First cull - hold me! No, really, critique my plan.

[dainerra]

curious.. what's the point of not feeding them for 24 hours?
We've never fasted any of our birds before butchering. Most times, it consisted of my mom saying "I think I want chicken today" and walking out into the yard and picking up the first roo she came across. Axe off the head, dunk the bird in scalding water, bird is in the frying pan within 30 mins.

When I process my own, I skin. I HATE HATE plucking chickens. The smell is freakin' gross too. Skinning might take a couple minutes longer, but it saves me from skinning the breasts later. lol

 

[SimplyMe_AngieD]

Quote:
Skinning takes you LONGER? Well I guess if you have a mechanical plucker, skinning might be longer compared to that. But to me skinning is by far easier than plucking!

 

[dainerra]

you didn't have my mother standing over you yelling "Are you going to pluck that *bleeping* chicken or play with it" lol

we didn't do the "pin feathering" plucking outside, mom did that at the sink as she pieced out the chicken.

ETA: I think skinning is easier too.

 

[saladin]

Raen,
Yes, you hold the wings and feet/legs in one hand while you pull-up. If you don't those wings will beat you to death!

 

[jtbrown]

You are probably working now, but good luck. I found a lady near me who I can pay to butcher my chickens, when I talked to her I assured her I would pay her as normal, but could I help so I can learn. She was ecstatic that she could try to teach me. So, 2nd week in September, I am dispatching extra roos. I will follow your post, hope it worked well. I almost worked up the nerve to go home and do this myself tonight watching your post, as the kids and husband have gone to our childhood "home" area for my dad's car show since I had to work. But, I will wait on the nice menonite lady that promised to teach me how to do it so I can have experienced hands working beside me. Good luck, I am impressed with your ability to jump right in! (my husband will eat the chicken, he will help me do pen, runs, carry anything I need, but this is kind of my thing, so I will take care of the culling).

 

[tclegg]

Quote:
Usually they are put on a fast so the crop and intestinal tract--but mainly crop is empty so you do not have to worry about it being damaged during the process and contaiminating the meat..If your careful you can butcher with a full crop--it is just based on personal preference...

 

[saladin]

If you a processing roosters then know that anything over 16 weeks can be a real tough chew. You can cook them in a pressure cooker and that's about it. Even a crock-pot won't help much on a rooster that has been allowed to mature.

Our rule of thumb is the crow: if they can crow then we don't eat them. They are just to dang tough and the meat is way to dark for my family.

 

[peepblessed]

I have not tried this recipe yet, but thought it was worth sharing. The wine is supposed to break down the tuff meat. People said it was wonderful!

Julia Child's Coq au Vin Recipe (Translation "Old Rooster")

Recipe Type: Poultry
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 pounds cut-up frying chicken, skin on and thoroughly dried
(I used skinless boneless breasts and thighs instead)*
4 ounces lean thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup cognac
2 cups red wine (Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Beaujolais or Chianti)**
2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Brown-Braised Onions (see recipe below)
Mushrooms (see recipe below)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Parsley sprigs

* The U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as food agencies in the United
Kingdom and elsewhere, advises against washing poultry. Rinsing chicken will
not remove or kill much bacteria, and the splashing of water around the sink
can spread the bacteria found in raw chicken. Cooking poultry to 165 degrees
Fahrenheit effectively destroys the most common culprits behind food-borne
illness.

** Avoid bold, heavily-oaked red wine varietals like Cabernet.

Preparation:


Dry chicken thoroughly in a towel. Season chicken with salt and pepper; set
aside.

Remove any rind off the bacon and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles
1/4-inch across and 1-inch long). In a saucepan, simmer the bacon sticks in
2 quarts of water for 10 minutes; remove from heat, drain, rinse in cold water, and pat dry.

In a large heavy frying pan, casserole dish, or electric skillet over medium
heat, heat olive oil until moderately hot. Add the bacon and saute slowly until
they are lightly browned. Remove bacon to a side dish. Place chicken pieces
into the hot oil (not crowding pan), and brown on all sides. Return bacon to
the pan, cover pan, and cook slowly for 10 minutes, turning chicken once.

After browning the chicken, uncover pan, pour in the cognac. Flambé by igniting with a lighted match.
Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off alcohol; extinguish with pan cover.

Pour the red wine into the pan and add just enough chicken broth to completely
cover the chicken pieces. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme.
Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover pan, and simmer slowly for about 30
minutes or until the chicken meat is tender when pierced with a fork or an
instant-read meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

 

[saladin]

DANG!

By the time I got thru with all that I'd be starved! lol. Thanks for the receipe.

 

[peepblessed]

Quote:
It is kind of overwhelming!