First butchering day; Actually quick and easy!

[Skyrider]

Quote:
Hi Jenny the Bear,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful post. Our electric is dependably UN dependable, for sure. Your idea of a bicycle is brilliant, but I'm not the type who could figure out how to do it. I probably need to get his book on how it's made. I'm not even sure I could get those fingers. I saw the YouTube video, but I'll put his book on my wish list. We use electric for a regular refrigerator, although not a giant one, but it stands head height. If the electric goes out for days then it's simply not used. It will keep everything for about 24 hours and then it no longer matters. Fortunately the freezer door is above the normal refrigerator door and that helps save the energy.

I really want to learn this pithing. I have never seen any of the butchers do it that way here. From the number they kill I'm surprised they don't know it. I'm going to share it with the next butcher and see if he thinks the feathers come out any more easily. They all scald, and we wouldn't be butchering more than two or three at a time.

I just lost another chick this morning. It was one of the first hatched and last night was very healthy. I just can't figure out what's killing them. All the others (seven left) are fine.

I'm in the jungle about two hours away from downtown Bombay. This is one of the biggest cities in the world, but very, very compact and mostly vertical. Check out our videos at http://fiwl.wordpress.com

Thanks!

Sky~

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
I would not waste my time or resources to build a mechanical plucker unless I were regularly going to butcher 10-20 chickens at a time. I was amazed at how much easier plucking was than I expected it to be. Even our very first time, we got four birds completely plucked and dressed out in under an hour. I didn't think that was too bad. The plucking took me less than 10 minutes per bird.

Our only experience with plucking prior to this was with wild ducks and turkeys that my husband had hunted. We didn't know any better, so we dry-plucked them, and it was a nightmare. Next time he brings ducks home, thanks to this site we know some better methods to try!

 

[Skyrider]

Quote:
I would not waste my time or resources to build a mechanical plucker unless I were regularly going to butcher 10-20 chickens at a time. I was amazed at how much easier plucking was than I expected it to be. Even our very first time, we got four birds completely plucked and dressed out in under an hour. I didn't think that was too bad. The plucking took me less than 10 minutes per bird.

Our only experience with plucking prior to this was with wild ducks and turkeys that my husband had hunted. We didn't know any better, so we dry-plucked them, and it was a nightmare. Next time he brings ducks home, thanks to this site we know some better methods to try!

Thanks! That's what I'm thinking too.

Sky!

 

[KimT]

I haven't processed any of my chix yet so it is encouraging that you found it so manageable. Thanks for all the details.
I have one question- how did you get the bird to hold still long enough to be pithed?
Okay maybe two questions- how would you rate the difficulty level for someone who has no hunting experience?

 

[AllChookUp]

KimT wrote:
I have one question- how did you get the bird to hold still long enough to be pithed?

My guess, knowing how well this worked for ninjapoodles, is that she used cones to hold the birds for pithing and beheading. I have asked her about what the dimensions of the cones need to be via a PM, but maybe the public forum would benefit others.

I would think the cones just have to be big enough for the bird's head to come through the bottom, yet tight enough that the shoulders/wings don't come through the bottom hole that the head comes through. Also the top (widest) opening of the cone needs to be big enough to hold the body (wings folded in) but not so wide that the bosy moves around a lot.

I'm not sure in inches what these dimensions are, but I'd love to hear from anyone that knows. I saw on another post that someone had used old plastic bleach jugs.


.​

 

[Sunny Side Up]

KimT, I zip-tie the birds' legs together and hang them on a hook. We use a frame from a rescued porch swing. The birds get fairly calm in that position, I think they get woozy from the blood rushing to their heads. Some will do more initial flapping & do sit-ups to reorient themselves. But if you gently straighten them out & hold their heads down, they will eventually hang calmly.

I think one of the biggest hurdles for non-hunters is the unfamiliar act of ending an animal's life. Especially to do it calmly & competently, without the fear or anger you'd have if you were killing an animal in self-defense.

But I'm in agreement with Dancingbear -- it is satisfying to know you have now mastered this essential survival skill, that you can do what needs to be done in order to provide meat for your table. There have already been other discussions on this board concerning this topic. It's only a recent phenomenon in our society, this detatchment from our food sources, this reluctance to tackle the less pleasant but necessary chores, the willingness to push it to the margins of our awareness.

Until there's a breed of chicken developed that will dispatch, pluck, and gut themselves, the next best option is to learn to do the job well, quickly & efficiently, for the chickens' sakes as well as our own.

 

[dancingbear]

Well said, Sunny. It's a vital step to take, IMO. Makes you so much more appreciative of where your food comes from. Less likely to waste it, too, if you go through the whole process yourself.

 

[Skyrider]

Quote:
Hi Sunny!

Very well, and succinctly said.

Sky~

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
Good points! I've kept myself at arm's-length from the process, relying on my husband for the nitty-gritty. But we have several roos right now that NEED to be processed, and he's not feeling up to it, so I may give it a go myself this weekend, under his supervision. We'll see.

 

[Hope119]

this discussion was back in 2008. were there videos on the subject made since then?
Thanks!