Butchering without gutting.

[B-Goock]

I've vacuum sealed all the meat and turned my attention to carcasses & wing tips. Since I have to work tonight I'll make use of my time. Some Moscato while I make broth & cooked up some of the breast meat to try. Only seasoned salt, skillet fried skin down, then finished in the oven. The two young picky eaters here both gave thumbs up on the black pendesenca chicken. One I had to give a cup of the broth to dip my wife's homemade sourdough bread in. I had to try too. Yep. Bite of chicken. Yummy bread soaked in broth. Dang. Lets not solve covid. We can stay home and do this.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I've vacuum sealed all the meat and turned my attention to carcasses & wing tips. Since I have to work tonight I'll make use of my time. Some Moscato while I make broth & cooked up some of the breast meat to try. Only seasoned salt, skillet fried skin down, then finished in the oven. The two young picky eaters here both gave thumbs up on the black pendesenca chicken. One I had to give a cup of the broth to dip my wife's homemade sourdough bread in. I had to try too. Yep. Bite of chicken. Yummy bread soaked in broth. Dang. Lets not solve covid. We can stay home and do this.

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I’d love to make this lifestyle a full time job.

Well, it is a full time job. I just need another full time job to support the first time job!

 

[pspatbyc]

We split ours open and do not pluck. Breast the birds out and slice the legs out. Then debone them, chunk it all and can the white and leg meat separate. Between half a pig, several deer I cannot have whole chickens with hollow cavities eating freezer space. Besides I think we use they meat just as easy this way for other meals.

Okay I've never processed so pardon me if i say something stupid.
You said you don't pluck so am i correct in that you are doing "Skinless" chicken ? now for the dumb question. how deep do the feathers go ?? Does the skin pull back like when you skin a fur animal (deer/rabbit) with the feathers still attached. I cut up store bought chickens and carve a whole cooked bird so I'm good with that. I'm really interested in processing without having to gut since I don't cook whole birds anymore. Also mom used to save the margarine (yuk) containers and freeze smaller portions of chicken stock. I'm sure there are similar containers out there today that would work the same way.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Okay I've never processed so pardon me if i say something stupid.
You said you don't pluck so am i correct in that you are doing "Skinless" chicken ? now for the dumb question. how deep do the feathers go ?? Does the skin pull back like when you skin a fur animal (deer/rabbit) with the feathers still attached. I cut up store bought chickens and carve a whole cooked bird so I'm good with that. I'm really interested in processing without having to gut since I don't cook whole birds anymore. Also mom used to save the margarine (yuk) containers and freeze smaller portions of chicken stock. I'm sure there are similar containers out there today that would work the same way.

Freezing Stock in ice cube trays is also popular, even if the portions are embarrassingly small. Typically, they are then popped out of the trays and then transferred to large plastic bags for storage. We usually transfer ours to large glass Bell canning jars while still steaming hot, allow them to partially can themselves as they cool, finish tightening the lids and place in the back of the refrigerator. They don't last long enough in our house to need freezing. Additionally, by storing that way, the fats and gelatins suspended in the stock don't separate out while freezing, which makes cleaning easier (who wants to clean a half dozen ice trays, anyways???)

Actually, my wife started stock with the carcasses of a chicken and a duck yesterday, plus some organ meats, necks, wing tips. We are having Southern-style chicken noodle soup now. Later, we'll probably squeeze a bit of lime, grab cilantro and ginger from the garden, a bit of ground dried Thai chilis (same), and sprout some mung beans. That will make a couple more lovely bowls. Then stretch the rest with a bit of chili powder (plain, achiote, chipotle), more lime, some tomato, maybe some corn, and finish it off as tortilla soup. Good stock is glorious.

/edit and to answer your question, feathers are like hair or nails. Well embedded in the skin at times, but no deeper than that. Peel the skin off, take the feathers with.

 

[Molpet]

Okay I've never processed so pardon me if i say something stupid.
You said you don't pluck so am i correct in that you are doing "Skinless" chicken ? now for the dumb question. how deep do the feathers go ?? Does the skin pull back like when you skin a fur animal (deer/rabbit) with the feathers still attached. I cut up store bought chickens and carve a whole cooked bird so I'm good with that. I'm really interested in processing without having to gut since I don't cook whole birds anymore. Also mom used to save the margarine (yuk) containers and freeze smaller portions of chicken stock. I'm sure there are similar containers out there today that would work the same way.

This isn't gutless, but shows skinning

 

[Ridgerunner]

Okay I've never processed so pardon me if i say something stupid.

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask. We all have to start from somewhere. You don't need to hurt yourself, hurt the chickens, or mess up the process because you are afraid to ask a question. Most of us don't bite, especially in public. We want you to feel comfortable here.

how deep do the feathers go ?? Does the skin pull back like when you skin a fur animal (deer/rabbit) with the feathers still attached.

There are a few spots where the skin does not come off that easily, the wings for sure, sometimes the small of the back or at the bottom of the drumsticks. A sharp knife will come in handy. But yes, the feathers come off with the skin.

The older they get the more challenging skinning is, especially the boys. If you are skinning CX at two months or Rangers at three months it should be really easy, but if you let a dual purpose cockerel go six months skinning becomes more challenging. If you try to skin a mature rooster have a really sharp knife. That can be work.

I'm sure there are similar containers out there today that would work the same way.

You can reuse plastic containers to freeze stock or broth if you want. Around here the larger yogurt cups would work, for example. Just be careful to not ruin the lids when you open them. You can buy various sizes at places like Walmart that we use, one cup and one pint sizes are most popular here.

When I make broth I make three batches that gives me about 10 to 11 quarts total. I use a pressure canner than holds 18 pints so I can that much. I check with the wife to see how much she wants fresh in the refrigerator (usually one pint) and put the rest in tupperware containers to freeze. Her preference when cooking is to just open a jar, it's not frozen so is really convenient to use and if she doesn't use it all she puts a lid on it and puts it in the fridge. The frozen broth is more likely to be used when making soup or something like that where it can be put in the pot frozen and thawed on the stove.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

^^^ That. @Ridgerunner is one of my favored members of the community for helpfulness. Also @aart and @3KillerBs. I keep my eye out for @Molpet 's posts, too - would be my go to if I raised turkeys.

 

[3KillerBs]

^^^ That. @Ridgerunner is one of my favored members of the community for helpfulness. Also @aart and @3KillerBs. I keep my eye out for @Molpet 's posts, too - would be my go to if I raised turkeys.

I learned so much from the people here even years before I had my first chickens that it's only right to give back what I was given.

 

[archeryrob]

If you all think skinning chickens id difficult you should come over and help me skin a deer. When I get to the shoulders to Neck I have to put my knee in it and use my body weight on it to push it down.

We used to make hangers from bailing twine for rabbits. You have two hanging from the garage door frame in a loop. Double the loop over and put a leg in each side. You could do it with roosters too. Open the belly skin and slice up the legs. Open them out and loose at the top of the drumb stick. Grab it all and pull down. Pause at the butt and trim around the vent and through the tail. Pull more and turn it inside out. Find the crop and pull and snip. Cut it and you got a lot of washing to do. Wings can be a challange.

As RR said our 18 - 20 roos the skin slips fairly well. Old birds not so.