... and sometimes it doesn't go as planned

[Theo]

I've done 3 home chicken slaughters so far, and I've gained confidence. So much that I decided to include my DH in the processing of two young roos we had roaming at large on our farm. They had been crossing the road (bwah!) and getting into the neighbor's yard, much to the old man's vexation. Time for rooster stew.

We took the roosters, alive, back to our city home, so I could have access to running water and refrigeration. I told my husband not to worry ... a quick slit of the throat, a few rustles, and bob's your uncle. No neighbor the wiser, the whole affair discrete and painless for all involved.

Naaah. The first rooster hangs upside down and bleeds quietly for a bit, then starts furiously squawking and beating its wings. Good lord, did I miss the arteries altogether? I cut the throat again, just to be sure. It takes a couple of minutes before he looked good and dead. I wasn't going to have the same thing happen again with the next chicken, so I cut it very deeply and I got sprayed with blood. Again with the flapping and squawking. I turned to my husband, dripping, waving the bloody knife and saying "It's ok! Just the death throes." He bolted for the house, aghast.

Not only that, but after I coaxed him back outside to help pluck the chickens, my chicken--dead as a doornail, I'm telling you--uttered a plaintive squawk when I turned it upside down. Hub almost jumped out of his lawn chair.

I think next time I will try breaking the neck first, just for my own peace of mind.

 

[DianeS]

I couldn't help but giggle at your story. It just shows the truth of Murphy's Law. When you process out in the country, or with nobody around, it goes simply and silently. If you NEED to do it simply and silently because you're in town with close neighbors who may be nosy, it doesn't.

The chicken organ that allows it to squawk is intact even after death. It's pretty near the chicken's chest, so sometimes even cutting off the neck does not remove it. I once made a chicken squawk even after it was beheaded and plucked! It was in the sink and I was starting to eviscerate it. THAT was creepy. But then I got used to it and made it squawk at my husband just to get his reaction.

I think I have a weird sense of humor...

 

[PixieChixie]

Quote:

I can't stop lauging! I've heard people mention them 'running around with their heads cut off' but I had no idea about the squawking!

*PC*

 

[ScottyHOMEy]

Quote:
I suspect we share a sense of humor. I had the same experience a couple of weekends ago when I was enlisted to demonstrate for the youngish neighbor how to butcher his ducks. I can tall ya his head snapped right around when the plucked duck let out with a (actually a rather contented sounding) low quack. That long narrow carcass was a bit small for my hand, and, jeezum, I just couldn't help a repeat performance or two.

As we got near done with the ducks we rang up my neighbor on the other side to bring over a couple of young roosters he needed done up and, sure enough, one of them gave up a couple of chuckles.

It is a little creepy, but it's part of the process.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:

I can't stop lauging! I've heard people mention them 'running around with their heads cut off' but I had no idea about the squawking!

*PC*

I discovered the squawking this summer when eviscerating a chicken. I was pulling out guts and it started squawking. Removing the neck won't help that.
I don't know that I've killed one yet that didn't flap it's wings in the last minute. A killing cone will prevent this, though.

 

[sulco]

Hilarious... thanks for the well-needed chuckles this morning.

 

[just2rosey]

I had a good laugh at your story this morning as I was preparing to put my spare roos in the freezer. My hubby is a city boy, so today was his first experience with butchering chickens. I grew up on a farm and we did this routinely while I was growing up. I had asked him to kill them for me, I just can't bring myself to do that part, and promised I would do the rest. We took care of five roos today and every one of them squawked after its head was gone!

My poor hubby was kind of freaking out, and then I got the giggles at him, then he started laughing, too.

"Dirty words, dirty words, (I won't type those in) this isn't supposed to be funny!"

He told me as he was trying to stop laughing.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

My husband can't handle it either! He hates to see anything die. He's the kinda guy that catches bugs in the house and let's them go outside.... grrrrr
Try cutting their heads all the way off. That's how I do it and I've never had any squacking, lots of flopping around though!