First timers at slaughtering...we are SLOW! Help please?

[fledgling]

Thanks for the tips!

It went much better today. The feathers came right off (we let the scalder heat up for an hour). We started out using a homemade cone but found it easier to use the old stump and hatchet method. To us, it seemed to make it all over faster for the birds.

We did eight today and each took us about 30 minutes.

The biggest problem we had was the fact that our 1 year old didn't tolerate being in his stroller very long (we couldn't let him run around).

 

[Winsor Woods]

Quote:
Glad things are progressing for you

As far as the cutting the head off method, versus bleeding out:

Yes it's over quicker but there are benefits to bleeding out. Again, I have no personal experience with this yet, but I've read several places that the chicken will taste better if you get all the blood out of the chicken. To do that, the chicken has to be alive so it's heart will pump the blood out of it's body. By chopping the head off, you limit the amount of time the heart will pump and won't get the blood out of the system as thoroughly.

I'd say to try some each way, make a note on the freezer packaging of which method was used and see if you notice a difference yourself. Then report back so I'll have some idea when it comes time to process my meaties.

Dan

 

[Milliemay]

Friday we did 13 more meaties, we do the chopping block. Anyhow, I was "pleasantly" surprised by a heart still beating on the chicken I was starting to pluck. That was after the scald also. Made me jump a little!

 

[Winsor Woods]

I finally got around to looking up the information about the benefits of bleeding out. In "Living with Chickens" by Jay Rossier, he states the following on page 137:

Killing
Your main object when killing the bird, besides getting it done quickly , is to do it in a way that allows the carcass to bleed out completely. A poorly bled chicken is less appetizing and more subject to spoilage than one that is completely bled out....

...Most methods of killing chickens, including wringing the neck or chopping the head off with an axe, sever the spinal cord and stop the heart immediately. It is more effective to cut the jugular vein and allow the heart to pump the blood out of the chicken....

You will of course make you're own choice, but this information indicates that storage life of the meat is longer if the bird has been properly bled.

Dan​

 

[CC Lefty]

Quote:
Exactly the way I've done it. I've also used the waxing method on wild ducks during the season. Works wonderfully well. Good luck!!