It's our first time with chickens, period. We ordered from Murray McMurray and got black giants and buff orpingtons for eggs, and cornish roasters for meat (hybrids like X, but grow slower by a few weeks). Great chicks, all but one were robust and healthy. We thought one BG was going to die but she pulled through.
They grew fast!
I had thought I was going to take them out to be processed, then I learned the place I thought I could do it at only does cattle. Oops (always check!) Then we had one die of CHF...a day later another lay on the ground, almost dead. So, impromptu butchering. We weren't ready, but all things considering, it went okay.
I couldn't pluck the stupid wings for crap so I chopped them off, lol! I started taking away their food for half the day so I wouldn't lose anymore to CHF.
We were more prepared the next time, but it went worse. I had tied a string around her neck to pull the neck out so my husband could lop the head off. Of course, a fully alive chicken is considerably more feisty than a nearly dead one. So I asked my 8 year old to hold the string while I held the body down and just close her eyes. Mistake, of course. She panicked and my husband didn't kill the bird with the first hit, then froze until I yelled at him to finish it off. Yeesh. We were going to do more that day but decided to wait until our neighbors could give us a hand (they actually know what they're doing!)
I was trying to dry pluck asap after death. I don't recommend it. I wound up just plucking as much as I could then skinny it after I cut it up.
So, with the next round our neighbors did most of the work. Interesting since they don't speak English, but really just observing them helped a lot. She would hold down the body while her husband held the head and slit the throat. Then they dunked them in super hot water and gee, what a difference that makes on defeather! She showed me a more proper way to gut. Apparently I didn't get any pictures of that round, oops.
We ordered a kill cone. We'll do the throat slitting but I was kind of freaked out by holding the body while the bird bled out. So it's here and we're planning on butchering the last 6 (roasters) tomorrow, provided it doesn't rain.
So, a learning curve, but over all it went well. The meat is great, pretty similar in taste imo to store bought, though it has a lighter/cleaner taste (or maybe I'm just imagining that lol!!) I'm contemplating what to do next. I'd like to have another round of 25 to butcher before winter, but I'll be 9 months pregnant by October, so...I need to make up my mind! I don't want to be butchering at hugely pregnant.
They grew fast!
I had thought I was going to take them out to be processed, then I learned the place I thought I could do it at only does cattle. Oops (always check!) Then we had one die of CHF...a day later another lay on the ground, almost dead. So, impromptu butchering. We weren't ready, but all things considering, it went okay.
I couldn't pluck the stupid wings for crap so I chopped them off, lol! I started taking away their food for half the day so I wouldn't lose anymore to CHF.
We were more prepared the next time, but it went worse. I had tied a string around her neck to pull the neck out so my husband could lop the head off. Of course, a fully alive chicken is considerably more feisty than a nearly dead one. So I asked my 8 year old to hold the string while I held the body down and just close her eyes. Mistake, of course. She panicked and my husband didn't kill the bird with the first hit, then froze until I yelled at him to finish it off. Yeesh. We were going to do more that day but decided to wait until our neighbors could give us a hand (they actually know what they're doing!)
I was trying to dry pluck asap after death. I don't recommend it. I wound up just plucking as much as I could then skinny it after I cut it up.
So, with the next round our neighbors did most of the work. Interesting since they don't speak English, but really just observing them helped a lot. She would hold down the body while her husband held the head and slit the throat. Then they dunked them in super hot water and gee, what a difference that makes on defeather! She showed me a more proper way to gut. Apparently I didn't get any pictures of that round, oops.
We ordered a kill cone. We'll do the throat slitting but I was kind of freaked out by holding the body while the bird bled out. So it's here and we're planning on butchering the last 6 (roasters) tomorrow, provided it doesn't rain.
So, a learning curve, but over all it went well. The meat is great, pretty similar in taste imo to store bought, though it has a lighter/cleaner taste (or maybe I'm just imagining that lol!!) I'm contemplating what to do next. I'd like to have another round of 25 to butcher before winter, but I'll be 9 months pregnant by October, so...I need to make up my mind! I don't want to be butchering at hugely pregnant.
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