How did you prepare yourself (mentally) for first time butchering?

[Tired old Rooster]

Start by never giving a name to something you will one day have to kill.

 

[SB907]

For me, I was also nervous about processing some (admittedly obnoxious) silkie roosters I had intentionally hatched and raised but knew I couldn't keep once they started crowing. A friend of mine ranches locally, and practices sustainable and humane ranching, and I know she has processed thousands of chickens, turkeys, and other fowl. I asked if she would give me a lesson. She did the first kill, and walked me through the rest of the process. It was WAY less traumatic than I expected (seriously, little guy didn't even know what hit him), and I felt much more confident about doing it myself on the next one. Learning the process from someone who is quick, confident, and efficient made it much more clinical and less emotional for me, and no amount of youtube videos can replace hands-on learning.

 

[LTAY1946]

I was 12 when I butchered my first and it never occurred to me to prepare. When mom wanted a stewing hen she wanted a stewing hen and it was just my job to do that day. I could remember way back as one of my earliest memories of my grandfather butchering chickens. And the neighbors I feel were rather barbaric wringing necks and letting them run all over hell's half acre until they finally dropped. It's been a long time but I've got stainless steel cones that need to be mounted for a few large Cornish and a few Bresse soon.

 

[LTAY1946]

Just saw this thread and we had dispatched our first, an unruly (with most of us) 6 month old RIR rooster. I had never wanted a roo in the first place, but really enjoyed raising him. He was great with me up until about a week ago. But before me, he had drawn blood on my grandson, my husband and a visiting neighbor. He was still good with me and my son (who was the one who ordered him against my wishes in August.) Last night, from an upstairs window, I watched as he came after my husband, who was filling their water, and he came again and again as my husband stood his ground, even after two kicks that sent him flying he kept coming back for more. I knew the end was here and wouldn't have been surprised to find him dispensed with a baseball bat by DH last night.

I'd already bought a cone when my son had to dispatch his from the same litter a month ago. We screwed it to a tree, then we watched a nice video, and headed out with an Australian way too big "This is a knife" blade, lol. My son was able to catch him easily in the coop, I taped his legs together, then we flipped him upside down and waited for him to calm. That rascal never really calmed fully, but enough. We got him in the medium cone, which we discovered was a tad too small for him. My poor son (who was the only one who still liked the bird) had to push him further in and pull his head out more. DH sliced the side just under the wattle. There was a bit of the nerve stuff - more than I imagined - and a goodish amount of blood down the trunk of the tree. All in all, it felt humane. And he had a good life as one poster put it.

I immediately went to the coop and petted my girls, who actually enjoy that and then gave them treats. I'm looking forward to the one who he always picked on getting back her back feathers. She was actually bleeding last week. I feel nothing but relief that he is gone as beautiful as he was.

He is in the croc now - hubby defeathered and butchered quickly - in lots of wine, seasonings, vegies and broth. I'll slow cook all day, until bed, and make coq au vin tomorrow, thanking God for the gift of him and the experience. RIP Roo.

I have 6 of those RIR Roos now. The only thing that keeps them breathing is the need for fertile eggs.

 

[Tired old Rooster]

I was 12 when I butchered my first and it never occurred to me to prepare. When mom wanted a stewing hen she wanted a stewing hen and it was just my job to do that day. I could remember way back as one of my earliest memories of my grandfather butchering chickens. And the neighbors I feel were rather barbaric wringing necks and letting them run all over hell's half acre until they finally dropped. It's been a long time but I've got stainless steel cones that need to be mounted for a few large Cornish and a few Bresse soon.

Yikes! If we ever let a chicken run around without its head, my Dad would have let us eat dinner without sitting down for a week. My Dad started started letting me help with skinning, when he slaughtered sheep and cows, when I was eight. It is not some traumatic incident when done by someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[fuzzi]

Just saw this thread and we had dispatched our first, an unruly (with most of us) 6 month old RIR rooster. I had never wanted a roo in the first place, but really enjoyed raising him. He was great with me up until about a week ago. But before me, he had drawn blood on my grandson, my husband and a visiting neighbor. He was still good with me and my son (who was the one who ordered him against my wishes in August.) Last night, from an upstairs window, I watched as he came after my husband, who was filling their water, and he came again and again as my husband stood his ground, even after two kicks that sent him flying he kept coming back for more. I knew the end was here and wouldn't have been surprised to find him dispensed with a baseball bat by DH last night.

I'd already bought a cone when my son had to dispatch his from the same litter a month ago. We screwed it to a tree, then we watched a nice video, and headed out with an Australian way too big "This is a knife" blade, lol. My son was able to catch him easily in the coop, I taped his legs together, then we flipped him upside down and waited for him to calm. That rascal never really calmed fully, but enough. We got him in the medium cone, which we discovered was a tad too small for him. My poor son (who was the only one who still liked the bird) had to push him further in and pull his head out more. DH sliced the side just under the wattle. There was a bit of the nerve stuff - more than I imagined - and a goodish amount of blood down the trunk of the tree. All in all, it felt humane. And he had a good life as one poster put it.

I immediately went to the coop and petted my girls, who actually enjoy that and then gave them treats. I'm looking forward to the one who he always picked on getting back her back feathers. She was actually bleeding last week. I feel nothing but relief that he is gone as beautiful as he was.

He is in the croc now - hubby defeathered and butchered quickly - in lots of wine, seasonings, vegies and broth. I'll slow cook all day, until bed, and make coq au vin tomorrow, thanking God for the gift of him and the experience. RIP Roo.

I would think hubby had some satisfaction in the process. If I had been repeatedly attacked I believe I would have.

 

[cassie]

My answer to the dilemma is simple. I don't think about it. At all. I just do whatever needs to be done.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

My answer to the dilemma is simple. I don't think about it. At all. I just do whatever needs to be done.

As someone who overthinks everything, I so appreciate this mindset!

 

[DAO6603]

I had to put my favorite roo down on Monday. He injured a leg while free ranging then attacked by 2 beta roos two days later. They beat him up pretty bad and to the point he would not move around. I used the broomstick method to dispatch him. One thing the videos do not tell you is if you pull to hard and to fast you will pop the head off. The other thing is in these videos is the post mortem movement last 30-45 seconds. My guy kept moving for 5-6 minutes. That was the worst part of the whole ordeal. I've been a hunter for 40+ years, this was a lot more personal.

 

[menchelke]

As my journey with raising laying hens progresses (including hatching my own eggs), it seems inevitable I will wind up with excess roosters. And I feel that the most logical, humane, and responsible thing is to dispatch and butcher them myself. But, I am not a farmer nor a hunter, and I don’t know if I have it in me.

To be clear- I have no qualms about the butchering process. I’m sure I can learn and would have no problems with someone else’s chicken. My concern is killing, butchering, and consuming MY chicken.

I’ve had a few thoughts about how I may better prepare myself-

#1 raise a small flock of broilers so I know without question what the outcome for those chicken will be.

#2 wait until I wind up with a really hateful aggressive rooster.

#3 just give away my cockerels/roosters and let other people dispatch them and try to shake the guilty feeling that it’s MY responsibility to make sure my birds have a peaceful and humane ending.

Folks on this forum were so supportive and helpful when I had to put down my favorite hen last year. I’d love some more advice or sharing stories of your experiences to help me work my way towards and through this next part of the journey.

My first and only butcher was a hen that was breaking the eggs and eating them. I caught her with a beak covered in yolk.

So she had to be culled, and my mindset of learning survival skills. I like to be capable of as much self sufficiency as I can muster. I have always been a jack of all trades, learn most things, then pay someone if I don't feel like doing it anymore, but I want the skill set to be able to do what needs done in the event, I don't have money, or no one else around, etc.

That said, I have a neighbor that had culled and dressed chickens before, so I asked for him to show me the process on my girl. It still breaks my heart today, that's how big of a softy I am. This was like 8 years ago.

So, I feel now, that if it came down to me or my family starving, or eating my birds, I could do it, but I doubt that will happen in my lifetime. Until then, I don't get more birds than I can financially support, and I turned a greenhouse into an extra enclosure to save two roosters, so they could have a bachelor pad.

I dunno if that helps, but that's how I managed it.