I hope I did everything right. I watched a lot of videos and read a lot of how-to's...I hope I didn't miss anything.
I chose the method of slicing the jugular. I watched different technique videos...and it seemed the fastest and best way in order to get all the blood to drain. I was originally going to just cut/chop the head off...but when I watched videos of this and the bird just ran around, decapitated...I noticed there was barely any blood loss. Where does the blood go? The way I did it, the blood just drains out. But the decapitated bird didn't "leak".
I have three extra roos (17 weeks old) and knew they would end up as dinner once I realized they were male. I was going to wait until next weekend, but two nights ago Boring Boy attacked me and bit the crap outta my hand. So he met his maker a little early.
My boys (8 and 10) were there to witness. Last night I isolated him as the rest of the flock free ranged for an hour...I read that it's a good idea to withhold food the night before. Once it got dark, I removed their food from inside the coop and returned him. This morning I retrieved him from the coop. I hung him by his feet from a tree (out of sight of the coop containing the other chickens) by a rope with a slip knot. I used the sharpest knife I had (hubby's filet knife), moved the feathers out of the way, and sliced. I think I got just the jugular...not positive though. He drained for a few seconds and then started flopping around. I didn't realize he'd do that. Or, at least, not so much. He flopped for a good 2 or 3 minutes. My boys laughed so hard...while I just thought to myself "God, I hope he's not suffering". Once the blood just dripped instead of flowed, I cut the head off.
I dipped him in the hot water and swished around till the feathers could be wiped away. The boys and I removed all the feathers and then I rinsed him with a hose. I tried to burn the "hairs" but when I cleaned him, noticed I missed a lot. I picked as many of as I could see with my fingernails, once I gutted him.
When I was finished, I put him in a roasting pan and stuck him in my fridge.
Questions: Did I not slice the neck right? Is that why he just kept flopping around???
How do I store him to "rest" in the fridge? Do I keep him in the roasting pan and just cover it up with plastic wrap? Or should I wrap him up? If so, with what?
He got stiff within minutes of slicing his jugular. He's still stiff. Is this normal????
How long should I let him "rest"? I have read so many conflicting amounts...one person said 2 days for just the right tenderness. Someone else wrote 5 days. I am so confused!
Oh, and I'm not freezing him...he's going to be dinner straight from the fridge. The other two, though (once culled), will be freezer bound. Do I have to soak them in brine and THEN freeze them? Or can I freeze them right from the fridge??
I am very proud of myself for doing it. I didn't enjoy it at all...taking a life is not something I've ever done before. Well, except for a handful of black widows and wasps LOL. But I am proud. No one thought I could go through with it. I did it though, and now that I know I am able to do it, I feel empowered...that I can provide food for my family. What a great feeling.
I chose the method of slicing the jugular. I watched different technique videos...and it seemed the fastest and best way in order to get all the blood to drain. I was originally going to just cut/chop the head off...but when I watched videos of this and the bird just ran around, decapitated...I noticed there was barely any blood loss. Where does the blood go? The way I did it, the blood just drains out. But the decapitated bird didn't "leak".
I have three extra roos (17 weeks old) and knew they would end up as dinner once I realized they were male. I was going to wait until next weekend, but two nights ago Boring Boy attacked me and bit the crap outta my hand. So he met his maker a little early.
My boys (8 and 10) were there to witness. Last night I isolated him as the rest of the flock free ranged for an hour...I read that it's a good idea to withhold food the night before. Once it got dark, I removed their food from inside the coop and returned him. This morning I retrieved him from the coop. I hung him by his feet from a tree (out of sight of the coop containing the other chickens) by a rope with a slip knot. I used the sharpest knife I had (hubby's filet knife), moved the feathers out of the way, and sliced. I think I got just the jugular...not positive though. He drained for a few seconds and then started flopping around. I didn't realize he'd do that. Or, at least, not so much. He flopped for a good 2 or 3 minutes. My boys laughed so hard...while I just thought to myself "God, I hope he's not suffering". Once the blood just dripped instead of flowed, I cut the head off.
I dipped him in the hot water and swished around till the feathers could be wiped away. The boys and I removed all the feathers and then I rinsed him with a hose. I tried to burn the "hairs" but when I cleaned him, noticed I missed a lot. I picked as many of as I could see with my fingernails, once I gutted him.
When I was finished, I put him in a roasting pan and stuck him in my fridge.
Questions: Did I not slice the neck right? Is that why he just kept flopping around???
How do I store him to "rest" in the fridge? Do I keep him in the roasting pan and just cover it up with plastic wrap? Or should I wrap him up? If so, with what?
He got stiff within minutes of slicing his jugular. He's still stiff. Is this normal????
How long should I let him "rest"? I have read so many conflicting amounts...one person said 2 days for just the right tenderness. Someone else wrote 5 days. I am so confused!
Oh, and I'm not freezing him...he's going to be dinner straight from the fridge. The other two, though (once culled), will be freezer bound. Do I have to soak them in brine and THEN freeze them? Or can I freeze them right from the fridge??
I am very proud of myself for doing it. I didn't enjoy it at all...taking a life is not something I've ever done before. Well, except for a handful of black widows and wasps LOL. But I am proud. No one thought I could go through with it. I did it though, and now that I know I am able to do it, I feel empowered...that I can provide food for my family. What a great feeling.
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