First medium processing day. (warning, a little blood)

[ejcimd]

Just when my frustration level peaks, I find my way to the forums and hope is renewed...

These look great, thanks for sharing.

 

[becky3086]

They look so good. Mine go first 6 go in just a couple of weeks. I hope they look this good!

 

[lisalynne]

Wow, your birds looked beautiful after they were plucked! We butchered 6 cornish X yesterday and they were still pretty shaggy looking when they went into the fridge. Boy have we have alot to learn to get them as nice as yours. Any tips on scalding & plucking?

 

[Dogfish]

On average we scalded at 145 degrees for 1:30, timed. Kept the heat on once we started scalding and checked temps with the biotherm every time. Didn't notice any real temp drop. Tested wing feathers to determine done-ness. I cheated on the plucking and dropped them in a featherman plucker. I also trimmed off the tail, instead of just removing the oil gland.

Been a hunter and worked in restaurants for 10 years, so I have had a lot of experience handling animals in the round and getting them table ready, so for a small batch I would say stay organized. Scald all your birds at once, pluck them all at once, then butcher and store. For the 5 birds, including set up and tear down of our outside staion, we were right at an hour. Easily half of that time was set-up and tear down.

Doing the chickens was actually easier than processing a duck or a goose.

 

[momofchicks]

Great job, they look fantastic. I can't wait for mine to be ready on June 4th!

 

[lisalynne]

Thank you so much for the tips on scalding & plucking. We will be butchering again in a couple of weeks. I hope it will have much better results next time.

 

[Germaine_11.20]