First time butchering....I have some questions....

[ga*chick*]

haven't even culled a bird, I've read about it. I'm a hands on kinda person though learn better by doing. Just curious about the video on youtube..did you just search for butchering chickens?
Thanks,
Margaret

 

[hildymarie]

yea, what she said. Once you get the opening big enough to put your hand in there, you can start to separate the innerds from the 'shell'. You can run your hand around the cavity and loosen the whole innerds from the body of the chicken.
Tho the lungs arent a real big deal, not like the gall (gech!) so if you dont get every little bit of lung tissue out it istn going to ruin the meat. The chickens from the store often have them and all sorts of other stuff in them which is grosser than just a little bit of lung left in your home growns.

 

[vkp23]

ga*chick* :

haven't even culled a bird, I've read about it. I'm a hands on kinda person though learn better by doing. Just curious about the video on youtube..did you just search for butchering chickens?
Thanks,
Margaret

Just look up Custer family farm and chicken butchering vid of theirs should come up. Thanks so much guys for the help and info.​

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Oooh, I love that Custer family farm video, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgo6Qlaff_4&feature=PlayList&p=44413D3C6FB3973D&index=0&playnext=1

And I'm wondering if the red meaty stuff you're talking about is the kidneys. The lungs are a brighter red & spongy and can be fairly easily pried out with fingers. But lower on the backbone, between the thighs, are the brownish-red kidneys that are much more difficult to get out. I snip through as much of the connective tissue covering them & try to blast them out with the hose. But they are often found even in store-bought birds. It won't hurt you to eat it.

I agree that you should have let your bird rest in the refrigerator for a few days before cooking, that will make a big improvement in the texture next time. And instead of using a timer use a meat thermometer to make sure your bird is sufficiently cooked.

Standard breed birds are usually butchered at 4-5 months and can be cooked to a delicious tenderness. Sorry for your bad experience with this one, hope the next ones are much, much better!

 

[HappySlappyFarm]

EEWW! I didn't let mine bleed like that. I think it's VERY CRUEL! I use a VERY sharp meat cleaver & chop HARD in one swing so it's not suffering. That's a horrible way to die, throat slit & bleed to death.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Really, when you slit the throats the birds die right away, all the movement afterwards is just reflexive. Many folks prefer to dispatch their birds this way because the still-beating heart helps pump more of the blood out -- instead of just allowing gravity to drain it out -- leaving a cleaner carcass. I've heard this called a kosher-kill.

I myself had difficulty with the chop method, couldn't get the head severed completely with one neat blow, and feared I was making my birds suffer more that way. But if you're having success and it makes you feel better about the job then by all means, chop away!