Finally all the meat hens done.

[Yukonchick]

Nice and quiet in the chicken house now. Only 11 young laying hens left and 2 roosters. 30 meat birds in the freezer. Whooo hooo!

 

[what did I do]

isn't that a good feeling?

 

[katievallance]

That is awesome!!!! We only got two meat chickens this year and we did those at two seperate times. Couldn't imagine 30! That is awesome tho!

 

[Yukonchick]

Actually it was 31 total. I did two early to check them out and a week later Me and my sister in law did 20 two weeks ago and the last nine i did myself on Sunday. Its a bit job when you gotta pluck them by hand.

 

[Yukonchick]

Ya its such a relief when they're all nicely tucked in the freezer. Now my 11 young layers don't have to battle the stampede at feeding time anymore.

 

[TexasLisa]

Yukonchick was this your first time in doing it? What method did you use to cull the birds? Would you change anything in the way you did it?

Lisa

 

[Yukonchick]

No this is the second time I"ve raised chickens. The last time was over 20 years ago. I had the same number of birds but the last time I lopped their heads off on a stump and then quickly plunged them in a bucket of water until they stopped flapping then I dipped them in the hot water for plucking. This time I used an orange traffic cone and cut the artery and let them bleed out. It works well and don,t think they suffer as long as the wind pipe is not severed. The only difference next year is I'll get one or two more of those highway cones as they work pretty well once I cut the top down to size so the chicken fits in it well. Plus I definatley have to get a chicken plucker.