I'm wondering if I can butcher like this?

[The Monkey Mama]

I have a friend who is going to come show me how to butcher my roosters, but it is going to be a few weeks before she can do it.

I have a blue andalusian roo that is just insane - he's about 25 weeks old and he crows from about 5:30am until night fall - non stop. He is a nut and he is driving us all crazy. [We have neighbors who are very, VERY nice and I am afraid they are going to string us up soon....]

I've tried to find a new home for him with no luck - nobody wants him on Craigslist for $1 or even for free. [He is not a meat bird, so there may not be much to him].

I've been studying the butchering websites on here in the links in the sticky, and I feel like I can manage the killing part and the skinning part, but I feel totally afraid to try the gutting part - I do not feel like I can do that on my own without ever seeing it done in real life.

Can I just kill him, skin him, and then cut the breast meat off [what there is of it] and the legs and thighs? And then put the rest in my compost pile or something and leave his abdominal cavity untouched?

Or is that just stupid?

Thanks for any advice....

Kelly

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

It's not stupid at all, and it is in fact faster and cleaner

I plan to do comething similar when I start to butcher, because I don't eat chicken backs (and know no one who does) and I don't intend to package them whole, anyway.

I would maybe kill, skin the breast area and take it off, then cut off the legs, thighs (and wings if you want them) then skin those OFF the bird. If you skin the entire thing first, the cavity may be opened.

there is another BYCer who does it this way (where I got my idea) and he says it works just fine.

Peace -
Meri

 

[silkiechicken]

Sure, why not?

If you aren't going to use the bones for stock or such, you don't have to gut it.

I suggest bagging and disposing the body somewhere it won't attract rats/mice/coons and other wild animals.

 

[bluebirdfarm]

i too, had a blue andulusian roo and he was nuts !
I dispatched him at about 4 months old as he was literally attacking my hens , they started laying 2 days later , he he .before that they were too stressed to lay IMHO.
must be the breed, he was very beautiful though

 

[MissPrissy]

Once you skin him if you hang him upside down so both your hands are free with a very sharp knife you can cut right through the breast and pull the breast down and away from the body, severe the wings at the shoulders (don't be too rough) and the innards will pull away then you can cut away the thigh quarters and leave the entrails attached to the back and toss that part. You'll have less waste.

 

[jaku]

Don't even bother skinning the whole bird. Cut a small hole between the breasts, tear the skin away, then cut off the breasts. Next, peel the skin back to the "knee" joint and cut through the joint taking the leg from the foot. Finally, dislocate the "hip" and cut the leg/thigh off. This takes only a few minutes from start to finish, it's very easy, and there's little clean up since even the feet will stay attached to the skin.

 

[The Monkey Mama]

Thank you all so much for the advice!

I went out and watched him for a while this afternoon, trying to work up the nerve to do it. [BlueBirdFarm - he IS a beautiful roo....I agree!].

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it - he's so pretty and not mean or anything, just *annoying*... ugh. [My children actually named him "Sir Annoys Alot" LOL!] I guess we'll see which wins out - my too tender heart or my amazing amount of annoyance at his non-stop hollering!

I'll report back and let you guys know if I manage to kill him!

Kelly

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
This is the way I butchered my excess Blue Orp cockerals and it was less mess and no messing with the innards. Took the breast meats and toss the carcass in the garbage.