Butchering your roosters!

[Leighe]

Thanks for the input everyone! Everybody has their own opinion and I am not looking to change them. I am only showing what I personally think.

@BYCforlife that is the beauty of this site. You can create a thread and have others who are likeminded, join in and share their thoughts, suggestions or just come on over to learn. So thank you for starting this thread.

 

[BantyChooks]

I've just got a question, serious question.....why did you post on this thread? When I was vegetarian I would have never even gone to this thread (based on the title of it)...much less post on it.....I live a positive outlook on life and I believe what you put out is a reflection of your heart.....so when I was a vegetarian I would have been on the thread with the vegetarians (BTW I still eat some vegetarian meals cause quite honestly the flavors of veggies are incredible..but when I want meat I just add it to the dish or have it on the side) and encouraged them. Had you come on this thread and posted something positive like "I'm vegetarian and I absolutely love allowing my chickens to live out their full lives" maybe you might have planted a seed in someones mind about vegetarianism or about possibly not butchering....but sadly I think you just did the opposite. Nobody on this site or anywhere in the world, agrees with everyone 100%, we all have different thoughts, backgrounds, upbringing and education. Nobody on this site or anywhere in the world is better then anybody else. We all bleed, hurt, love when we get down to the base core. As a former vegetarian I wished you had been more positive, but I absolutely respect your decision as a vegetarian....

Beautifully said.

 

[Leighe]

View attachment 1102623 View attachment 1102624 View attachment 1102625 I have 3 spitzhauben Roos. They r a flighty skinnier bird. 4 months old. Should I wait for them to get fatter or do you think they would be ok to do now. I was trying to give the away but no luck so this may be my only option.

Probably not much meat but I think that about all roosters. I look at them more as chicken stock....and one can never have enough chicken stock, lol

 

[Leighe]

Preparation is key. Resting the meat for one. We slaughter then refrigerate for a couple days. Then brine in a vacuum bag with Rosemary twigs, fresh sage leaves and inject with homemade broth. After that Freezer store it till ready. When ready for wowing your friends at your next bbq, , slow thaw it in your refrigerator for a couple days. The meat falls off the bone like pulled pork. Rub the epidermis with olive oil to insure a crispy exterior to lock in the juicy interior..
Yum..

Oh.My.Word....Rosemary, sage, homemade broth....chicken soup season is coming..

 

[BantyChooks]

Oh.My.Word....Rosemary, sage, homemade broth....chicken soup season is coming..

Already here in the northwoods... Mmmm... Nasty roosters be warned.

 

[Leighe]

Does anyone use the cone method for butchering? I will be attempting butchering for the first time this fall and had heard that was the easiest method for dispatching them. I don't want alot of drama.

I use the cone method because it contains the body of the chicken and you don't have the body running around throwing blood out on everything.

 

[Leighe]

Hi,
I was wondering if they are as big as Orpingtons. I had a flock in the late 80's, the reds were smaller, better egg layers than those Orpingtons. I have been reading about red rangers, but just want to keep one breed in my new flock.

Don't know if ya'll have heard of Dorkings but they have big breasts and they are wonderful docile chickens. If you are a white meat person they're great to have.

 

[Parront]

Don't know if ya'll have heard of Dorkings but they have big breasts and they are wonderful docile chickens. If you are a white meat person they're great to have.

Heard of them, read about them, but have never seen one. How tolerant of heat are they?

 

[mockingbird]

I use the cone method because it contains the body of the chicken and you don't have the body running around throwing blood out on everything.

That is what I was hoping to avoid

 

[Leighe]

Well, I did some more checking, and Umm, the featherman I saw was ,well, expensive. Great for a ton of birds. just not in my budget at this time. I'll have to do by hand or something much less expensive. Maybe a table top type plucker. around $400.00. Going to have to hatch and process more birds though. hum... Been interesting to watch several of the u-tube videos on how different folks do the deed. looking around at those various chicken pluckers has been interesting. Wish everyone the best in processing your birds.

Starry Hilder Off Grid Homestead....her husband made a plucker using his drill, lol. Go check it out...cheap....