Last night "harvesting" recap - second harvest better than first!

[booker81]

Congrats for getting it done the first time! It's hard, but it's a lot to learn. Many folks have gone generations without learning how to make meat from an animal.

It's OK to feel sadness too at the worry of a less than perfect job of a killing. I am a deer hunter, and believe you me, on the rare occasion I make a poor shot on a deer and know it's suffering, you don't want to be near me. I'm moody, upset, bitter, angry, and sad - for days and weeks. My poor husband knows better than to even come near me or talk to me. The main thing though is that I go right back out. If I just made a bad shot, I get out and do some practice shooting. If circumstances just misaligned - a branch in the way, the deer moved right when I was shooting, whatever, I analyze what happened and fix what I can to prevent it. You've done that already - reviewed that the first cut wasn't deep enough. You learned that it's a good idea to get the scald water up to temp before starting anything.You learned a lot, and you did get the job done!

I'm not sure if you've seen it, but I have a link in my signature that goes through how I process chickens. I do all of the cutting work from killing to final cuts with a scalpel (ordered from Havels). It might have some additional tips for the next round for you - I know you can do it!

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

...I'm not sure if you've seen it, but I have a link in my signature that goes through how I process chickens. I do all of the cutting work from killing to final cuts with a scalpel (ordered from Havels). It might have some additional tips for the next round for you - I know you can do it!

Someone else directed me to your blog. Great information and good pictures. Thanks for the advice and the help. I'm more or less set up for tomorrow morning and hope that I can take what I learned yesterday and put it to good use. I don't often make the same mistakes twice. Hopefully won't make any new and creative ones either. It's one thing to botch things and create additional work for yourself, but I hate to botch things and create additional pain or problems for someone or something else. My mom's going to come over and help, and I don't want to traumatize her either.

 

[fastbird]

I'm the guy that lots of people around here brought their roosters to for culling. I like the taste and had no problem cutting, bleeding out these birds. Butchering comes easy for me, been doing it with my father since I was old enough to man a knive. Now I am raising jumbo broilers for the first time and will be much more difficult because I raised these birds instead of someone else raising them and me butchering. It WILL get done, but not as easily as the others because you do get attached to the animals that you raise.
Just know that you are doing the right thing, being humane and caring about how you do it. Bottom line is that they are food and we care way more than any other predators do, so it is never easy but MUST be done. Good luck on the rest of your birds, It is worth it in the end.

 

[bj taylor]

wonderful thread. i haven't raised any meat birds yet. i do have three roosters that need to go away. hubby has no interest in participating & it's so darn daunting to think of the first time.
i too would have been so upset to think i had not done the killing well. reading these posts helps me understand more of what is technically involved, so i hope your problems will be my solutions.

thank you for sharing your experience. i hope today will have gone well for you.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

OK, it's 2:19 on Saturday and I'm sitting down for what feels like the first time all day...probably isn't, but it feels that way. I have 6 chickens cooling in the ice bath and a large pot of stock simmering on the stove. The kitchen and garage are clean and dogs, cat, kids and remaining chickens are all recently checked on and any unmet needs met.

I can't claim that all my issues with the actual kill have been resolved. I think I've made massive improvements in the de-braining process, but the actual killing and bleeding out is still the worst part. Some went more quietly than others, but it was those others that continue to make me wonder if there isn't a better way. Better for them and better for me.

I did all of the actual capturing and killing of the 6 we processed today. But I did have my mom (who lives next door) and Jenelle, who posts on this forum under the name "mynamesjenelle" come learn with me and help. I had the first rooster dead and hanging when they arrived and we scalded it and started plucking and then I went and captured the second and killed him. Mom finished plucking the first bird while Jenelle scalded and began the second and I chose a third victim.

When all three were plucked we took them into the kitchen and started the butchering process together, me demonstrating what I knew with the bird I was doing and the others following. We did the legs, crop, neck, oil gland and opening up the back end...me being the only one who screwed up and nicked the crop but when it came to the reaching up inside and removing all the viscera, Mom got nervous about breaking open the innards, so when I finished my bird, I did hers as well. Jenelle handled herself like an old pro...I'm slightly envious at her level head and business like manner (and AWSOME chef's knife) seeing how she had never done this before...GO JENELLE!

We got the necks, hearts and cleaned gizzards into the stockpot, the rinsed birds into the ice bath did a kitchen cleanup and took a coffee break (had a cheese stick, which I suddenly realized was the only thing I'd eaten so far today). During the coffee break we went up to the hen coop and Jenelle searched for eggs (her's aren't laying yet). I think it might be almost 12:00 by that time and we started a little after 8:30. 3 1/2 hours for 3 chickens may not seem so bad since it took me 2 hours to do the first one, but seeing how we had three people, no impressive speed records were set.

After our break I got everyone's thumbs up to do three more. I almost stopped after two, because...never mind why...I guess it isn't important...probably low blood sugar contributed to my emotional state, but I went ahead and captured and killed the third. At this time Jenelle was finished plucking the first of the second batch, Mom was almost through plucking the second and the third was dead, so I took over the butchering from Mom and she continued with scalding and plucking the third. So I ended up butchering two of the second three which is more than fine, because Mom plucked two out of the three and then cleaned up the garage and insisted on cleaning the kitchen as well. The second three went much faster than the first three..

I can see why it makes a certain sense to do larger batches, since the amount of preparation and clean up is almost the same whether you do 1, 6 or 16, but I was ready to stop.

I'll post weights once I have them drained and ready to go into the refrigerator for a "rest"...could use a cold place to rest myself right now!

So, of the original 35, we lost 4 to a predator and 7 are now done...mostly done anyway. That leaves 24. I'm still thinking of keeping 2 pullets...and maybe 1 rooster...so at least 21 more to process. If I do them in batches of 6/weekend they will be with me for a significant time. Plus, I probably won't have the benefit of Jenelle's help next time. I continue to hope that this gets easier, but am satisfied with the work done today.

 

[bj taylor]

sounds like alot of work. if i do this, i'm going to plan it for cool weather time.

 

[bobbi-j]

Good for you! I am honestly impressed with you for doing the whole thing start to finish. As I've stated before, DH and I butcher together and he kills them for me. We use a hatchet and a stump, but I think if I ever get to the point of killing my own birds it will be with a killing cone and a very sharp knife. The more you do, the faster it will go.

 

[bama gal]

Congratulations...Glad you had help I'll bet that if the roles were reversed...Janelle would be saying that she was impressed with your cool headed, get it done attitude if this were her batch of chickens.

It was hard for me too, til I managed to put all the "chicken tv" I had been watching pushed to the back of my mind and got the "they are food for my family" mentality. Not all of them are going to 'go' quietly. Be better for all if they did Just have to do the BEST you can do and it will get easier, (I promise). You will never take it lightly, but it will get better and quicker. 6 for 3 people learning how is GREAT! My hubby helped with catching & hanging(no cone) and scalding. Oh, he plucked a few too Everything else was left up to me. Sounds like you have the technique down pat. Good job. Can't wait to see the weights. Wish I was close....I would come help you. You remind me soooooooo much of myself with that first batch. Have you thought about how you are going to cook the first one? Bet it will be delicious

 

[jrsckn]

Good job!!! I always say the only bad mistake is the one you don't learn from. Way to get back on the horse and it will get easier. The first chickens I processed were the ones who died of heat stroke. We found 4 dead but the other three I worked hard to save; they were hard to do. It was very draining working in a panic for 3 hours in 100+ temperatures trying to process the 7 and keep the other 19 alive. Slitting/bleeding dead chickens was still no help in doing it on the live chickens I processed last weekend. It seemed like they took forever to die with a lot of flopping around but with each one it did get easier. Good luck with the rest and keep us updated; I enjoy hearing the compassionate side of this with problems that are relative to us all.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Here are the final weights on the chickens we processed today. The roosters weighed 4lb 7oz, 4lb 3oz, 4lb 2oz and 3lb 15oz. The pullets were 3lb 13oz and 1lb 10oz. The tiny little pullet was one that was growing a huge water-balloon on her chest and wasn't putting on weight. Upon butchering, we confirmed that it was a swollen, huge crop. I'm guessing she had either sour crop or some sort of impacted crop so she kept taking in food, but wasn't being able to process it into her gizzard for some reason. It was sad, because she was so tiny, but probably the right thing to do.