Did my 1st time processing of excess roos today!

averytds

Songster
11 Years
Jul 9, 2008
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TY! TY! to whoever recommended the game shears. I got the combo kit with the skinning knife.

DS and I hung a milk jug on a 3ft T-post with a couple zip ties over a 5 gallon bucket. I used the knife for the killing and a slit in the skin and the shears for the rest. Much to my DH's dismay I went with just skinning and tossed everything in another bucket lined with a trash bag. I just had 3 to get rid of at the moment. The first seemed to take forever, but the other two went pretty quick and there was very little hassle or clean-up after.

I've got them in ice water in the fridge at the moment and can't wait to cook them up. I've got 5 more marked for when they're a bit bigger. It's quite empowering to not have to stress over re-homing roos anymore.
 
Good job. How did you use the shears for the rest? Did you just cut the skin off? Did you keep the chickens whole, or did you cut them up.
 
I cut a slit in the breast skin and just used my fingers to pull it all away, skin and feathers, around the back. I used the shears to cut off the feet, wing ends and neck/head. So the feathers/skin were then just pulled off like taking off a feathered shirt. All that went straight into the trash bag, so left very little mess beyond just a few stray feathers. Then I snipped just under the breast bone and used my fingers to loosen and pull everything down and out and then just cut it all off, including the tail, into the trash bag. Cleanup was just DS hosing out the bucket, cutting board and knife/shears washed and the trash bag getting tied up for disposal.

So the birds are whole at the moment. I could cut them into pieces pretty easily with the shears, I just haven't decided how I want to cook them yet. I rinsed them in the kitchen sink and let them soak a bit. Then I rinsed again and put them in for a fresh soak in the fridge.


I know I tossed things others would keep, but being able to spend 20 minutes or less including set-up/clean-up to take care of an extra roo when I need to and without asking my DH....well I'm just thrilled!
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I live in town, so I have to take extra measures to peacefully keep roos with my neighbors. Anything that crows has to go to cages every night. Re-homing can take awhile and it's really a chore for roos you don't want/need.
 
DH's grandparents raised hundreds of poultry every year and he and his brothers processed. He can't stand chicken. I get tired of the search and constantly giving them away. I've got kids to feed darnit!

It's too bad I hadn't already done it when they still had chicks at the feed store. I would happily pick up a dozen. More than that though, I'd likely make the trip to the processor. Ah well, something to look forward to in the spring.


I started with a roo I wasn't very fond of and did one I liked last, which I think helped. DH came home with the girls earlier than I had expected and there was a bit of drama, but it passed pretty quickly. DD's even "helped" with the last one.

Dinner tomorrow will be the first ever non-store bought chicken the kid's and I have ever eaten.
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Where did you get the game shears and skinning knife? What is the brand, can I buy it online?

Sounds great!! How big was your roo?
 
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I would love to hear more details about how you skinned them. I tried skinning one the other day, thinking it would be much faster than plucking (I have 30+ boys that hatched this spring), but it took way longer and the bird looked like a mess
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when I was done. My son hunts turkey and he skins them in the field. He had told me that the skin just comes right off but I found everything was stuck to the meat by a membrane.
 
Now I have not done this but was told about it and it would solve the membrane that attached everything to the bird problem.
If you have an air compresser you can blow the membrane loose from the bird and then it all slips off easily. We were also told you can do the same thing with skinning a deer but with a water hose. For the chicken you just have to get a good seal at the neck before you apply the air. Hold tight.

We also want to try the skinning method the next time we have extra roo's. We processed as many as we could (7) and have sold and rehomed the rest. Well, one more goes to new home today.

As far as cooking....I worried that I would not be able to do it. I did. It was worth it. And it was the best flavored chicken I believe I have ever had.
 

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