I Just killed and processed my first chicken...

[silkiechicken]

You want to age the meat birds for a day or so, and older birds 2-3 days. Else they will be tough because the proteins in the muscles would not have degraded enough to relax.... basically one tough chicken.

You also don't have to finish them with anything special as their feed would be fine. To make butchering easier and cleaner. Withold feed for at least 12 hours before butcher so the intestines are smaller and less prone to getting punctured and contaminated.

Also, the bird probably did not bleed much because by the time you cut it's head off, it had clotted in the body. Even if you do cut the head off and bleed it quickly there is only about oh, half a cup of blood in them?

 

[Arklady]

, thats what I heard. I haven't tried it before cause I am looking into getting another refridgerator before I do. Freecycle should be good cause people will be getting new fridges for christmas. Should be able to have my egg chicken cooler heh...

Arklady

 

[MandyH]

I have about 12 partridge cochin roosters that I can't seem to sell and I have talked with dh about processing them but as of yet neither one of us has got the pot boiling. I don't eat chicken already, and I am afraid processing one would make me never consider eating another. I can filet a fish in no time AND I clean my own deer, so go figure.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

We culled one of our older RR yesterday and had it for dinner the same day that is why we slice the throat to ensure we bleed it throughly. First it goes to a pot whole for the broth to make a soup, afterwards my wife butchers it with a cleaver then adds it to a hot pot, it came out very tender the skin was a little tougher than a young chicken and the feathers are a little harder to pluck but other than that it was fine.

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

I have always aged the meat I am going to eat (deer, rabbit, squirrel, chicken) in ice water. VERY cold ice water; at least half ice, half water; normally it's around 38 degrees. Depending on how much meat there is, I throw the ice into a cooler, add water until things are slushy, and then add the quarters (if it's a deer) of meat, or carcasses of smaller animals. They have already been rinsed off, but if they add a lot of tint to the water, I drain it in 4 hours and then normally do 2 24 hour soaks in slushy ice water. Sometimes I will add 1/4 cup of salt to an entire cooler; I haven't noticed a difference from doing so, though. If I know I'm going to let the 2nd soak go the full 24 hours, I add the salt because I know it will help prevent bacterial breakdown a little bit.

 

[McGoo]

I am impressed. Your story is very helpful.
Although I am a vegetarian at this time, I am eating my chooks eggs and considering eating locally grown meats.

I was thinking about hatching a few eggs this spring and my fear is that I'll end up with a couple of Roos and will have to find homes for them... or kill them for food. Don't know if I can.

How old was your Roo?
thanks again

 

[OffSpring]

Quote:
Your welcome, I'm glad it helped someone else out!

The first time is always the worst and it was quite daunting! (But I suppose that's natural, unless your a cold blooded serial killer).

I think I felt bad because I wasn't starving and didn't NEED the meat to survive.

I do understand how vegetarians feel but I couldn't live without the taste of meat! Life wouldn't be worth living...

But I just couldn't look at my poor little roo's face while doing the deed because I didn't raise him purposely for food, he was more of a pet to us just like our hens, but as I mentioned we cant keep cockerels, so he had to go.

I'm really sorry but I am rubbish at keeping track of the time, but he was from this years hatch and had just started crowing, but I think it took him slightly longer than normal to get going so maybe around 25-30 weeks?

I think everyone should experience processing their own meat at some point to understand the whole process and appreciate it more.

I was driving along a country lane this morning and I noticed a pheasant in the middle of the road. It is the first time I have actually gone faster in the hope of a kill to take it home and prepare it to eat!

I guess I've now got that hunting spirit like most of you american's!

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Thanks for posting this. I'm facing the same thing, and dreading it.

Well, maybe not exactly. I'm not really attached to my extra roo, but I hate the whole idea that he HAS to go. I know he does. And I'm running out of options to find a home. I've posted on freecycle, craigslist. I've called the lady who gave me the chicks in the first place, hoping she would take him back. Nothing. He's a mix, so not particularly attractive to people.

ARG! To have to kill because he had the misfortune to be a BOY. But that's the reality. I'm trying to remind myself that he's had a fairly good-if short- life. If he was a hatchery chick he'd have ended up in a plastic bag or a dumpster a 1 day old. At least he's been spoiled for the last 15 weeks.

I'm SO dreading it. I've never killed anything on purpose (though I did tell my hubby to end the suffering of a sick kitten we had, and told the vet not to resusitate a puppy who had already suffered so much).

Anyway thanks again. It won't make it easier, but at least I know I'm not alone.

Meghan