Letting my broody raise 20 meaties. Now I have a rooster raising 50 CX chicks~new batch!

[Beekissed]

I do skin my old layers, WW. I usually wind up canning them so that they can be more tender and be used in soups. Their skins are normally harder to dress due to the toughness of the pin feathers and such....plus we usually don't eat the skins of chickens anyway. We chose to do so with these CX so as to get the full effect of their youth.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Makes sense. Got any skinning pictures??

 

[Beekissed]

No..wish I had. I just split up the skin on the belly like you would a deer, then I peel one side, peel the back, peel the other side...it all comes off in one piece with minimal feather residue on the meat. Sometimes I get fancy and try taking the hide and guts are all in one piece!

 

[Wolfwoman]

Do you hang it by the feet or head when skining?

 

[Beekissed]

Nah....just lay it in the table in front of me...easier to turn and cut this way. Older hen's skins seem to be melted onto their carcass!

 

[Wolfwoman]

LMAO!! I've been skinning the meaties and so far I do all the way from feet to wings while it's hanging, and then take it down to skin the wings. They give me SUCH fits!!

 

[bumpershoot]

There are several vids on youtube that show how to skin a bird as well as how Polyface farms butchers chickens. Personally, I prefer a bird with skin on it even when I am getting ready to can them.

 

[Wolfwoman]

I'll have to take a gander on youtube and see. I am skinning this first batch for a taxidermist that has a project. I am plucking the next batch.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
But I would. He's my chicken mentor (though he doesn't know it), agricultural hero, and spiritual inspiration.

But he doesn't know that, either.

Nor cares, no doubt.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
You will be amazed how easy they are to pluck...I sure was! And they didn't have that bad smell scalded feathers normally have, which was a real surprise to me...they stunk so much while they were living , I just assumed they would be worse when dead!

And I didn't have that "meaty" smell to my hands after processing...these birds were nearly odorless compared to processing regular chickens, ducks, turkeys.