Do you butcher your meat chickens in front of the rest of the flock? Can chicken guts be given to the chickens to eat?

[Kennas_Kritters]

I realize it's odd but... do y'all feel it's ok to butcher a chicken in front of the rest of the flock? Also when I butcher a chicken and take the inside out can I feed the insides to my laying flock? I just don't want to waste anything off of them if I don't have to... Any advice helps... thanks!

 

[Anime2lover]

I realize it's odd but... do y'all feel it's ok to butcher a chicken in front of the rest of the flock? Also when I butcher a chicken and take the inside out can I feed the insides to my laying flock? I just don't want to waste anything off of them if I don't have to... Any advice helps... thanks!

I don't butcher them in front of the others and don't feed the guts to them. But they can eat it. Chickens are known for being cannibals sometimes after all. It won't hurt them.

 

[NatJ]

do y'all feel it's ok to butcher a chicken in front of the rest of the flock?

I think it's fine, but that's a personal opinion that I know some people don't agree with.

The chickens themselves don't seem to care, once it's dead and not flapping around.

Also when I butcher a chicken and take the inside out can I feed the insides to my laying flock? I just don't want to waste anything off of them if I don't have to...

They might not eat the insides thoroughly enough, so you'd have to pick some up and dispose of it at the end (you don't want it laying around to attract predators.)

Some people do not feed chicken to chickens, because they worry about spreading diseases. If the chickens all come from your own flock, I don't think disease is much of a risk-- they've already been exposed to each other.

But I would not want to bring in a live chicken from someone else's flock, butcher it, and feed the insides to my own flock. (I would worry about importing diseases with the new bird.)

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I don't technically (we slaughter in the compost pile), but the birds follow us there because they think we put goodies there, so inevitably one or four will see the act happen.

Then they usually play under the processing table in the water and eat any bits that wash down through the hole. They particularly like the white beans that come out of the male's

 

[Molpet]

The noise and chase of catching one upsets them. Then they line up at the fence looking for scrapes

 

[Anime2lover]

I think it's fine, but that's a personal opinion that I know some people don't agree with.

The chickens themselves don't seem to care, once it's dead and not flapping around.


They might not eat the insides thoroughly enough, so you'd have to pick some up and dispose of it at the end (you don't want it laying around to attract predators.)

Some people do not feed chicken to chickens, because they worry about spreading diseases. If the chickens all come from your own flock, I don't think disease is much of a risk-- they've already been exposed to each other.

But I would not want to bring in a live chicken from someone else's flock, butcher it, and feed the insides to my own flock. (I would worry about importing diseases with the new bird.)

I agree with this whole heartedly. We don't introduce new chickens without quarantine so it makes sense to not feed a new chickens insides to an existing flock.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

If they want to come watch, they can. and do. then fight over the few bits I don't keep for myself. I think nothing of it.

They seem to think its a treat

 

[Ridgerunner]

I realize it's odd but... do y'all feel it's ok to butcher a chicken in front of the rest of the flock?

I have and it doesn't seem to make any difference to the others for longer than a few minutes. I generally don't but that's as much of where the shade and water is as trying to stay out of sight. When I butcher I keep the others in the run so they won't bother me.

Also when I butcher a chicken and take the inside out can I feed the insides to my laying flock? I just don't want to waste anything off of them if I don't have to...

When I butcher I keep one bucket for stuff that will go back to the flock to eat and one for stuff that will be buried in the orchard or garden. I figure by burying that stuff in the garden or orchard it is not wasted.

For the "to eat" bucket I cut the intestines into pieces maybe 3" long, cut the crop in half, toss in testicles, lungs, bits of fat, and other bits. I only keep enough that they can finish up before dark, as NatJ said I don't want to attract predators. I toss that stuff on the grassy ground so a lot of what some people might call undesirable disappears into the ground. Some of that smell does remain so it's not perfect.

As for diseases or parasites I figure they have already been exposed to what the others might have, I don't see a risk there. I split the intestines on a couple when butchering looking for worms. If one has worms I figure they all do. I haven't found any tapeworms or roundworms yet but I keep checking.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Huh. I burn, rather than bury, my bits (feathers, etc) that don't go directly back to the chicken, then turn the ashes into the soil. But that's why I usually work over (or next to) the firepit. Both methods work - I'm just impatient, and possibly fond of fire.

 

[B-Goock]

I usually dispatch mine behind the grow out shed. Many times when free ranging they will go check out their goodies hot spot for left overs.
Since most of my family won't eat any insides I save liver, heart, gizzard, and testes for our dogs. I just toss them in a skillet and fry them some. Put them in a sealed container in the fridge for treats. They love it!