I did it! Processed my first bird.

[Klutch]

I did it!

I tore the skin near the leg b/c I don't think I dunked him long enough in the ice water after the hot. Next time I'll let him sit a few seconds more.

I totally couldn't have done it without all the VERY helpful step by step pictures and instructions on this site.

I have one more that I'll do tomorrow. I only did one today just to make sure I could do it. I'll make a couple changes to my set up and do the next one tomorrow
.

Looks yummy!

 

[Bens-Hens]

I processed another yesterday, not nearly as much meat on him though. I was short on space and so I looked up a video on how to section a whole bird.

I have never seen Gordon Ramsay conduct himself like this! I would go so far as to say....pleasant

 

[Happy Chooks]

Geez, Gordon doesn't stand still!

kingfrodo - nice job! I'll be processing some extra cockerels hopefully this weekend.

 

[tadaen sylverma]

I really need to man up for this stuff. Had done it many years ago but was very difficult no matter how many I did (we are city folk who didn't grow up around this type of thing at all). We ended up giving / selling all the birds we had. I'd like to try again now that I'm older and more experienced in the great circle of "life". Hat's off to you if that is your first. Looks much better than my first did some years back.

Sidenote. When we did this years back the meat tasted very odd. So much so that none of us would eat it, it did not taste like chicken at all. I can't recall breed just that in the catalog we ordered from they were listed as good meat birds (as that was the plan at the time). Big white birds. At any rate they did not taste like chicken at all. Could that be a feed problem or... I don't know. I don't want to bother setting up to try this again if we can't eat them though. We have a couple hens for eggs now but I would like to get a bit of meat going if it's worth doing.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Could be perspective, what does chicken REALLY taste like? Is the stuff us city folk buy from the intensely raised factories what chicken should taste like? or should they be more rich and a little tougher considering they have been scratching around working those drumsticks for twice as long. I don't know. My home raised birds do taste different to store bought, and mine are a bit tougher if they are not cooked properly (long and slow) but I know in my heart those birds lived a good healthy life and there were no sales 'tricks' to the product, just old fashioned home grown food.

Maybe it was a feed issues, or process speed/temps. WIll never know if you don't try it again. Maybe try someone elses that has a bit more experience and see if you don't mind the taste now days.

 

[kingfrodo]

Could be perspective, what does chicken REALLY taste like? Is the stuff us city folk buy from the intensely raised factories what chicken should taste like? or should they be more rich and a little tougher considering they have been scratching around working those drumsticks for twice as long. I don't know. My home raised birds do taste different to store bought, and mine are a bit tougher if they are not cooked properly (long and slow) but I know in my heart those birds lived a good healthy life and there were no sales 'tricks' to the product, just old fashioned home grown food.

Maybe it was a feed issues, or process speed/temps. WIll never know if you don't try it again. Maybe try someone elses that has a bit more experience and see if you don't mind the taste now days.

I agree. He did taste different. More like a richer flavor. I think that we have to retrain our taste buds.