Don't have the nerve- 6 roos driving me nuts!

[prncssprplfrog]

When I got my straight run Brahma Bantys last June, I thought it would be easy to get rid of the ones I didn't want to keep.....not so. I've tried every way possible to rehome them to no avail.
Now, they are driving me batty! My buffs are aggressive, one grabbed my hand today & left a big beak mark because he thought I was going after one of his women. They're roughing up the girls something awful too!
I am SO not opposed to eating my own chickens, but don't have the nerve to do the job myself. I've seen it done badly enough when my father & grandfather took care of our turkeys.
Here's my problem- what do I do? I have looked in the phone book & found a few butchers, but they don't do chickens...
You'd think in farm country-upstate NY, that SOMEONE would be willing to do the job.
My 13 yr old said he'd do it- but I really don't want him to do it by himself- helping someone who knew what they were doing- that's another thing.


I was going to keep one roo with the girls- but at this point- I'm ready to be roo-less... *funny thing is- my 83 yr old gran said that if I needed her to- she'd do it for me....I DON'T want her to.

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd let your granny do it if she's able, and I'd watch and help her to learn how. I wish I had someone (who knew what they were doing) to show me how to kill/process chickens, because I'm a bit of a wimp too when it comes to things like that.

 

[Hecate]

I'm in the same boat - we have a local butcher just down the road, but they don't process chickens. I found out who butchers chickens around us through a 4-H leader. You might try that route. Good luck!

 

[mamaKate]

Try advertising for someone on Craig'slist or another local ad service. Some people have success with bachelor pens. I know how you feel. I have a monster of a BO roo . He's not that big but his attitude sure is. I restricted his free range time to when I'm not running in and out. He isn't actually dangerous, I just got tired of watching my back. I've put down animals before. It was really hard and I don't want to do it if I can find another way.

 

[prncssprplfrog]

I have a friend that works for the local Farmer's Museum & does 4H. I know she's taken care of her own roos before. I'll give her a call. I would certainly be willing to pay anyone & share the meat if I could find someone to do it for me.

The thing is I'm right inside the borders of the "hamlet" & we're not supposed to have chickens...so many of us do that no-one complains. I seem to be the only one with roos at the moment (and loud watchdog roos at that) so I don't want to draw more attention to them. I'd rather have my girls than none at all.


*Could I take care of a bird if it was life or death or the only food we'd have- probably.



*BTW- I'm sitting here watching two BCM chicks struggle to overcome being stuck in eggs (helped them out) poor dears. Haven't been able to pull myself away all day.

Thanks everyone.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Not sure where Schuyler Lake is, what county? If nearby, I have some processors I could send your way that will do home flocks...................let me know

 

[prncssprplfrog]

I'm smack dab in the middle of the state. I'm about 10 minutes north of Cooperstown, NY.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Sounds like you've got all the help you need right there with both your Granny & your teenager willing to do the job! It's really not that messy or loud, you don't need a lot of room or equipment, it shouldn't attract any more attention from your neighbors. Check out http://www.HowToButcherAChicken.com to get some good beginning info. Read some more "how to" posts here, get some links to some GOOD YouTube videos (there are a lot of really bad ones you must avoid!). We'll help talk you through the tough spots. Just do it!

 

[dancingbear]

I agree with Sunnyside, the best thing is to "cowgirl up" and do it yourself. Get your friend or your Gran to show you how, after you watch some vids and read the tutorials. There's more than one way to butcher a chicken, some easier than others. I like the Joel Salatin vids on youtube, (on slaughter and evisceration) except I keep the gizzards, Joel does not.

I used to make my DH do all the slaughter, I did most of the cleaning. Now I do both, as I'm no longer working a regular job, but he is. It's kind of a dirty job, but it's not as bad as you'd think. You said you watched your father and grandfather do it badly. That can certainly be off-putting, but you don't have to do it badly. You have the option of learning to do it well.

Now that I've "cowgirled up", I feel a sense of security, knowing that I'm perfectly able to provide meat for myself and whoever else is around, all by myself. I've helped process pigs and deer as well, and feel I can butcher pretty much anything I need to butcher, if and when I need to. (Given the right equipment for lifting the big ones, anyway, or some muscle to help with that part.)

 

[gckiddhouse]

The hardest part is killing the bird. Once you have a dead bird, you will be fine. The sticky someone already referred to is great. The only problem is that if you don't know what you are doing, the killing part may not go so well.
A few months ago, I found myself in exactly your position. 6 roosters that we didn't want and they were aggressive with the hens and causing problems in the flock, teaching the hens to be mean to each other. These roos are poison in your flock. You must remove them.

We were able to give 2 away. One dropped dead and one got taken by a bobcat. There was one we wanted to keep.
Now, I did butcher my biggest, meanest rooster. But - the killing part didn't go very well. But, once it was dead, I was able to follow the directions in the sticky pretty well.

You can get a traffic cone at a hardware store, cheap! Cut the tip off (enough to let the head of the chicken come through) and attach it to a wall or post or fence. Put the roo head down in there and zip tie his legs together to keep him from being able to get out. Now take your hand and hold his head in your hands. Use your thumb to find his ear lobe. Run your thumb up his neck and feel the soft spot between his wind pipe and his spine right behind his ear lobe. Use a very sharp knife and slice the soft spot which is where his juglar vein is. Once you have made the cut, it is over. It will take about 2 minutes for him to die. That is the hardest part. Walk away and give him time.

Let your grandmother help you. She has a great deal of wisdom to pass to you. What a wonderful treasure! She has probably done lots of these.

The truth is that no one wants to collect roosters and they make great dinner guests, so learn to do it. You won't be sorry you did!

Through our local permaculture guild, they do chicken butchering classes. You might see if there is one there in NY coming soon. I still say, though, that your grandmother is the teacher you need. Let her show you!