Butchering your roosters!

[Parront]

You can see the cut above the tail next time you buy a store chicken, just look on the back right above the tail for the little cut place with no skin, that is all it is. I know it sounds gross, but you just reach your hand in and grab to gut them.
1) Lay the bird on it's back, reach in, feel for a hard thing, that's the heart, grab it, pull everything out with it.
2) Then put your hand back in and run your fingers along the backbone, feel some soft stuff -- that's the lungs. Scrape the lungs out with your fingers. (Small hands work best, kid's hands much better than your own)!
But, If that sounds too gross, after you pull out the heart and attached intestines, cut the bird in half, and clean out the rest of the insides. You are probably going to part the bird to cook for soup anyway, so why not make it easy on your self? You can even use heavy-duty poultry shears to cut in half. Or some guys use pruning shears, they have big strong hands. I just use a favorite knife.

 

[kokosmom2]

You can see the cut above the tail next time you buy a store chicken, just look on the back right above the tail for the little cut place with no skin, that is all it is. I know it sounds gross, but you just reach your hand in and grab to gut them.
1) Lay the bird on it's back, reach in, feel for a hard thing, that's the heart, grab it, pull everything out with it.
2) Then put your hand back in and run your fingers along the backbone, feel some soft stuff -- that's the lungs. Scrape the lungs out with your fingers. (Small hands work best, kid's hands much better than your own)!
But, If that sounds too gross, after you pull out the heart and attached intestines, cut the bird in half, and clean out the rest of the insides. You are probably going to part the bird to cook for soup anyway, so why not make it easy on your self? You can even use heavy-duty poultry shears to cut in half. Or some guys use pruning shears, they have big strong hands. I just use a favorite knife.

It doesn't sound gross. Thanks for the explanation. I usually only buy thighs at the grocery store, but next time I go, I'll buy a whole chicken so I can check out that tail cut.

 

[poultry person]

I have two meat Birds (broilers) that I saved from the chicken factory and the are so big! I feel so bad I don't think I will ever eat chicken from USDA again!

 

[Parront]

It doesn't sound gross. Thanks for the explanation. I usually only buy thighs at the grocery store, but next time I go, I'll buy a whole chicken so I can check out that tail cut.

It doesn't sound gross. Thanks for the explanation. I usually only buy thighs at the grocery store, but next time I go, I'll buy a whole chicken so I can check out that tail cut.

When you get a store chicken, it will be a young Cornish-X, easier to reach into because the breast bone is soft. Reach your hand inside and you will notice that once you get past the opening, there is more room. Women don't have much problem, guys with big hands do. Practice on a store bird, it is cheaper to buy chicken whole and cut it up yourself, too!

 

[Parront]

I have two meat Birds (broilers) that I saved from the chicken factory and the are so big! I feel so bad I don't think I will ever eat chicken from USDA again!

LOL, and they are just chicks!

 

[Crooked Chicken]

I would skin the rooster to save the hackles and saddles. Then, into the crock pot or the pressure cooker he goes! An older rooster is soup for sure, but if he is young, under ~20 weeks, fry until brown, then pressure cook 15 min! You don't even need the skin to bread and fry in the pressure cooker. You might want to crisp the pieces in the oven or the broiler after you take them out of the cooker, while you make some mashed potatoes and gravy from the pan juice. Man, I have to go get a rooster pretty soon, if I keep chatting on this thread!

Thank you for the information -- that certainly sounds like the way to go. They will get to keep him for soup, and I will get the next one. They are about 5-1/2 months old now. It will probably be another week before we can butcher one of them.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

IDK, a six month old cockerel makes for a great roaster. Seems a bit of work just to make stew when the bird is still roasting age. If the water temp is 155F and you plunge, swish and repeat until a wing or tail feather pops off with no effort you can pluck a cockerel in few minutes.

 

[Parront]

IDK, a six month old cockerel makes for a great roaster. Seems a bit of work just to make stew when the bird is still roasting age. If the water temp is 155F and you plunge, swish and repeat until a wing or tail feather pops off with no effort you can pluck a cockerel in few minutes.

You could do that -- but the feathers would not be nice to save, like she wanted. Depends what you want, pretty feathers or nice roast for dinner! You have 2, try one each way!

 

[Crooked Chicken]

I have already offered the meat to a friend and she was thinking chicken stew or soup. Since she probably won't want the skin, I think skinning is a good option. I'll make sure before we get started though. I want to assist her hubby in the butchering so I can feel more at ease doing it. I will still have an extra cockerel, but he is a mama's boy.... hoping I can get him through winter with the flock and get him his own girls in spring. If not, he'll have to go too.

 

[Parront]

I have already offered the meat to a friend and she was thinking chicken stew or soup. Since she probably won't want the skin, I think skinning is a good option. I'll make sure before we get started though. I want to assist her hubby in the butchering so I can feel more at ease doing it. I will still have an extra cockerel, but he is a mama's boy.... hoping I can get him through winter with the flock and get him his own girls in spring. If not, he'll have to go too.

Lots of other cockerels out there to practice on besides mama's boy! (Even Mama's Boys get too annoying and go to the crock pot sometimes).