Butchering tonight, plucking tomorrow?

[Urbanfarmerkc]

Oops, I forgot to mention. If you kill the chickens in the dark, the meat doesn't seem to be as tough. It is a stress thing. Chickens are very light sensitive and don't get as stressed at night as they do during the day. I think it has to do with either evolution or a kind God that knows that most chickens are killed by predators at night. They seem to do better with it.

I have noticed a difference in the meat and if you are killing old animals, every little bit of tenderness count!

Dave

 

[jaku]

You'll want to do it all at once. Why not pick them up and butcher them later, when you have more time?

 

[Wolfwoman]

Yep, do it all at once. With 4 chickens, even if you're SLOW the most it will take is 2 hours.


Quote:
How does that work with wild game? I'd love to feed my moose and snowshoes hares before I shoot them.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

You could just skin them. no scalding, no plucking, very much shortens processing time.

 

[eKo_birdies]

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I'd love to, except I live in an apartment and I'm getting three cockerels and 1 old hen.

My neighbors love me, truly!

You need to wait. If the rooster crows a couple times it won't make much difference as the evidence will be gone before the city can come see you! My best advice would be to keep the chickens for a week and feed them on a feed you trust to get all the concerning food out of their system. We used to do this with wild game before we'd eat it.

If you can't keep them that long, I'd definitely wait until the morning and do it all then.

Dave

i'm REALLY curious how this is done w/ wild game...

the things i'm picturing!

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

WEll, I'd really enjoy watching you try to keep a moose caged for a week before you kill it especially after you rolled your eyes at me! I came from a part of the world where folks ate coons and possums and they would catch them, cage them and keep them fed for one week before they ate them.

 

[Ibicella]

Thanks for all your advice, folks. Unfortunately, I live in a one bedroom apartment with no room for keeping chickens till morning unless I want to keep them crammed in a liquor box, and I didn't think that was very fair to them or my neighbors.

I'm an old farm girl without a farm. *L*

I got one RIR roo, one Barred Rock roo, one white roo with a little cream coloring, I don't know what he was, and one black Austrolorpe hen that had passed her egg laying prime.

Though I did get one fully formed, perfect, jumbo brown egg out of her, so I got a bonus prize! It made the most delicious breakfast. Ahhh, memories of farm fresh eggs...

I did all four last night and it was a pain. I have blood and feathers all over the place. I forgot how much work it is to do them, since the last time I did it was 20 years ago.

BUT! I got it done in an hour, and have four beautiful fresh chickens resting in my refrigerator. I may be strange, but I LOVE the meat from older birds. Their flavor is unbeatable. My head is dancing with images of getting to slow cook them ALLLLLLLL day long when they are done resting, and enjoying fresh chicken pot pies, chicken salad, coq au vin, marinated chicken, chicken soup, rich chicken stock....Mmmmmm!

 

[Wolfwoman]

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We don't cage, we age...

And why feed them yourself?