Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

The younger the bird, the easier it is to remove the innards. And if you isolate the bird and stop feeding it the afternoon before, but give it plenty of water, there's a dramatically reduced chance of mistakenly contaminating anything because the intestinal system essentially cleans itself out. And if you do accidentally pierce the gallbladder or something else, you just have to wash the meat/carcass really, really well. You won't ruin the meat unless you soak that carcass in "filth".

Well, your description makes me feel better. Now I will have to find some kind of diagram that will show me the different parts of the chickens innards, so I that I will know what they are called and if they have to go in the garbage or not.

My chicken that I have eaten before have either been bought in a store, or from out of a restaurant, so I didn't have to worry about those.

 

[cavemanrich]

Around me, which is slightly far for most of you, there are live poultry stores that you go and buy fresh/live chickens. They weigh the chicken live and you pay by weight. They then process it back and in very short, you are walking home with chicken in plastic bag. They will do your chickens for $3 service each. That was a couple years ago. May be slightly higher now. Person I knew went to get 15 roos done and it was done quick.
In Chicago, and Cook County, you can keep chickens, but not allowed to slaughter them. These stores are certified to be able to do that for you. There are about 5 stores like this in the metro area.
I do go there occasionally to buy live chickens to take home live. I also have purchased live pigeons there as well. They also sell rabbits, ducks, turkeys, and other animals.
Maybe there is a live poultry store near your area that can perform the Unpleasant Deeds.

 

[BlueBaby]

Around me, which is slightly far for most of you, there are live poultry stores that you go and buy fresh/live chickens. They weigh the chicken live and you pay by weight. They then process it back and in very short, you are walking home with chicken in plastic bag. They will do your chickens for $3 service each. That was a couple years ago. May be slightly higher now. Person I knew went to get 15 roos done and it was done quick.
In Chicago, and Cook County, you can keep chickens, but not allowed to slaughter them. These stores are certified to be able to do that for you. There are about 5 stores like this in the metro area.
I do go there occasionally to buy live chickens to take home live. I also have purchased live pigeons there as well. They also sell rabbits, ducks, turkeys, and other animals.
Maybe there is a live poultry store near your area that can perform the Unpleasant Deeds.
View attachment 1332501

I have never noticed any around here. If there is none here, then it's a missed market for sure!

 

[MagicChicken]

Well, your description makes me feel better. Now I will have to find some kind of diagram that will show me the different parts of the chickens innards, so I that I will know what they are called and if they have to go in the garbage or not.

My chicken that I have eaten before have either been bought in a store, or from out of a restaurant, so I didn't have to worry about those.

The first few times you butcher it is best to focus on the basic process of killing the bird, plucking it and cutting it up. Don't worry about saving any of the organs until you get proficient at the rest of it.

Withhold feed overnight so there isn't much stuff in the intestinal tract. Make sure the birds have plenty of water so they bleed out quickly. (Dehydration prolongs the bleed-out process, which is traumatic for all parties involved.)

If you rupture the intestines it is not a disaster, because the poop washes off easily. Not so for the bile in the gall bladder.

The gall bladder is the little green thing attached to the liver. You will recognize the liver because it looks like liver. You will recognize the gall bladder after it breaks and gets green bile all over everything. It takes a LOT of washing to remove bile. You don't want to leave any traces of bile on the meat because it tastes nasty. Plus it may start to emulsify the fatty bits if you don't get it off right away. The gall bladder is the only internal organ you have to pay real attention to. And you only need to pay attention to it if you are trying to save the liver. Otherwise, just dump all the guts into the trash until you have more confidence in the process.

Seriously, in-person teachers for this stuff are hard to come by. If you don't have a teacher readily available, the best way to get started is to watch a bunch of videos, read a bunch of articles, and then DO it. You will make mistakes. You will learn from them. And you will eat well while you learn.

 

[Bobby Basham]

bresse are good eating supposedly, don't waste them. gotta be someone nearby who would prep them for you

I do a lot of poultry reading, but not familiar with this breed. This doesn't sound like your every day white or red chicken, and somebody ought to be interested in crossing them with some of their own stock.

I'll have to look them up.

 

[BlueBaby]

I do a lot of poultry reading, but not familiar with this breed. This doesn't sound like your every day white or red chicken, and somebody ought to be interested in crossing them with some of their own stock.

I'll have to look them up.

I sent you a couple links on them here in a message. Enjoy your reading, and watch those video's about how they do them over in France. The Restaurants over there charge $100.00 a plate for them!

 

[cactusrota]

I do a lot of poultry reading, but not familiar with this breed. This doesn't sound like your every day white or red chicken, and somebody ought to be interested in crossing them with some of their own stock.

I'll have to look them up.

I believe Greenfire Farms was the first to import them. They enjoy a legal status in France similar to Champaigne as to be "true" Bresse they MUST be raised in the Bresse region of France in the legally prescribed fashion. So here in the US you cannot call them French, they are called American Bresse.

 

[azurbanclucker]

I believe Greenfire Farms was the first to import them. They enjoy a legal status in France similar to Champaigne as to be "true" Bresse they MUST be raised in the Bresse region of France in the legally prescribed fashion. So here in the US you cannot call them French, they are called American Bresse.

100% this.

 

[cactusrota]

I'll keep in touch with you about this. I do however still want to learn how to butcher to eat some of them for myself.

When I first started learning how to butcher animals, in general, I started small. Like REALLY small. I had started falconry with a kestrel and was butchering little mice and sparrows to feed it. I then moved up to quail. I had gutted and quartered alot of rabbits for hawks and the dogs long before I learned to clean them properly for human consumption.
My suggestion would be to do one at a time. When you have the time and inclination, do one. If you screw up, raw chicken bones are safe for dogs (it's the cooked bones that splinter and can hurt them). If you get a bird that dies of heat stroke or disease, dissect it before you get rid of it, just for the practice. Watch lots of youtube videos, I'm sure you already have. Be that weird kid that dissects dead animals just to see what's inside. You'll learn it all first hand and be more confident with every animal.

 

[cactusrota]

If you feel like a drive to Tucson....
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/copy-of-chicken-processing-how-to-for-beginners-tickets-44973620309