jersey giants

[bairo]

Caponizing is a dying art here in the US, but one well worth the effort to learn. If you can get a giant roo caponized at 6 weeks, I could not think of a better meat bird (heritage, slow grow, breeds true). I would guess dresses to 6 lbs in 6-8 months on him and 10-12 months on the hen. 5-6lbs dressed would be my goal rather than looking at age though. Thats a very nice roasting chicken.

 

[pigfarmer]

For yinepu.......... I have 2 roos that are Ameracaunas that look just like your roo "Jack".

And for Allenwmiller.............. I would love to learn caponizing, because I get more roos per hatch than hens, caponizing them would make for a larger bird than what I process now (4#).
As for dispatching.............. Your method?
I hang my birds by the legs, cut the neck, bleed out...............etc. Would love to know more.

 

[runsw/scissors]

I would too!

 

[bairo]

brain poke then bleed out....it takes a couple practice runs, but if done right is the best way for meat quality.

 

[lovemyzoo]

I think my girls aren' JG after all....

 

[yinepu]

Caponizing is a dying art here in the US, but one well worth the effort to learn.

that's one thing I haven't attempted.. maybe someday I can find a place where I can learn how..

 

[AllenWMiller]

Bairo has pointed right to the best method for dispatching a chicken for the table. This is the best Kosher and Halal method for killing a chicken. Now I'm not Jewish or the Islamic but traditional methods have been practiced for millenia for good reason. When the "shochet" (the executioner) places the blade at the roof of the chicken's mouth and follows the groove of the pallet directly to the brain; this ensures an instant death. However, as Bairo discovered it also is a learning curve and you had better have the second bigger and sharper knife read to cut the throat because the only way I can teach this method to folks is by trial and error.

With this method you have to use a killing cone to restrain the bird, pull its head down and use your thumb of one hand to slide between the beak to open the mouth while the other hand slides a knife (or I have found a standard ice pick works as well) up the pallet hits the brain bird is dead instantly. Then still holding the head put the small knife down and get your standard kill knife and slice the throat to bleed the bird out. This method is more complicated but if done properly, is humane, quick and the meat is more tender; since the bird didn't panic. Thus no stress hormones like cortisol or adrenaline were released into the meat. It also means, if done correctly, you can easily dry pluck the bird without scalding and you won't damage the skin.

Now certain Amman and Rabbis are accepting the electrocution method where you shock the bird to stun it then bleed it out.

I'm partial to my method still... First take all food from the birds for 24 hours by placing them in a confining crate and cover with a dark cloth overnight...In the morning take the crate still covered to the killing site...As you remove the chicken don't "grab" it rather push down on the back of the bird first with one hand and take your free hand and put it on top of the head with your thumb under the lower beak so that the beak is about 2/3 the way up the thumb and the tip of the thumb is on the soft pallet...take your other hand under the bird and pick it up out of the crate...while applying pressure on the soft pallet pull back on the head to fully extend the neck being gentle here...The whole idea is to do this in a calm and efficient manner to disturb the bird as little as possible...place the bird through the killing cone and pull the head out the bottom and resume the hold of the head placing the thumb on the soft pallet as before...with your top for fingers cupped around the top of the head running fingers down the comb and your thumb tip at the soft pallet where the skull joins the neck gently but firmly pull the head down and rock your wrist to tilt the whole head back 30 degrees or so while still holding pressure on the soft pallet...then slice the neck pulling the head back to 90 degrees or so once bleeding starts.

The control of the head is key in this method as it basically stuns the bird...The best way to understand this is take a live bird hold it under your arm with one hand so the body is against your side and your arm is under the breast of the bird and with the other had stroke the top of the bird's head to calm it then put your thumb under the beak as described above and your fingers on top of the comb put pressure on the soft pallet and roll the bird's head back about 20 degrees...If you do this right the bird will pass out...Won't hurt it a bit and will come to almost instantly but when you do it right your will see the result.

I don't like the new methods of electrocution because I've seen too much go wrong with this method. And I certainly don't like the butchery that goes on today in both corporate farms and even free range small operations where dispatching animals looks like something out of a horror movie or some fraternity initiation prank.

Killing any animal should always be done with dignity and in a humane manner not only to honor the life that is taken but to give the meat the best possible outcome....

As I said the kosher and halal laws have their purpose as they insure that the animal killed will have the safest and healthiest meat possible.

An old Rabbi I used to be a shochet for showed me the method a Rabbi will used to determine if the meat was killed in a proper Kosher manner and it was simply to check the dead animal's lungs to make sure there were no contusions that would indicate stress and panic. If there were signs then the lung would be inflated to make sure the lung could still work. If it inflated the meat was Kosher and the logic was that the animal died humanely. More simple is a shochet had to always kill the animal humanely and with respect to its life.

So that is my best advice to all of you. Do the method you feel most comfortable with but do it with dignity and respect for the life you are taking; since that life is sustaining you and your family.

Cheers

 

[hudsonnascarfan]

Thanx to all that replied.

And to those who may continue to.

I will have to look at the sussex breed, and check the info.

I am still leaning on JG tho?

From my experience with "hybrids", they will not breed true to themselves. They tend to shift back to one of the other parent.
I am trying to maintain my own birds and grow them when needed.

I do need a cold hardy bird, here in Maine, we do get below zero temps (commonly).

Keep the info going

im also in central maine and would like to do the same with the dp chickens if you do get some jersey giants id like to get some eggs to hatch out i like the idea of them big chickens but also a really good dp bird would be the barred rocks as they do lay more eggs then the jg do and this spring if you have a few piglets for sale id like to buy a few of them also as for now im just working with some cross breeding to a big roo that i have

 

[pigfarmer]

AllenWmiller
Awesome post... will have to reread when not soooooooooooooooo tired.

 

[pigfarmer]

hudsonnascarfan
Where-abouts in Maine............
I have barred rocks.......... I don't know, not the very big... These are hatchery birds.

I also have turkeys............ Midget White and Bourbon Red............... true breed to themselves.

P.S. My birds have almost shut down on laying..... 18ish hens, lucky to get 3 eggs a day.