im sure this sounds silly but i need some help please

If you go to the Meat Birds ETC index, there is a Sticky on the very top of the list that has links to posts that have some excellent posts about butchering chickens.

 

Quote:I would hang it upside down by the feet and slice throat to let it bleed out. Use a SHARP knife and make a swift, clean cut. Scald the bird in HOT water for a few seconds, and pull the feathers off. I would just give the whole bird to the dog-the bones are not dangerous if the bird is not cooked. I would not let the dog anywhere he can see this process, however, so he doesn't associate your live chickens with his food. Good luck!

 

At the top of this forum there are several links to lots of good info.

I followed Frugal's guide-

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=109583

Good luck.

The feet make great dog treats! Yes, freeze them and feed them to the dogs whole.

 

When I had to kill my first chicken I went to the web site and printed out the directions. Then I read a paragraph, did what it said and moved on to the next. Before long I had a cleaned plucked chicken ready to put in the fridge. One piece of advice. Don't think about it. Just do it.

 

I have a link to my blog in my signature that shows how to process with pretty minimal tools.

For craigslist chickens, it's always good karma to be upfront with the owners on what you will be doing. I have found no lack of folks who give me free roosters and old hens, but I never hide my intention from them. There are a lot of folks out there who don't want their wonderful handsome annoying extra rooster turned into food, but there are more than enough folks who are happy to unload their extra chickens if you let them know up front you'll be using them for a food source

 

Quote:I would say a policy of don't ask/ don't tell would be in order.... If they don't ask, don't tell....

 

Do a search on YouTube. There are a lot of videos on how to process a chicken.

 

I would gut the birds, just the intestines, and maybe the crop too. But that would depend on the dog. If your dog will eat it leave the head and feet attached. I would also pluck the longer feathers (wing and tail) and maybe do a rough pluck, but don't worry about getting all or even most of the feathers. I feed raw to my dogs, cats and ferrets. The dogs have eaten deer skin with hair still on, goundhog with skin and hair, rabbit and squirrel all the same. The cats have eaten quail with feathers still on, I just removed the flight and tail feathers for them. From what I understand the hair/feathers act as fiber and helps keep their digestive tract clean.