Butchering extra roosters for the dinner table

[chicken farmer]

I have 10 chicks between 3 hens and when they get older I'm sur ethere will be some roosters and also I hatch eggs in the incubator a lot and in the past I was able to sell them or trade them. But with the larger number of chickens I get and more chicks coming I'll probably not be able to find new places for them and I'm homesteading some and love to be more self sufficient and I have a pair of new zealand white rabbits,chickens,compost pile,garden,ducklings,and probably getting a couple turkey poults to raise for Thanksgiving this year. Anyway I would like to start butchering the extra roosters for my family and having some home raised chicken. If you have any tips for me or any fattening tips or if you do this please let me know and what you do...this will be the first time I ever butchered a chicken. But I hunt a lot and skin it and eat it so I'm real familiar with all that. Just wondering if there's any tips or anythng...thanks

 

[LindaB220]

Have you thought about caponizing them? They won't crow, fight or mate. It allows you to grow them out to 5-6 mo with no loss of tenderness. There's several good threads on here about it. Graphic pics in my day of learning to caponize. Also Hellbender has a good video coming out on his thread shortly on Breeding for production of egg and or meat. Start at the end . On Graphic Pics go to page 109 and this shows the procedure with the good chinese tools. Just a thought. Homesteading has a need for this talent.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Look at the stickies at the top of this section, meat birds. There are some good instructional threads there. if you've cleaned squirrels or rabbits, you won't have a lot of trouble with chickens though there is a learning curve.

 

[chicken farmer]

Thanks guys,I'll look at some other threads