Ages to eat chickens...?

[Judy]

Yeah, my son does not care for the blood spatters he gets while carrying a flapping chicken over to hang it by its foot. I can't convince him to make a simple cone so I don't feel sorry for him. That's part of his job, so tough!

One thing we do that I see a lot of variation on here, is to have a heating device outdoors to keep the hot water temp constant. No way I would deal with carrying 150 degree water from the house and trying to keep the temp up. We did 10 the first time; took us about 4 hours. Then we did 8, took us 1.5 hours. Then we did 3, didn't even time it, very quick. Most are already eaten.

 

[Judy]

Oh, one other hint. Buy yourself a pair of those sticky-feeling garden gloves for about $4. Some have a solid rubbery palmar surface and some have rubbery dots on the palmar surface. Whatever. Makes plucking go so much faster. It isn't the pulling the feathers, it's getting the pin feathers (sort of short beginning feathers) and dark feather bases (which are almost liquid when they come out, look like dark spots under the skin) that this helps with; the big feathers are easy.

Unless you're going to skin. I read that this goes much faster, but this bunch wants to eat the skin.

 

[Judy]

Oh, I also agree with you about incubators. I have one good broody and am hoping for more from my current batch. Bet that's why you have games. No bators for this kid. Let Mama do it -- and let her do it in with the flock, as is happening now.

 

[stuckinthecity]

Ive got to say ddawn, you are an expert!!! Best info Ive had on one subject, thank you!

Ive watched some youtube videos, and skinning them is so much easier, but yes I like the skin also. It gives the breat meat a better flavor, I think.

now, about the heating device outside... you think I could boil a pot of water over a fire outside?

and anybody got any experience cooking a chicken over an open flame?

and about incubators- even though it was totally my fault, out of about 30 eggs I had 6 hatch, one die, then 2 later. the 2 that died later: one had a crippled leg, and the other was a runt. poor thing. I had 3 nice EE/game chickens though! the rooster was a big boy, his mom was HUGE too.
Anyway, I just hate them cause its so hard making sure everythings right, when mama could do everything for you...plus its so much more fun to see a mama with babies running around in the chicken yard, then walking into a smelly room with chicks in a messy brooder pen

I wish I still had games, I got rid of them a while back cause of my grandpas health, and I think they're too wild/noisy for this up-tight neighborhood. Do you let your chickens raise their chicks in her regular house, like the "layer" house? 3 hens of mine have done it before, and they all raised their babies up, except for one silver baby who got out of the pen

 

[stuckinthecity]

wait, make that 4 hens who have raised their babies up in the flock house. I had a minorca raise her 3 babies up too.

 

[skeeter03]

For the pot of water for the plucking - use a camp stove with either a big big pot or two canner size pots on it so when you have to add water to one you have the other already hot - I am doing 8 chickens friday night - chopping off heads hanging and plucking - the pot I am using is a huge oval one that will fit nicely on a camp stove. thanks for the tip about the sticky gardening gloves will add it to my "gotta get list"

 

[stuckinthecity]

we also have a huge iron pot, my great grandmother used in her old cabin. Right now its being used as a flower pot...

maybe I can salvage it later.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Thank you, but hardly! The experts are the people here on BYC, where I learned most of this! I've processed birds off and on since childhood, but it's been so many years in between that I always need a refresher course when I start again.

Yes, a pot of water over a fire would be fine. A couple of concrete blocks and an old oven rack ought to do it. Of course, boil isn't necessary, 150 degrees is all you want, or 140, depending where you read. We happen to have access to a propane "fish cooker," just a large propane burner hooked to a 5 gal tank, so we use that for the cost of the propane. If we didn't have it, we would do the fire. A deep fry thermometer is handy but you can test it by hand if needed - - that's what we did last time when the thermometer died. Some use a turkey fryer, fine if you have one, but personally I would not invest in one for this.

There are two excellent stickies at the top of this (meat birds) forum about processing. Here is a real expert (shows killing cones, too

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=109583

 

[stuckinthecity]

I am printing that off later, that is awesome!
He shows step by step what to do!

Wow, thanks again! lol

 

[Judy]

Well, I missed a question. Yes, I let the broody/mama raise her chicks with the rest of the flock; she's on her second round. She has 3 chicks about 3 weeks old at present. Plan to keep the flock going this way. I did cage the mama while she was setting to keep the others from bothering her, just got the cage out of there when they hatched. I also let her out every morning while she was setting, and she would run around and eat, etc. for a few minutes. (She would stand up off the nest when I opened the coop so I took the hint.) Of course I had food and water in the cage, but she ate/drank very little from this, just went back to her old feeder etc. each morning.

I don't want the hassle of trying to integrate flocks. If the mama isn't a good enough mama to defend her chicks, or if there is another flock member who is going to attack them, they are headed for the processing table or the egg laying flock. I have one great broody. Most of my chickens are about 20 weeks, but I chose breeds that should produce some more broodies. I figure it won't take too many broodies to keep the babies coming.

One more hint on processing. Don't spend good money on a "lung scraper." Grapefruit spoons and strawberry hullers are good, I have read. Frankly, we use fingernails.

Here's one more link for you:

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

PM any time. I can find a lot more than I know!