How do you mentally prepare yourself for the first butcher?

[Anna_MN]

If I was butchering Leghorns, I would find it easy too....I have cornish X rocks from McMurray and I almost feel bad for them because they can barely walk and make these weird honking noises instead of clucking. They are like a chicken from another planet!

I called my Grandma last night to tell her my concerns with butchering. She was a farm girl (and still is!) and has butchered many a chicken in her day. She gave me some soothing words that comforted me and then said, "If you'd like, I can bring over a bottle of vodka before hand to help calm your nerves?" I started laughing uncontrollably to the point of almost crying! Just having that moment of laughter when I was feeling so nervous made it so much better. I almost feel calm now...almost. It is getting better though with time! I hope the day of I can feel like I have a job to do and there is no way around it.


Here's a question for all of you- currently my cornish X females weigh 8.6lbs, on average how much will they weigh after being butchered?

 

[Beekissed]

I'd say around 4 lbs, give or take a few ounces.

 

[Anna_MN]

Wow that's a pretty big chicken to me! Normally at the store they are between 2 and 3 pounds. Thanks for the info

 

[Anna_MN]

Well my chickens ended up being all around 6lbs give or take after they were cleaned up. I completely pieced out 4 of them and each boneless/skinless breast weighed 1.5 pounds

I was shocked to say the least. The first one took me an hour to process completely, but after that I was pretty fast. We made chicken stock with the two that got a little over cooked before plucking and they taste fabulous! I thought it was going to be hard to process them, but it really wasn't. They were having trouble walking so I felt bad not doing it. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[ScottnLydia]

I think the books say that poultry generally dress out to about 75% of live weight. I know that the percentage is much higher than a mammal which is about 50%.

I raise Delawares and butcher at around 11 or 12 weeks giving me 1 3/4 to 2 3/4 pound fryers. They are tender and DEE-LUSCIOUS!!! Most of you probably think of that as too small but you must realize that my wife and I are, uh, from an older generation that can remember when fryers (broilers) were UNDER 3 pounds! Watch Julia Childs "Chicken Show". (Ugh, that dates me!)

Good things can come in small packages!

~S~

 

[gg706]

I am SO GLAD I read this thread! Someone else is feeling like I am! I am raising my first chicks, they are 5 week old chicks. They are Araucanas, Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and Lavender Orpingtons., I recognize for a fact that I have at least 3 roosters. I was not planning on keeping any roos. I am quite fond of my chickens and I am not sure how I am going carry out dispatching them. I have thought about finding them homes.....but I think people would take them to butcher them. I have already put in the time and money to raise them so far and giving them away would be a huge waste of resources to just end up with the same fate. I have never butchered anything before and I will be processing alone so I am very nervous. I wish I could have started out with CX....seems like it would have been an easier first experience. Any advice for me?

 

[galanie]

I am SO GLAD I read this thread!  Someone else is feeling like I am!   I am raising my first chicks, they are 5 week old chicks. They are Araucanas, Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and Lavender Orpingtons., I recognize for a fact that I have at least 3 roosters. I was not planning on keeping any roos. I am quite fond of my chickens and I am not sure how I am going carry out dispatching them.  I have thought about finding them homes.....but I think people would take them to butcher them. I have already put in the time and money to raise them so far and giving them away would be a huge waste of resources to just end up with the same fate. I have never butchered anything before and I will be processing alone so I am very nervous.   I wish I could have started out with CX....seems like it would have been an easier first experience.  Any advice for me?

Just the same as before. The first ones I processed were for the exact same reason. Darned if I was going to put in the time and feed to raise birds for someone else to eat! But it is harder than doing a bird that was hatched for the purpose of food from the beginning.

 

[reereechickens]

I agree with the everybody else is saying. I mentally picture my DH Grandmother who was one of those "sweeeet and nice ladies" going out in her yard picking a chicken and wringing it's neck for dinner. She is no longer alive so I can't get any advise from her but other family members tell me that is what she did. So if she could do it so can I. I also find telling the chicken thanks and God thanks helps. Then the mental image of fried chicken helps also.

 

[gg706]

Just the same as before. The first ones I processed were for the exact same reason. Darned if I was going to put in the time and feed to raise birds for someone else to eat! But it is harder than doing a bird that was hatched for the purpose of food from the beginning.

About what age do you think I will need to process them? I was kind of hoping they would come into adulthood and be obnoxious, and in some way that would make it easier to butcher them. Will the breeds I have be ready about the same time?

 

[m.kitchengirl]

Quote: The man of the house & I had 2 understandings when I got the chickens & ducks - 1. This is my "hobby". 2. We would not keep roosters.
I tried to avoid it by ordering sexed chicks, but got 2 roosters. Hey, it happens. I bought 6 chicks because I figured it would happen. I had one Buff Orp. & one EE rooster.

They started to crow (baby crows) at 18/20 weeks. He wanted the deed done. It was not the worst thing ever. Not the most fun Sunday afternoon I have ever spent, but hey, I stand by my word. I also see "free roosters to good home" on CL all the time, and I think there is no way to guarantee that is true. I also have no way of knowing if the new owner will butcher them or not, and if they do, I have no way of knowing it will be humanely. Add to that the trauma of moving them. I just decided my best choice was to process them.

I have some sexed chicks coming to me in May, but I assume there will be a boy or two in the mix again. If there are I will wait until 28 weeks to process them. They just weren't meaty enough.