creative ways to utilize the "whole" bird.

[joecarrr]

Hello. I've been lurking for a while. I have 19 cx birds in a Salatin style tractor. I had 20 but a little runt got crushed in the brooder. They are about 5-6 weeks old right now and I plan to butcher the larger birds in 10 days and the smaller birds in about 3 weeks. We plan to cut most of them into pieces. Wings, legs, breasts, thighs, etc. I'm going to smoke 3 of them whole. My question is, after cutting all the cuts of meat off the carcass, what do you do with the rest? I know I can make stock and save it for chicken soup but is there anything else? Also, what do you do with the byproducts? i.e. feathers, heads, guts, etc.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I don't use the feathers, heads and guts, although I understand they make fine compost. I have so many predators in my area that I don't want to do anything that might attract them. I do keep and freeze the chickens feet and offer them to my dogs as a chew toy they way you might give them a rawhide twist or a pig ear. I make a lot of stock on butchering day using the necks, gizzards, hearts and kidneys plus carrots, cellery and onion. Once the stock is made, I strain it and freeze it in ziplock bags in 2 cup portions. These are not only used in soups but in cooking rice, making pot pies and so forth. The necks carrots and cellery are tossed in the food processor and ground up for a food supplement for the dogs. (Don't use the onions because they are toxic to dogs). The gizzards, hearts and kidneys I usually cut in little pieces and freeze on a big cookie sheet. Once they are frozen, they go into another container in the freezer for training treats for the dogs (although I sometimes they are pureed with the necks as well). Livers I keep for human consumption. I have made an awesome and easy chicken liver pate as well as chicken liver rissotto or just skewer them and grill them.

This year, because my boys will both be in college and my daughter is spending a year abroad in S. Korea, I'll probably be piecing out the butchered birds more than I did in the past. Usually I freeze most of them either whole or halved. I'll roast a whole or half for Sunday dinner and then have something like chicken fajitas or a chicken salad during the week . The mostly picked over carcass will get tossed in a bag in the freezer until I have two and I'll use them for soup, leaving almost nothing but bones. Even though I'll be alone much of the year (my husband travels M-F almost every week), I'll proably continue with this habit every other week, because I basically cook once for several meals and there is soo little to throw away. However, I'll probably also make some sausage and do some leg quarters and boneless breasts too.

I plan on following a dog-expert fan of mine and feed my dogs someof the the back portions raw. I know you've heard never to give your dog chicken bones, but it turns out that that advice only applies to cooked chicken bones, which become brittle and sharp. You can give a dog raw chicken and raw bones and they crunch it up just fine. There are all sorts of health benefits in giving your dog a raw diet, and while I will probably not go all the way to 100% raw, I'll probably supplement their diets considerably more after this batch is processed.

 

[joecarrr]

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking about doing gallon jugs of chicken broth for soup but the bags are a good idea for rice. Looks like my chocolate lab is gonna be eating well soon. I think I will put the feathers in my compost pile but i will probably bury the heads and guts.

 

[pound4pound]

if you have dogs the heads and guts are a treat but cook them in soy sauce. dont bury the heads or gutts in your backyard just get your local garbage pick them up. will cause biological issues on your farm if you bury them.

 

[wsmoak]

Livers and hearts get cooked and diced as a treat for the cats. Also another little red organ -- there's only one so perhaps it's the spleen?

Backs and necks go to make stock -- but I typically freeze whole birds, then roast them and make stock from the carcass.

I tried burying the heads and guts the first year. After a hard day of processing I got out the post-hole diggers to make sure I buried them deep. The next day... all the holes were dug up and empty. My guess is an opossum...

Until I get a secure compost bin set up, I just layer pine shavings and the entrails in a regular trash can bag, and put it out with the regular garbage. Don't fill it all the way up, it gets heavy, and you do NOT want that bag to break! I fill it part-way and then put regular household trash on top.

Feathers that I rake up from under the plucker just go in the regular compost bin with the horse/rabbit manure.

-Wendy

 

[Ridgerunner]

I cut the chicken up into thighs, drumsticks, breasts and wishbone. These get frozen for human consumption.

I used to cook the liver to eat myself but my wife couldn’t stand the smell of cooking liver so now those go to the dogs.

I save the backs, wings, necks, gizzard, heart, and feet for broth. I know the feet are dirty but if you scald them enough but not too much the toenails and spurs twist right out and the skin is easy to peel off. That gets them clean enough for me. If you overscald the skin tears real easy and it is a pain to skin them. Takes some practice to get it right.

I sometimes save saddle and hackle feathers from the older cockerels and roosters for people that make jewelry from them.

While I’m butchering I keep an extra bucket around for “parts”. I empty the gizzard and crop in this bucket, plus cut the crop into about three pieces and throw it in. I include guts (including contents) cut into pieces and whatever chunks of fat or meat I have. This bucket of goodies gets fed to the remaining chickens.

In the fall I bury what’s left in my garden. By spring, it’s broken down into plant food. Other times of the year I bury this stuff in my orchard. It will break down and feed my fruit trees. To keep critters from digging it up, I put wire fencing over it and hold that down with concrete pavers. If the timing was right and I’m starting a new batch of compost, I have buried it in the bottom of the compost. I do have a cover to put over it to keep critters out.

 

[czoellner]

Good evening all, I have been reading a lot of the other forums and this one is my next stop in the cycle. I have 8 CX to butcher in a couple weeks, I really don't like to waste anything if possible. I've heard of making the stock from the feet and left over pieces, anyone here try that yet?

I've always tossed leftover carcasses back to the birds and they seem to really love it. Our thanksgiving turkey was picked clean, then given to them. In less than 12 hours, 19 adults devoured the entire thing. So no wild animals came sniffing around. I've always cooked up the innards for the dogs. Knowing about giving them the raw meat and bones is another good use. I'm sure they'll be excited about that!

DH built a chicken Plucker last year, we've only gotten to use it on 2 birds for a friend. So this will be a good workout for it. Can't wait to see how it performs.