My first batch of meaties just arrived! 26 Cornish x

[Molpet]

So, have you gotten much faster at the whole process? I find that I can do the whole bird pretty quickly, but when I start parting it out into breasts, thighs, legs, my time slows way down.

For me parting out as I go isn't bad. I cut off the wings and legs, cut out the back bone with the lungs and kidneys still in. I do a bone in whole breast though.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I got 7 birds into the chill tank in about 5 hours with one 20 minute break in the middle. Me and one first time helper. They mostly helped me pluck and keep stuff clean, So I would say I have gotten a little faster. I only butchered 1 and did it hours later. It took about 10 mins. I didnt seperate the legs or wing parts though. I did it when the water was heating up for my shrink wrap bags. The shrink bags took me less than a minute each to do. They took me a couple tries to get "just right" though.

So, have you gotten much faster at the whole process? I find that I can do the whole bird pretty quickly, but when I start parting it out into breasts, thighs, legs, my time slows way down.

 

[karenerwin]

For me parting out as I go isn't bad. I cut off the wings and legs, cut out the back bone with the lungs and kidneys still in. I do a bone in whole breast though.

Ooh, I hadn’t thought about cutting the backbone out with lungs and kidneys still in. Not sure I have a good enough knife or enough knowledge to do that but I will definitely be checking into it.

 

[Molpet]

Ooh, I hadn’t thought about cutting the backbone out with lungs and kidneys still in. Not sure I have a good enough knife or enough knowledge to do that but I will definitely be checking into it.

I use oxo kitchen shears.
I cut down the ribs, bend it backwards at the neck. Have to cut some joints where they connect near the neck shoulders
You could practice on a store chicken

 

[iwltfum]

Chicken kidneys?

 

[Torinik]

Most likely testicles.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Chicken kidneys?

The excretory system in the domestic fowl consists of the two kidneys, each with a ureter that carries the urine produced by the kidneys to the cloaca where it leaves the body.
Source..poultryhub.com

 

[Tre3hugger]

Most likely testicles.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...siology-of-the-chicken.74728/?article_page=24

 

[iwltfum]

The excretory system in the domestic fowl consists of the two kidneys, each with a ureter that carries the urine produced by the kidneys to the cloaca where it leaves the body.
Source..poultryhub.com

Interesting. I've seen these mystery organs in turkeys that I have parted, but never knew what they were. Apparently they are hidden inside of the skeleton. I always thought that animals that urinate and defecate out of the same hole didn't have kidneys. Ya learn something new everyday!

 

[Torinik]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...siology-of-the-chicken.74728/?article_page=24

Thanks for the link, I didn't know the exact location of the kidneys. But that's not what I meant in my post. When I eviscerate everything comes out in one go except the lungs and usually the testes for the boys. That's why I thought that what was left were testicles. I can see now that if you reach towards the neck via sliding by the breastbone and then pull, the kidneys might stay in also. I go in by the breastbone (from vent side), move towards the neck and then move my hand left and right to the backbone, and usually have everything except the lungs and testes. Then I cut the tail off (in a V to the backbone) with the vent and bowels intact.
I did however occasionally have a kidney or both left I remember now (my memory does me fewer and fewer favors) but that hasn't happened for the longest time. They are easy to tell apart though, kidneys being red and testes being white(ish). With young boys I usually don't even see them so they must come out with the rest. Older boys, they're very obvious and usually stick to the backbone. I don't go looking for either kidneys or testes, we used to eat them both but I only do one chicken at a time now, so not much meat and nobody really fond of the taste here. I just take the liver, gizzard and heart out.