Going to process a rooster for my 1st time need some help

[what did I do]

I just thought of an example of how hard, like pulling to start a lawnmower.

Ok, thank you

 

[Celie]

After I read your post, I watched the vidoe you menchioned. I am a lot loder than this lady, but was a city girl and never killed my own food until a very few years ago. The first is always the hardest, but someone had to kill every animal I have ever eaten and needing to be more self suficient, I know I had to kill any animal the quickest least painless way possible. I use the same cutting and head removal as she does, but I hang the bird by both feet from our harvesting tree, with a 1/4 inch nylon rope with a slip knot on each end, over a branch at a comfortable highth for me to safely work from. I let it hang and relax for about 5 minutes while I hang the rest. I then go back to the first, which is kind of dazed at that point, being that it's blood has been rushing to his head and Holding the back of his head firmly with my left hand, with a very sharp pointed filet knife, cut the vein with one swift jab and slice that takes all of about one second, it is dead almost instantly. I then move to the next, while it hangs and bleeds out very quickly. I usually do 4 or 5 at a time and by the time I have disbatched the last of the group, the invonlentary nervous floppiong has started and they bleed out without any bruising to the meat. I let them hang for about 15 minutes to make sure they are well bled out. I usually just leave my ropes in place on the tree for next time and after taking the feet out of the slip knots, hose the grass under the tree as the blood is very good for the soil . I find it the most humane way to slaughter any bird. With some of the very large turkeys, I slip one end of the rope with a slip knot to one foot, run the rope through the hook on the tracktor or the tracko, and then a slip knot around the other foot, then gently help turn the turkey upside down while my husband lifts the tractor bucket with the rope attached. Our heaviest turkey we harvested weighted over 80 # live and would have been too much for 2 old people to handle otherwise. If I used an ax or macheti, I would probably have chopped my hand off by now as I am almost 5 feet and well in my 60's. If we treat our livestock humanely and are good to them while they are being raised, when wo harvest them, they nurish our bodies, which they were hatched or born to do in the first place. I never name my food and am never cruel to any animal, so we have nothing to feel guilty for or squimish about, if we are meat eaters. I hope this helps.
God bless you,
Celie

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

I have a very fast and humane way of killing your birds. I will Im you on instructions if you would like. I do this with all my birds and You don't have to worry about them flopping around and hurting yourself or your birds and has been a great way of doing it very safe.
Patty

 

[ButchGood]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-process-a-chicken-at-home
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-eviscerating-cutting-up-your-chicken-graphic
I used these 2 links

 

[bobbieschicks]

Thank you everyone for all the insightful and varied ways of processing. I am confident I can do the job, just need to choose a method and try it out.

.

 

[bobbi-j]

... and, if you don't like the results of that method, try another one next time!

You've got lots of good ideas to go on. It will be interesting to see which ones work best for you.

 

[CGinJCMO]

My mother kills her chickens like she has for 70 years. She catches them, puts a broom stick across the neck, one jerk and the head is off. Clean, quick, and efficient way to do the deed. Doesn't take very much of a pull to take off the head and no knife involved or way the chicken can move so no halfway killing.

That's the way I remember doing it as a kid. I'm going to have one to process but haven't decided how (hubby isn't going to help - too squimish, and probably the same for youngest son).

The next hardest part for me is going to be gutting...I wasn't involved in that process as a kid (plucking was my job and I know how time consuming that can be) so that's the mental challenge that's making it difficult to me.
1st: killing (I'm a softy)
2nd: plucking (lots of work - I'm a perfectionist...you should see how clean my corn on the cob has to be)
3rd: gutting (never done, heard about gallbladder? tainting meat if accidently poked)

Basically all the jobs that have to be done to process a chicken, I'm not looking forward to. I'm not a hunter or fisher-(wo)man to have past experience to fall on.

Since I only have the one (I actually have more but can't keep all 3 roos), maybe I should just rehome him and not ask what was /is to be done. Ignorance is bliss. If I advertise him as friendly (which he is because he'll eat corn or mealworms out of my hand) perhaps he'll find a good home.

CG

 

[Appylover]

The gutting is the entire ick factor for me. But I learned if I run cold water up in the cavity it lessons the whole thing. The liver is easier than you think just pull it out with the rest and set aside then carefully remove the galbladder. This way if you mess up your only ruining the liver. The Gall bladder is stronger than you would think also. I had never done my own birds heck never even knew how to gut a fish until recently. As mentioned the first one is the hardest. But done humanely you know what went into the bird and he had a great life compaired to the birds you buy in the store.

 

[bobbi-j]

That's the way I remember doing it as a kid. I'm going to have one to process but haven't decided how (hubby isn't going to help - too squimish, and probably the same for youngest son).

The next hardest part for me is going to be gutting...I wasn't involved in that process as a kid (plucking was my job and I know how time consuming that can be) so that's the mental challenge that's making it difficult to me.
1st: killing (I'm a softy)
2nd: plucking (lots of work - I'm a perfectionist...you should see how clean my corn on the cob has to be)
3rd: gutting (never done, heard about gallbladder? tainting meat if accidently poked)

Basically all the jobs that have to be done to process a chicken, I'm not looking forward to. I'm not a hunter or fisher-(wo)man to have past experience to fall on.

Since I only have the one (I actually have more but can't keep all 3 roos), maybe I should just rehome him and not ask what was /is to be done. Ignorance is bliss. If I advertise him as friendly (which he is because he'll eat corn or mealworms out of my hand) perhaps he'll find a good home.

CG

If I were to do it alone, I would probably use a cone and a really sharp knife to remove the head. DH and I did that one of the times we butchered. One quick slice, head was severed. You can always skin instead of pluck - depending on what you plan on doing with your meat when you're done. Gutting can be tricky, but if you take your time it's not too bad. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a hunting family, and then married into one so I learned how to gut a bird at a young age. Do you know anyone with experience in butchering who can help you? Finding him a different home is always an option, too, if you don't wish to process this one. And you're right - if you do, it would be best to just let him go and not ask any questions.

 

[jrsckn]

Gutting was strange for me. I have killed and gutted deer before but never a chicken. I just wasn't prepared for warm innards. Must be all those years handling store bought refridgerated birds, I wasn't ready for the warmth inside, never even crossed my mind