Has anyone here Killed/butchered and processed there own Chickens?

[salshep20]

Hello! Ladies and Gentlemen. I wanted to make this thread to talk about the processes of getting live chicken to a drumstick on a plate! I would like to know how some of you guy butcher your chickens and share how you would compare your chicken to the popular normal supermarket chicken in terms of taste and price! Hope to hear from you guys!!

 

[Acre4Me]

Yes, plenty of us have butchered birds!


Cornish cross: fast weight gain-best feed to muscle conversion. Not really a candidate for free ranging. Butcher at 6-8 weeks. Most similar to grocery store chicken.


Rangers: breed for meat and free range/more natural chicken behavior. Longer time to process weight. Usually 14-16 weeks or so (depends on raising environment/free ranging, desired size).

Dual purpose: males for meat, girls for eggs. Process 14-16 weeks or longer for decent carcass. Not sure how these compare to Rangers bc I have never butchered a Ranger. Traditional choices here are New Hampshire’s or White Rocks. Also, Jersey Giants were bred as a table bird, and Dorkings are meaty, with some more dark meat/meaty thighs and legs. But, many breeds are acceptable here. Generally any hybrid layer Or Mediterranean breed is a poor choice for decent carcass as they tend to be lean.

 

[salshep20]

Yes, plenty of us have butchered birds!


Cornish cross: fast weight gain-best feed to muscle conversion. Not really a candidate for free ranging. Butcher at 6-8 weeks. Most similar to grocery store chicken.


Rangers: breed for meat and free range/more natural chicken behavior. Longer time to process weight. Usually 14-16 weeks or so (depends on raising environment/free ranging, desired size).

Dual purpose: males for meat, girls for eggs. Process 14-16 weeks or longer for decent carcass. Not sure how these compare to Rangers bc I have never butchered a Ranger. Traditional choices here are New Hampshire’s or White Rocks. Also, Jersey Giants were bred as a table bird, and Dorkings are meaty, with some more dark meat/meaty thighs and legs. But, many breeds are acceptable here. Generally any hybrid layer Or Mediterranean breed is a poor choice for decent carcass as they tend to be lean.

What about Jersey Giant? Are they good dual purpose?

 

[Acre4Me]

What about Jersey Giant? Are they good dual purpose?

Yes. I have gotten mine from a breeder (not a hatchery). They are quite large. They have a large frame and large bones. We butchered one male BJG and one male Red Dorking side by side and compared them. I’ll post the link to the thread. BJG mature later, so the testicles were tiny in the BJG and quite large in the Dorking bc they mature differently.

 

[Acre4Me]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/22-week-bjg-and-red-dorking-comparison.1342976/

 

[salshep20]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/22-week-bjg-and-red-dorking-comparison.1342976/

Looks like you did a good job of taking the feathers off and leaving the sking cleaning out the guts/intestines/heart/lungs as well

 

[Balaw_chicks]

I only let other people in the house do it I just feel sorry and sad seeing their dead face especially our broilers because they are so docile so you cant just help to get attached to them.

 

[salshep20]

I only let other people in the house do it I just feel sorry and sad seeing their dead face especially our broilers because they are so docile so you cant just help to get attached to them.

Yah! I can relate for a period of time! But after that I got over it and it became normal.

 

[Tre3hugger]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/raising-cornish-x-for-health-hardiness-and-efficiency.76068/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...inners-overview-setup-cost-and-results.75951/

 

[Acre4Me]

I only let other people in the house do it I just feel sorry and sad seeing their dead face especially our broilers because they are so docile so you cant just help to get attached to them.

We use a large round trash can, double bagged with the thick black liners. The kill cones go in there, hanging off the edge. We put them in the kill cone, let them calm down a moment then slice throat. They bleed into the can. Alternatively, they could be killed via broomstick method then placed in the kill cone. Having a larger kill cone for Cornish x is helpful so they are well into the kill cone, and secure.


If we are butchering sone unwanted males of a regular (more feisty) breed, it is helpful to place them in a darkened cage for awhile so they are very calm and easier to handle.