After the slaughter and before it's cooked ...

[DMOTS]

Is your plan to break them down or leave them whole? Five days is a very long time. Mine generally loosen up within 24-48 hours, but my turkeys can go 4-5 days. If you're planning on breaking them down, I'd try one and see how it goes. How old were your birds at processing?

I plan on cutting up 4 of them and them some whole. I did not add any salt to the ice and water mix when I butchered them. They were 6 months old. Maybe I waited too long.

 

[rjohns39]

I plan on cutting up 4 of them and them some whole. I did not add any salt to the ice and water mix when I butchered them. They were 6 months old. Maybe I waited too long.

Then I'd try to break them down. There isn't a worry of the meat going bad. Worst case they might be tough. Cook the first one the way you planned or fried. If it turns out tough, then I'd cook the rest low and slow.

 

[doccaroo]

I got really tired Wednesday after we pieced out our chickens. I just put the backs and necks in ziplock bags and put back in the ice chestto clean up and freeze yesterday but I forgot. yesterday when I remembered them I put them in the fridge. They are still in fridge are they still good to clean off and put in freezer for broth later?

 

[Molpet]

I got really tired Wednesday after we pieced out our chickens. I just put the backs and necks in ziplock bags and put back in the ice chestto clean up and freeze yesterday but I forgot. yesterday when I remembered them I put them in the fridge. They are still in fridge are they still good to clean off and put in freezer for broth later?

Was there still ice? Basically if they were still cold they're ok. The cooking will kill the bacteria.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I part mine as I butcher. I also save the carcass for broth, but cut that up too so I reduce freezer space. We each need to find out own way.

Like Ridgerunner, I do all my parting out as I butcher. Organs get their own bag, combined heart liver, gizzard - that goes straight to the freezer. Then either a thigh quarter in each bag, and a breast quarter in each bag, or thighs in a bag, legs in a bag, breasts in a bag. Either way, the carcass (I snap mine in half, and shove the bottom half into the cavity of the front half, plus neck, wing tips - whole wing if I went boneless skinless on the breasts - and any excess skin) is saved for soup/stock in a larger bag straight to the freezer. All the rest go to the fridge to rest for two das before getting transferred to the freezer. Well, usually less than 2, but a lot longer than 1, since its usually late in the day when I finish butchering, and early in the AM when I rearrange the fridge.

 

[ariri30]

Like Ridgerunner, I do all my parting out as I butcher. Organs get their own bag, combined heart liver, gizzard - that goes straight to the freezer. Then either a thigh quarter in each bag, and a breast quarter in each bag, or thighs in a bag, legs in a bag, breasts in a bag. Either way, the carcass (I snap mine in half, and shove the bottom half into the cavity of the front half, plus neck, wing tips - whole wing if I went boneless skinless on the breasts - and any excess skin) is saved for soup/stock in a larger bag straight to the freezer. All the rest go to the fridge to rest for two das before getting transferred to the freezer. Well, usually less than 2, but a lot longer than 1, since its usually late in the day when I finish butchering, and early in the AM when I rearrange the fridge.

Awesome thanks

 

[RR-AS]

Can you package and then allow them to rest? I was just going to use the plastic shrink bags and package as whole birds. Last time I let them rest in a spare refrigerator, but cleaning the fridge afterwards was a lot of work and the attached freezer had issues from all the extra moisture. If they can be packaged, we could let them rest without the mess. Thank you!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yes, slaughter, package, rest, cook. Or slaughter, package, freeze, defrost/rest cook. Or (not best), slaughter, package, rest, freeze, defrost, cook - but that's not best due to the freeze/defrost after the enzyme have had time to work, and the differences for most cooking methods are pretty minimal.

The important thing is that it be allowed to rest long enough for the enzymes to act to age the meat.

 

[raingarden]

It seems like we do it a little different every time. Last time it was:
skin
spathcock
remove guts
wash
sprinkle with salt
put in plastic bag
rest 5 days in the frig
slow cook dry in a covered dish for 2 hours at 175F
bake with vegetables and liquid for an hour at 350F

Our birds are game-like and scrawny. They were tough and inedible until we started to slow cook dry at low temperature before finishing them off with the seasoning and liquid.

 

[ktrap923]

Hi! This thread was a great read, but I have a question. This was our first time raising cornish cross. All was well until butchering day, where things went haywire. Last minute my husband brought the birds to a butcher) we had originally planned to do it ourselves but time was up and they needed to be processed) and he ended up coming home late with bags and bags of chickens. They gave them back to us in large clear garbage type bags and my husband put them right in the refrigerator. We butchered a couple that night (we didn't know we should let them rest) and it went well, they looked good, and didn't have an odor. But 48hrs later when I started to take them to cut them up, I noticed that had a strong odor. We called the butcher who said it is probably from staying in the original bags where there was blood collecting into the bottom. Would this still be safe to cut up and freeze? It smells...not spoiled, but gamey I guess. The butcher said it could also be from the food they were eating....it was a high quality organic food. I'm just concerned we really messed up but leaving them in those bags ans the blood has ruined them or we have just never had fresh chicken before and this is what it's like lol. Thank you for any insight/info!