California - Northern

[Meg2000000]

I couldn't do it! I just couldn't kill the two sick chicks.. And Johnny was no help! I'm sure once we've done it once it'll be easier, but I'm just plain not ready. Shoot.

 

[zooweemama]

Hi Amy,

I won't be processing for a couple of weeks.

You can do it with a guide as well as the you tube videos. There is a guide here--Use a very sharp knife and not a scalpel:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-process-a-chicken-at-home

You really can't mess it up--even a bad job that looks ugly will still taste good

Ron

I marked it! I think I will cry like a baby the first time I do it.

 

[zooweemama]

What was a good age again to process a heritage breed cockerel? I will have 4ish to process- possibly 6 to 8. If I have to do as many as 6- is there a way to speed it up? Little things to have in place? Or should I just plan in it taking much of the day? I really love love the Foodsaver idea in that link too, Ron!

 

[ronott1]

What was a good age again to process a heritage breed cockerel? I will have 4ish to process- possibly 6 to 8. If I have to do as many as 6- is there a way to speed it up? Little things to have in place? Or should I just plan in it taking much of the day? I really love love the Foodsaver idea in that link too, Ron!

Kim, Paul and I did 7 in about three hours. That included rounding up four delawares and catching the one that escaped out of the coop.

The thing that takes the most time is plucking the feathers. Many hands makes a light load. Get helpers for the plucking part.

I used to do this stuff when I was growing up and my hands still remember how to pluck. Ask Kim if you don't believe me..

Ron

 

[zooweemama]

Kim, Paul and I did 7 in about three hours. That included rounding up four delawares and catching the one that escaped out of the coop.

The thing that takes the most time is plucking the feathers. Many hands makes a light load. Get helpers for the plucking part.

I used to do this stuff when I was growing up and my hands still remember how to pluck. Ask Kim if you don't believe me..

Ron

Ok thanks! I think it will be hubby and I for most of the process but once I get to the plucking stage I am sure most of my kids will want to help. Some of my kids are still horrified by eating them. But they love chicken from the store.

They got too attached to one of the cockerels I was going to process now I have to find him a home.

They aren't allowed to snuggle with the newest batch of cockerels for that reason.

 

[ronott1]

Quote: I forgot to answer your question about age to process. Any time you want to!

You can still make stock out of the young or old ones. Up to 4-5 months are fryers. Up to a year(more likely 7 months) they are broilers. After that they are pressure cooked or boiled. Some people even process the hens when they stop laying. Ok we did growing up.

.

There is a BYCer on the Basque thread that has the goal of getting the Marraduna up to 8 pounds by 24 weeks. Would that be 5#s dressed? I posted before that my Mom wants them to be closer to 2#s when dressed. I think 3 to 4#s is a nice size.

I hope this helps!

Ron

Editd to correct spelling. Ron

 

[CALI CHICK]

I couldn't do it! I just couldn't kill the two sick chicks.. And Johnny was no help! I'm sure once we've done it once it'll be easier, but I'm just plain not ready. Shoot.

I marked it! I think I will cry like a baby the first time I do it.

Honestly I couldn't do the actual "killing" myself unless my family was starving. DH did the "throat cutting" while my son and I stayed in the house sobbing. (Make it quick and as painless as possible, knowing that you gave your chicken the best possible life they could have had.)

But, as soon as that chicken was dead, I was thrilled to help with everything. Seriously, once you get the feathers off, it looks no different than a packaged chicken or turkey at the store. And, I found gutting it very fascinating in a scientific (Anatomy) kind of way. Not to mention the satisfying (and delicious) feeling you'll have setting it on the dinner table.

 

[zooweemama]

I forgot to answer your question about age to process. Any time you want to!

You can still make stock out of the young or old ones. Up to 4-5 months are fryers. Up to a year(more likely 7 months) they are broilers. After that they are pressure cooked or boiled. Some people even process the hens when they stop laying. Ok we did growing up.

.

There is a BYCer on the Basque thread that has the goal of getting the Marraduna up to 8 pounds by 24 weeks. Would that be 5#s dressed? I posted before that my Mom wants them to be closer to 2#s when dressed. I think 3 to 4#s is a nice size.

I hope this helps!

Ron

Editd to correct spelling. Ron

So dumb question...the difference between a broiler and a fryer are? I buy whole chickens and always roast them. It's almost the only thing I do with chicken. I will then use leftovers for dishes. I never actually fry chicken. Which one would be better for my purpose do you think?

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
Fryers and broilers don't exist in the store any more. In the old days, the smaller chickens were labeled as fryers. The bigger ones were broilers because they needed to be older to get bigger. The current hybrid monsters in the store can be used either way because they weigh over 6#s at 6 weeks old now. They are still tender because they are huge but young. Heritage Dual purpose chickens cannot and should not be like those monsters they sell now. Heritage meat chickens can be processed earlier than the dual purpose breeds. You can also get a Heritage cornish cross, but they still take longer than the ones at the store. I think closer to 10 weeks. Others can answer that better than me though.


Fryers are tender enough to fry.

Broilers need to be slow cooked, so you bake them whole in the over. You can also smoke them at 225 degrees.

Over a year they need to be moisture cooked.

I hope this all makes some kind of sense

Ron

 

[zooweemama]

Fryers and broilers don't exist in the store any more. In the old days, the smaller chickens were labeled as fryers. The bigger ones were broilers because they needed to be older to get bigger. The current hybrid monsters in the store can be used either way because they weigh over 6#s at 6 weeks old now. They are still tender because they are huge but young. Heritage Dual purpose chickens cannot and should not be like those monsters they sell now. Heritage meat chickens can be processed earlier than the dual purpose breeds. You can also get a Heritage cornish cross, but they still take longer than the ones at the store. I think closer to 10 weeks. Others can answer that better than me though.


Fryers are tender enough to fry.

Broilers need to be slow cooked, so you bake them whole in the over. You can also smoke them at 225 degrees.

Over a year they need to be moisture cooked.

I hope this all makes some kind of sense

Ron

Makes total sense! So I want to shoot for around 20 weeks or so. I'm glad I don't 'have' to wait until until 6 months- which is what I was thinking. The sooner we get them done, the less feed I have to dole out and less time they are around to develop personalities that we notice. Downside to a small flock I guess- you reallllly can't help but know all your birds. Thanks so much for explaining Ron!

(edited for brain fart. kids talking to me while i typed.)