Butchering Setup

[strikit]

After my straight run leghorns mature I'll be eating any extra roosters I ended up with. What all do I need for butchering? I think I'll be using a cone, if that changes anything.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

A scalding pot, thermometer (155 F for scalding water), a heat source like turkey fryer or put pot right on the grill to keep temp is nice but not essential and a very sharp knife. I started using exacto knife and realize I should have used one sooner. Perfectly sharp and if it does dull can change out a blade in seconds. The blades on exacto are short but are all you'll need. For leg hocks cut around then bend backward to pop out of socket then cut the exposed tendons.

I set up on the picnic table and have a hose for water source to clean up.

 

[donrae]

Cone, and some way to secure or hang it.
Sharp knives.
knife sharpener.
bucket or trash can with plastic bag to catch the blood, and put the guts/heads/feathers/etc.
Table to work on.

I scald using a cooler chest, instead of keeping a burner going with hot water. I heat the water on my stove inside, pour it in the cooler chest, put the lid on. I overheat the water a bit, then let it cool off to around 150-160 degrees to dunk the bird.

Squirt of dish soap in the scalding water.
Towel/rags
container to put the keeper innards and meat in.
Chair to sit at the table while I pluck and gut.
Hose to spray the table
Squirt bottle with bleach/water solution to spray table when done.

then you'll want ziploc bags or whatever you're going to keep your meat in.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I see the merit of a cooler for water but don't think you could do two birds before they cooled it down too much. Before getting a turkey fryer pot and burner I'd have assembly line of pots of water on the stove in kitchen and carry them out to bring temp back up. It was a bit of a pain and time consuming awaiting for water to heat up if I ran out of boiling water. There is not much you can do if the water is not hot enough. Your wasting time attempting to pluck if the water is below 155F.

 

[donrae]

I can do three birds with the temp staying hot enough. I use a thermometer to check temps before each bird.

I usually limit myself to two at a time, because I have issues with my hands cramping when I do things like this for too long. But three is doable, and the water stays hot enough the birds pluck easily.

It's just an old Coleman rolling cooler. Good tight fitting lid, so you can put the bird in there, shut the lid, and manually rock it back and forth to get the water all swished around. I'm more comfortable doing that than dunking a bird in a pot of hot water over a flame.

I'm not saying anyone has to do it this way, I'm just saying it's what works for me.