Best way to prepare a chicken that was not bled out?

[pdirt]

I was saddened today to find a chicken drowned in a stock tank today. We had a bad windstorm and perhaps he got scared or got blown into the tank. Or he bent down for a drink of water, fell in and couldn't get out. Poor thing. I've since covered the tank so it won't happen again.

I found the chicken within an hour of it drowning and decided to butcher it to eat. When I removed the head and hung it, only a small amount of blood came out. I skinned it rather than having to deal with heating water for just one chicken. Having only slaughtered one live chicken before and having read profusely (sometimes dangerous!) on BYC on how to do this, a common theme was it was important to bleed the chicken out, otherwise blood will remain in the meat and affect the flavor. I'm not Jewish, but I do know the Kosher slaughter methods are pretty strict about bleeding the animal about.

Is there anything that can be done after the fact to either bleed it out further or minimize the effects of the remaining blood? Or should I not worry about it (please tell me why you think so, if so)? I was thinking of marinating it in something salty and/or acidic, like apple cider vinegar, or a dilution of it. Marinating seems to make most any meat taste better and be more tender. If it matters any, it was a young bird, perhaps 10-12 weeks old.

Thanks!

 

[bobbi-j]

I wouldn't worry about it. It was gutted and cleaned well, right? I was thinking maybe soak it in a saltwater brine overnight. That's what my sister in law does with deer hearts and liver.

 

[bustedchicks]

My turkey died today and im trying to process it to save the meat. It is my first attempt at processing. Havent seen how to do other than pictures and I probably dont have all the proper tools.

I cut its throat probably not at the right spot and not much blood has drained. Its kinda sticky.

This is how far along I am

 

[pdirt]

I wouldn't worry about it. It was gutted and cleaned well, right? I was thinking maybe soak it in a saltwater brine overnight. That's what my sister in law does with deer hearts and liver.

Thanks. That's what I was thinking as well. Yep, cleaned well and now "tenderizing" in the fridge. I've read not to put freshly butchered poultry in the freezer right away, but to let it sit in the fridge for 1-3 days to let the rigor mortis let go, otherwise you end up with a tough bird. This is such a young bird, I don't expect it to be very tough, even being a rooster.

 

[pdirt]

Quote:

My turkey died today and im trying to process it to save the meat. It is my first attempt at processing. Havent seen how to do other than pictures and I probably dont have all the proper tools.

I cut its throat probably not at the right spot and not much blood has drained. Its kinda sticky.

This is how far along I am

Perhaps there is a processing thread that might have more specific answers to turkeys? I'm no expert, having only processed two chickens and a few grouse so far. What I've done with all of them is skin them, rather than trying to pluck feathers. I love crispy chicken skin, but unless we're processing several birds at once and are in for the long-haul, I don't want to spend the time/energy/mess of plucking feathers.

Below are links I've found very useful in slaughtering and then butchering chickens. It should be similar to turkeys. The method she shows for slaughtering seems quite humane and her butchering/processing video made it so easy to remove the entrails without getting any fecal matter on the meat. The other thing I would mention if you decide to skin the bird is that as you are pulling the skin away from the meat, there are some spots where the connective tissue gets pretty thick (wings, hips, etc) and a short slice with a very sharp knife can release that tissue to make it easier to pull the skin away without ripping it. If the skin doesn't rip out, I find it easier to keep going since I have a good hand hold with the wad of skin in my hand.

(slaughtering)

(butchering)