So Ive been talking myself into getting meat chicks this fall. I really want to try it, but I keep thinking its just not something I can do, even tho I want to. So today was very hot out, and I had one black rock hen looking pretty rough. When I went in the coop this afternoon, she was looking very bad, panting, eyes rolled back. I picked her up and took her to the barn, filled up a bucket with water, and set her in it so she could cool down. After a minute...she died. So I was going to throw her in the back for the buzzards, and I thought...maybe, just maybe....I can practice on her. So I went in the house, got a knife, not a very sharp one, but the only one I had. I hung her up over a bucket and tried to cut her throat. Need sharp knives. After a few messed up cuts, I just cut the head off. I guess since she was already dead, the blood came out pretty slowly. I have it a few minutes to bleed out (wasnt much there), then took it in the barn. There was a hay wagon in there, from where my neighbor had bailed some hay and needed to put it under cover. The back was open...perfect for a table. Well, it was pretty much a mess....black chickens dont clean very easily, I guess. Best I could do was skin the breast and the leg quarters, and cut them off. Didnt get much breast meat, but the knife was pretty dull. Amazingly enough, it looked just like a supermarket chicken. Who knew???? If I would have had gloves, I might have tried gutting. The skinning didnt go that well, so I dont think I could have gutted. I think practise...practise...practise. I did end up with a few pieces that Ill cook tomorrow for the puppies. Next time Ill be sure I have sharper knives. I dont know whether Ill pluck or skin next time. I need to watch those Youtube videos some more. Necessity is the Mother of Invention. If this hen hadnt of died, I dont think I would have gotten the gumption to try this.
good for you. I like the way you took a negative (your bird keeling over) and turned it into a way to learn. No better way to honor the life of your hen, then to use this for education and enhance your family.
At least you tried it! I say good for you for taking the initiative yourself and doing it........ And yes, sharp knives are a neccesity......I also like to have a big pair of shears for the neck bone. It'll get easier-don't worry about it!
Good for you!! Your hen gets to be a part of your family for a little longer as food, and that's a GREAT accomplishment! Your pups will enjoy the treat and you will remember what you've done and do better next time!
Yay for you! You've taken that essential first step, learned some important lessons, calmed some of those beginners' qualms. With each session I still learn something to help make the next time go better.
No offence, But I could never eat my chickens! , We only have four,But I might eat them if we lived on a big farm with lots of chickens. So good for you! and I hope you get your meat chickens xD
Well, I figured this was a good first step, since I wasnt sure how Id feel about killing my first bird. Since she croaked on her own, I didnt have to worry about that part. I am going to shop for a good sharp knife; I can now see how very important that is. The knife I used was a serrated edged knife, and really did a pretty bad job. I had to do a lot of sawing. But all in all, it wasnt a bad experience. The feathers everywhere were one negative on skinning. Had I been cutting up a plucked chicken I think I would have done much better. All in all, it was good, if it did nothing more than give me the confidence to try it again.
Serrated knives are good for bread and tomatoes IF they are sharp, they are not good for meat That's why you had such a hard time. You don't even need a big knife, in fact, get one that is comfortable to your hand and just keep it sharp, you'll be very happy.
