How to eat a chicken.

[Tamdog]

Okay, I have not been on here long but I have seen so many people talk about eating their chickens- especially a Rooster. I am being really serious when I ask you- How do you do that? I LOVE eating chicken....when I buy it from the store, and I can only imagine how good a fresh homegrown chicken would taste..but do you have tricks for "disassociating" when you actually kill one and eat it? I have been giving it some thought and wondered maybe if I put it in the freezer I could eat it later with out feeling grossed out. The honest truth is if I think about even eating an egg ( and what I am actually eating) I get grossed out. Also, In the 60's my husband use to kill chickens for his mom to cook- and he says it is really smelly and nasty.

 

[Folly's place]

We used to process our own, but now there's an inspected processor 30 minutes from our house. the birds go in a crate in the morning, and we pick up chilled vacuum wrapped carcasses in the afternoon. Those birds had a nice life until that last day, and come home ready for the freezer, with none of the mess at home!
If there's a processor near you, it's great!
At home, it's doable, but yes, it's a mess.
Food does not grow in styrofoam at the grocery store! Home grown chickens can have a decent life, unlike the poor hens producing those grocery store eggs, and those chilled chicken parts in their coolers.
Mary

 

[LizzzyJo]

I wait for the teenage Roos to attack me It’s like a guilt-be-gone pill!

 

[Folly's place]

"Nasty roosters taste best"!
Mary

 

[Tamdog]

Okay, now I see..... we are talking about revenge chicken noodle soup.

 

[LizzzyJo]

"Nasty roosters taste best"!
Mary

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Don't spend a lot of time with you rooster before butchering. When we first did our own, it wasn't quite as messy as we expected. My dad had a full apron, face shield, boots, etc., but it wasn't needed. I can't bring myself to do the deed, but once it's done I can scald, pluck and gut the chicken.

Fresh home-grown rooster, if it's just any old barnyard chicken will not be as pleasant as you may expect. You may find that it is a much skinnier and tougher bird than you are used to buying at the store (in fact, that's almost a guarantee).

If however you are serious about raising your own chicken for meat, you could get some fast growing meat birds like Cornish X or Freedom Rangers. These will be ready to butcher much sooner (7-12 weeks), than other breeds of chicken (esp. those that specialize in laying eggs).

Not to say of course that you can't/shouldn't eat your own non-meat roosters, I do. But it is a hassle and I don't enjoy it as much as store bought chicken or home-raised meat birds.

 

[Tamdog]

We used to process our own, but now there's an inspected processor 30 minutes from our house. the birds go in a crate in the morning, and we pick up chilled vacuum wrapped carcasses in the afternoon. Those birds had a nice life until that last day, and come home ready for the freezer, with none of the mess at home!
If there's a processor near you, it's great!
At home, it's doable, but yes, it's a mess.
Food does not grow in styrofoam at the grocery store! Home grown chickens can have a decent life, unlike the poor hens producing those grocery store eggs, and those chilled chicken parts in their coolers.
Mary

Good deal! I was thinking if I took them somewhere I would have to kill them first and then carry a dead chicken to a butcher - so taking a live on off sounds so much easier. BTW: Is there an AGE that is too old to eat?

 

[LizzzyJo]

Okay, now I see..... we are talking about revenge chicken noodle soup.

With satisfaction saltines.

 

[Folly's place]

Well, not usually. But we do plan to eat some of the chickens we raise here, rather than buying them at the grocery store. Many of our birds stay for life, but not everyone, and definitely not any bad boys!
Mary