Mental Preparation For Processing

[allenacres]

Im laughing (cutting open the head and mom) and gagging (at the feet! yuck!) while I read this string.

Hubby and I processed 2 roos. We strung them up by their feet and he cut the jugular with a sharp knife. The one was such a pretty roo too (silver phoenix) and the other was REALLY mean and would attack me. The stink of processing them, thanks for that vicks rub tip I really need that. We have 2 - 17 week old roos that I just separate from the 4 pullets because they were being too mean. I dont know what to do with them. Its so much work to process 2 roos. We still have the one in the freezer.

Ive put a hen out of its misery because it was suffering, and I cried after I did it. I know, a wimp but her name was Henrietta and I had been trying to nurse her back to health.
Hubby has taken the hatchet to a few other hens and roos. A necessity in the whole picture of having a farm.

 

[hcammack]

If I hatch or order and get extra roo's I have decided to process them this summer.

Henry

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
The eyes are like fish eyes. Sorta cool in the sceme of things.

We play around while processing roos but have shed tears at losing
a chick or having to euthanize a hurt hen.

As for the smell it's only bad in the warmer months. I'd never attempt 11
birds on a warm, buggy, summer day.

 

[silkiechicken]

About scaring moms... If I butcher a bird for my mom, I have to take the head and neck off. That is because one time, I brought the whole thing in, she picked up the knife to remove the neck, pressed down on the body to hold it, and it honked. She screamed, jumped, and dropped the knife. Never again does she want to deal with a head on chicken. And she grew up in china where they did that kind of stuff all the time. Being here for so many years buying chicken on a tray has made her go soft.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Don't you love that honk??? It's happened to me a few times now. I can see
your Mom's face.

How about when the chicken stops flapping. You pick it up 2 minutes later and
it starts flapping again. Wierd...

 

[MissPrissy]

Cook the feet long enough, PC, and they become really soft (like when you cook down a ham bone and some peices turn jelly like?) use the stock and cook rice with a little fine chopped onions - omg, feet and rice is alsmost as good as neckbones and rice (or it might be neck bones and rice is almost as good as chicken feet and rice)! Simple poor man's food can often be the best food.

Show the feet pic - it's all chicken!

 

[dbjay417]

This thread is of great importance to me because i think In about two weeks I'll be slaughtering my first birds. There are three of them. They were free range pets at first, but since i found they were meat birds I've done a great deal to distance myself from them. They still have a ways to grow as they are only a bit bigger than cornish game hens right now, but i dont have the facilities to raise them properly, the bigger they get the more like commerical meat chickens in the cage they reside in. No more than two more weeks. Thats as long as i'm willing to put it off for.

i dunno what i'm gonna do to mentally prepare for it. I've never intentionally killed anything larger than a big tropical roach. Kinda dreading it. maybe I'll draw out an elaborate ceremony involving music, a 6 pack and a cigar.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
That sounds like a good plan. Keep the cigar for when your're done.

 

[MissPrissy]

PC - how long does it take you to get over the smell? We usually end rinsing with bleach water even after bathing because the stench just hangs on to your hands.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
I'm Italian (3rd generation). All our gourmet foods were poor mans food at some
point.

OK...