Last Meal Requests...?

[redneckmedic]

My first batch of Cornish Hens will be dispatched this weekend, I suppose I should say my last batch as well. In early march I bought 6 CH and 8 Plymouth Rocks. I kept them sepperated in broader as the rate of growth was significantly different. Now all 14 birds are living in harmony in the run/coop.

I ordered the heat shrimk freezer bags this week, the boning knife and meat cleaver are both sharpened. Since this is my first "bird" butcher (I've made great part time money butchering wild game the last few years)

I thought I would share my thoughts with yall for aproval.

I plan on trying 3 methods for the kill.

1. Neck wringing
2. Throat slitting
3. Decapitation

This will give me the best insight for any future slaughter I might plan in regards to humanity and logistics.

All the will be bled out upside down in a cone, before the kill I do plan on putting an infant sock over the birds head, or slitting the throat while the bird is upside down to make the bird more dosile.

We are most likely going to skin the bird vs de-feather it, 2 fold, the mess/stink/logistics and the skin isn't very healthy anyhow, might as well not temp our selves from the beginning.

Next step is eviseration, to be done in an isolated area from the washing and bagging area as not to cross contaminate.

Then bagging.

Please feel free to comment, suggest and hate all you want. I openly welcome all forms of feedback.

RNM

 

[CorinneP]

Good luck with it all.. I have my First batch of Meat birds being raised havent done the final part yet. I am hoping that wont be my department.

 

[Lexiluke]

Good luck. I think your plan sounds great. I am also experiencing my first batch of meaties and am an avid hunter and love to process game. I am equally looking forward to my day. My crosses are 3 weeks today.

 

[dennarahl]

Your plan sounds fine.

We just did 9 packing peanuts. It took all 9 for us to figure out how to do everything right. We did throat slitting and it took about 6 of them for my husband to really get it smoothly. It took all 9 to get the evisceration right.

We kept the skin and it was actually pretty easy. We made a plucker (about $20) based on this video

. We found that it was easiest to hand pluck the majority (about 5 minutes) and then finish with the drill plucker (about another 5 minutes). We were worried about the stink factor because I have a pretty sensitive stomach, and it never factored in as a problem. We had family members scaring the crap out of us about everything and it turned out to be no issue.

The hardest part was the evisceration. We kept a video that we liked on hand for the first 5 or 6 and then adjusted to make it work better for us.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

If you have good strong hands, neck wringing is the least messy of the three. Good luck.