different questions and concerns so the best way to help them may be to talk with them first. Good luck.

 

[silkiecemani]

My first butchered was an excess Silkie rooster called Morris who had no place as beta male in the then small flock, he was outcast and unhappy and was taking it out on Cemani chicks which were tiny at the time, I'd seen it done before and watched several videos on YouTube and one evening just decided it was time for him to go to the island. It wasn't perfect but we ate everything edibles and appreciated Morris's contribution.

Since then the Cemanis got big, we gave one pair away and butchered one male (best tasting chicken I evev had), also at the same time I had been given some egg layers and two ended up being male, so I processed 3 that time and it was much cleaner and easier than old Morris.

With the black skinned/meat chickens I scolded and plucked, with the others it is easier and cleaner just to pull the whole skin and feathers off at once with running water.

Today we got 5 Cornish X to raise as free as possible like we have the others, and if that goes well, I don't think we will eat store bought chicken again.

If you don't have a chicken cone, you can wrap them in a towel with just the head out, take care to cut the jugular and not the wind pipe, I do both sides and hold over a bucket until it feels like the life is gone, just feels better than dropping them in to bleed out. In future I will use a chicken cone and leave them to hang and bleed out.

Also I separate them the night before and don't give them food or water that night so they empty their systems.