Butchering single chicken without cone, needing advice

[bullfighting]

Two different scenarios. When I butchered my first chicken, I used the pruning shears, and obviously I lopped off the head with them. When I changed to the box cutter I just severed the veins and did not remove the head until later.

interesting the pruning shears method

 

[cassie]

interesting the pruning shears method

This was a case where necessity was the mother of invention. My brother and husband, the designated chicken killers were out of town and would not be back for several days.
That morning when I went to do chores I noticed one of the big Cornish X roasters suddenly couldn't walk. Now I had never butchered anything in my life nor did I want to. It was obvious he wasn't going to make it until they returned so it was up to me. I could kill and process the chicken myself or I could let nature take its course and end up throwing that nice plump roasting chicken in the dumpster. I didn't consider this last an option. I went to the internet and printed out step by step instructions on how to process a chicken. Obviously the first step was to kill it. The axe was out. One, I am squeamish, and two, I do not have the upper body strength necessary to hold the chicken with one hand and lop off his head with the other. So. I went out to the shop and looked around to see what was available. My eyes landed a pair of big heavy duty pruning shears. Regular limb loppers. I figured they would do and that even I, wuss that I am, could use those. So I hung up the chicken, grabbed the shears with both hands and I had the head off that chicken before either he or I knew what was happening. Then I just went down the list of instructions and did what they said one step at a time. Made a point to just do it and not think about it at all. The good news is that before long I had a clean naked chicken in the fridge. The bad news is that I then, through no fault of my own, I became the designated chicken processor.

 

[Ascholten]

I just cut a leg off one day, a wing the next, the other leg the third day. Hey... you can't eat a good chicken like that all at once now right?

Could always use the Ozzy Method, bite the head off.

Aaron

 

[bullfighting]

This was a case where necessity was the mother of invention. My brother and husband, the designated chicken killers were out of town and would not be back for several days.
That morning when I went to do chores I noticed one of the big Cornish X roasters suddenly couldn't walk. Now I had never butchered anything in my life nor did I want to. It was obvious he wasn't going to make it until they returned so it was up to me. I could kill and process the chicken myself or I could let nature take its course and end up throwing that nice plump roasting chicken in the dumpster. I didn't consider this last an option. I went to the internet and printed out step by step instructions on how to process a chicken. Obviously the first step was to kill it. The axe was out. One, I am squeamish, and two, I do not have the upper body strength necessary to hold the chicken with one hand and lop off his head with the other. So. I went out to the shop and looked around to see what was available. My eyes landed a pair of big heavy duty pruning shears. Regular limb loppers. I figured they would do and that even I, wuss that I am, could use those. So I hung up the chicken, grabbed the shears with both hands and I had the head off that chicken before either he or I knew what was happening. Then I just went down the list of instructions and did what they said one step at a time. Made a point to just do it and not think about it at all. The good news is that before long I had a clean naked chicken in the fridge. The bad news is that I then, through no fault of my own, I became the designated chicken processor.

What bad luck that it happened to you!