How to raise cockrells to eat? And how to hummanly kill - tell me all

[Mrs Chickens]

Hi all

Wondered if anyone has information on how to raise cockrell for eating? Currently have 3 cockrells which are free ranging with my flock
but will be looking to remove them in the spring as they will be approx 20/ 25 wks old and will have searved there perpose of helping keep the coop warm in the winter

I want them to be real good for eating so any tips would be appreaciated I have heard that they should be seperated but in a small cage and fattened up is this correct?

Then whats the best way to kill a chciken as have never done before and want to do this the most human way, more for my sake but also for the birds.

Any info appreciated

 

[CityClucks]

Hi Mrs Chickens - since you are asking lots of questions that have been discussed many many times, my suggestion to you is to use the BYC search bar up there on the right to find threads on the subjects you're asking about. There is a ton of info and you can spend all day reading!!

As for your cockerals, what breed are they? It sounds like they're probably not a breed primarily raised for meat, so leaving them with the flock over the winter is fine, but they probably won't be as tender as the "meaties" you've seen people talk about on here due to the age they'll be. I'd suggest using them in soups, stews or crock pot recipes rather than roasters or fryers, but others may have more suggestions.

Good luck!

 

[saddina]

Mean roos make the best tamales.

You'll most likely want to use them in a dish that calls for boiling then shreadding the meat, enchladas, chicken tacos, tamales, etc.

 

[jaku]

There's no single good answer as far as the best way to kill them. Cutting the blood vessels at the sides of the neck and chopping off the head are probably the two most common methods.

 

[cw]

Quote:
i agree as there is no best way to kill but i can give you some donts

dont let flop around after you kill (use a killing cone, jaku has them for sale, ) or you will mess up and bruise the carcuss
dont try to free hand slice ones vain or remove the head
dont kill too close to the scalding water
and obvious dont try to dunk 1 as soon as you ve dispatched it

 

[ChikeeMomma]

For us, the best way was to tie their feet together with twine (they didn't flop around much at all that way) and lay them on the chopping block and use an axe or hatchet to do the deed. If the axe or hatchet is very sharp it takes very little effort to do the deed. Hubby used an axe because we did not have a hatchet. But I think that a hatchet would be ideal due to it's size. He sharpened the axe right before doing it. We ended up taking the majority of the birds to the Amish they did it the same way.

 

[dancingbear]

I tie a slip knot in a cord and hang them upside down, (feet through the loop) pull the head down with one hand and slice both sides of the neck just under the jaw, very deeply. There's a small area that's bare of feathers, that's where to slice, or you'll just dull the knife. Be sure to pull the head down so that the skin id taut, or it will just slide back and forth and not be sliced. I don't have a cone, but hanging upside down, where they don't hit anything when they flap, they don't get bruised or break any bones.

CW, what do you mean by "free-hand" slicing? Do you mean only using one hand, not pulling skin taut? Or something else?

 

[Tala]

Well what I did was:
One night when I had the TIME to do it went and got Mr. Biter off the roost. I was going to cut his neck but that didn't turn out too well, so I put his head under a broomstick and yanked his feet up. Very quick death and that's how I intend to do it in the future. He had been free ranging with the flock the day before - I didn't do any special feeding regimen. Some people prefer to withhold food for a period right before but obviously I didn't think it was necessary.
After you clean him, put him in a cooler or container with icy brine water for a couple of days to rest the muscles.

Read up on here, you'll get lots of ideas and suggestions!!!

 

[cw]

Quote:
to hold the head and body with 1 hand, folding the neck around the blade of the knife

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
to hold the head and body with 1 hand, folding the neck around the blade of the knife

Yeah, I can see why you'd advise against that. I never heard of anybody doing that, nor would it have occurred to me to try it. Sounds dangerous, and ineffective. Is that an actual technique you've heard of, somewhere?