Butchering, resting, brining, freezing and bumblefoot

[DontPulletMyLeg]

I've been spending days looking through old posts but haven't found the information I was looking for. I have a few questions as I am new to slaughtering and cooking chickens.

As of yesterday I had 7 hens that were about 12 months old; they came with the house when we bought it. I slaughtered 2 yesterday and 1 so far today... They are now resting in my fridge in large ziplocs. Not of a big fan of most of these ladies so I want to get a whole new flock and start fresh with 2 day old chicks that I'm getting next week. I know I'll be without eggs for a while and I'm okay with that.

First question--> Hubby doesn't like the skin and I don't care to hand pluck every bird so I skinned them. I heard brining will help make the meat more juicy... will it also help if the carcass doesn't have the skin on it as well? Is there anything different or special I need to do with skinless, older birds? I know cooking them slow will help and I have a new slow cooker I want to break out and use. I know they won't be as tender as say a 8 week old Cornish X but hoping it's not extremely tough.

Second question--> Should I brine these older birds before I put them in the freezer? And I heard different time frames for resting, anywhere from 24-72 hours. Should I have them rest, then freeze, then eventually thaw, brine and the cook?? OR should I rest them for a couple days, then brine, then freeze? ***DISCLAIMER: I am a vegetarian and do not know how to cook meat. My husband does eat meat though, but he doesn't know much about cooking meat either (bless his heart). I'm willing and wanting to learn.

Third question--> Bumblefoot. I have read many posts about this issue on this site, and then also talked to a few people I know that own flocks about it as well. I get a lot of conflicting answers. I have a few birds with bumblefoot. I have cut it out, soaked it in epsom salt, put veterinarian prescribed ointment on it, wrapped it and changed the bandages often... and even put them all on antibiotic water additive from the vet. Nothing has worked. And honestly I'm not going to try anymore. I'm not going to do this with several chickens daily for many weeks to months. Not worth it to me. Their feet aren't swollen, they get around fine, eat and drink... they just have the normal scab on their foot pads. NOW, about culling them and eating them. Heat destroys it from what I read about the strain of staph. Homesteaders I talked to eat the meat after it's cooked without any problem. But people on here seem against it. If you clean all utensils well, wear gloves, cut the feet off when butchering and cook the meat thoroughly... is there really anything wrong with it? I feed my animals raw and when I pick up a bunch of chicken feet from the store, many of them have it on their feet. (I throw those out since they'd be eating the feet raw), but I'm sure the meat from those birds were cooked and eaten. Just wondering if there is something I'm missing in terms of not eating the bird. I would hate for these hens to go to waste (medications haven't been in their systems for a while)

Thank you in advance for your help. This site has been an amazing resource!

 

[YdogsflY]

Butcher the birds with bumble foot since you are replacing and not fond of them.

Fix the problems that caused the bumblefoot so the next flock doesn't have the issue.

Skin on or off, brined or not brined is personal preference. If you want tender chicken you need to butcher them around 16 weeks. After 20 weeks its all about the cook.

 

[Birdinhand]

I rest my CX for 3-5 days at about 33-8f before freezing. I thaw them out in the fridge for another 3 days or so, then brine for 12 hours. I then cook at 350 for about 2 hours. long slow roasting in a pan with a lid mostly on and a bit of water in the bottom will help keep them moist and tender. I have not done it, but I hear canning is one of the best ways to get a tough bird to be tender. I am not fond of eating egg layers. there are various ways to avoid wasting the meat if you can't find a satisfying way to prepare it. dog food it one option. composting by digging a hole near, say a fruit tree and burying it at least 18" below the dirt is another way to assure the nutrients get used.

 

[MicahtheOkie]

Get out the pressure cooker for those old birds. Chicken and dumplings just like my Nan used to make

 

[Morrigan]

Before I even knew what bumblefoot was, I processed and ate birds with small black scabs on their feet and never thought twice about it. I even used the feet to make stock! I'm still alive to tell the tale but, truth be told, I'm still not certain if what I was looking at back then was bumblefoot, in that the feet did not appear to be swollen and there was no other sign of underlying infection. Now, if I see of black spot on the foot, I throw the foot away, but still process the bird. If I saw pus or other obvious signs of infection, I might re-think eating the bird, but so far I've not encountered that.