Just processed our first roosters!

[scooter147]

Quote:
That's fine kuntrygirl, but you are part of the process. You have raised the animals and are able help. Now, take it from someone who was in your shoes decades ago, if you can get up the courage to do it once it does become easier. Pick a mean old nasty rooster who deserves it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
That's fine kuntrygirl, but you are part of the process. You have raised the animals and are able help. Now, take it from someone who was in your shoes decades ago, if you can get up the courage to do it once it does become easier. Pick a mean old nasty rooster who deserves it.

What is the easiest and most humane for a whimp like me?

 

[galanie]

Quote:
That's fine kuntrygirl, but you are part of the process. You have raised the animals and are able help. Now, take it from someone who was in your shoes decades ago, if you can get up the courage to do it once it does become easier. Pick a mean old nasty rooster who deserves it.

What is the easiest and most humane for a whimp like me?

Oh boy, that's a can of worms! There are lots of opinions about that. Some say "Off with their heads!" and other say No, a cone and just quietly slit the throat. Now, I'm going to fade back into the background and watch. Oh, and I'm of the "Use a kill cone and quietly slit the throat" camp. But I don't argue with head lopping folks, we all have the way we like best.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
What is the easiest and most humane for a whimp like me?

Oh boy, that's a can of worms! There are lots of opinions about that. Some say "Off with their heads!" and other say No, a cone and just quietly slit the throat. Now, I'm going to fade back into the background and watch. Oh, and I'm of the "Use a kill cone and quietly slit the throat" camp. But I don't argue with head lopping folks, we all have the way we like best.

Cone? Slit Throat? If I slit their throat will they jump around a lot and make noise?

I would have nightmares if I saw or heard something like that.

 

[kuntrygirl]

What about a stun gun?

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
Oh boy, that's a can of worms! There are lots of opinions about that. Some say "Off with their heads!" and other say No, a cone and just quietly slit the throat. Now, I'm going to fade back into the background and watch. Oh, and I'm of the "Use a kill cone and quietly slit the throat" camp. But I don't argue with head lopping folks, we all have the way we like best.

Cone? Slit Throat? If I slit their throat will they jump around a lot and make noise?

I would have nightmares if I saw or heard something like that.

Any way you do it you are going to get the nerve reaction of flapping wings and leg kicking. The cone prevents you from having to hold them until the process stops.
I'm an early bird so when I process birds I like to start literally before the crack of dawn. Now I have processed later in the day but I will say I find the birds much more calm before day light.
I prefer the stump, with two nails and a sharp hatchet.

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
I don't understand what she doesn't understand about raising your own when you are animal rights person who cares about the treatment and feeding of the animals you eat. Seems to me she wants to completely remove herself from the whole process which to me makes you some what of a phony. Please don't take it as slam against your friend. I too have a good friend who is somewhat the same way. She loves the way I treat my animals and will come over for a chicken dinner or pork roast from a pig that was pasture raised at my dads place, however, I have asked her to come over and witness (don't have to pluck one feather) the process so that her appreciation of how her food gets to the dinner table is even more. A $1,000 bribe wouldn't work.

That's kinda my point... I'm not slamming her, either, but at least now she thinks about it, which is all we want people to do.... think about what you eat and where it comes from and how it gets to you. She did verbalize that she understands that she feels like a hypocrite, understands WHY we're doing it but just doesn't get how we could kill and eat one of our animals. But she is going to give some thought to what I said. Personally, I don't see what there is to think about. I explained to her that we never intended these roosters for anything BUT food so never got attached to them like we do to the roos we're keeping for breeding purposes or to the hens we keep for their delicious eggs. Most of them never got names. Kinda regretting naming Jack and Zack, but at first we were gonna keep them. Now they're just nuisance rapists that tear up my hens' backs. I will like them much better in an enchilada.

 

[Blue Ridge Hillbilly]

How do you folks cook older birds that may be several years old?

 

[galanie]

Ok the cone is a "kill cone" that is pretty much what it sounds like, a cone with a hole in the tip that you nail upside down and slide the bird in with it's head hanging out of the cone tip. The cone restricts it so when it's nerve firings go in it cant go everywhere, etc. There are great YouTube videos and so forth of the process, I was just touching on it, but I think the sticky might have more info on that.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I dislike using killing cones when doing "the deed". Not sure why, maybe because it de-personalizes it? I think, hey, I carefully raised this bird from a hatchling to go on the dinner table, I'm not going to sneak out of a few minutes of unpleasantness.

I honestly cannot understand how anyone can prefer a supermarket plastic wrapped, concentration camp chicken over home-raised. HHandbasket, maybe show your friend this video?

Organic poultry is finished in CAFOs too, with certain modifications. Meat does not grow on a meat tree.

Blue Ridge Hillbilly - Cook older birds low and slow! Personally, I don't care to eat a roo that's gone stag (full spurs). I'm usually all about eating everything, and hate to waste anything, but roo stew was just too much for me. Perhaps ground into sausage next time? Old hens make GREAT stock/broth, just like Granny made. I like to take the meat off as soon as it's tender, and make chicken salad sandwiches, and keep the bones simmering until the carcass just falls apart.