Need to process my first ever roos tomorrow. wish me luck!

[booker81]

Quote:
COMPLETELY!!!

I've killed a LOT more chickens in the last year now than I have killed of any creature on my own before. I still care about them. I still steel myself for the day, get my routine on, and psych myself out. I also still make sure to be calm for the chicken and fast. It sure isn't "easy", but it is bearable.

I have a decent rigged up setup now that I like (that I had to scrabble together last time because of a blizzard.) Any other pictures you'd like?

 

[Tiffrz-N-Kidz]

I don't think taking anything's life should ever be easy. I still pray for the cat my Mom accidentally ran over when I was 10.

I believe that learning from the experience and applying that knowledge to the next bird is like making a living amends to the first bird.

Be sure to thank him for the knowlegde you gained when you process the next one. And then you use his body to nourish yours and your family's.

 

[DianeS]

It gets easier. My first one was a disaster, too. Or at least I felt like it was, it's still hard to think about objectively. Let me tell you, though - a hatchet has its own set of problems!

A super-sharp knife is a must. I thought my knives were sharp and learned otherwise. I prefer a long knife over a short scalpel-like blade, myself. That way if I'm not cutting deep enough I can just keep pulling on the knife, no need to remove the scalpel and start over with multiple slices.

Now when I butcher I use a slip knot to keep the chicken's legs together while he's in the cone, I use a towel over my hand to hold the head so the chicken can't see anything, and I cut through the front of the neck with the intention of cutting all the way through to the spine if I can. That kind of cut works well for me, rather than trying to aim for something specific without going too deep - it's too easy to go too shallow that way. I'm also one who thanks the chicken for its life, it seems appropriate somehow.

Butchering is never easy, but there are ways to make it less hard.

(The feathers go in my compost heap, but I think I'd throw them away if I skinned the bird. The feathers have never attracted predators but the skin might.)

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I tried several different methods of dispatching before I found the one that made it the easiest for ME to do an efficient job that also made it easiest for the CHICKEN. It may take you a few tries too. Using a sharp, heavy hatchet, machete, or cleaver may be easier for you. I found that I didn't have sufficient arm strength to chop through the neck with one neat blow, although the guys that were around to help were able to do that.

Take a stump and screw some 3" screws a few inches apart on one end. Far enough apart to place the neck of the chicken, close enough to hold the head from slipping back. Hold your chicken by the legs (you can still tie or tape the legs together) and place his neck between the screws. Pull back on the legs to stretch the neck a little, and give a decisive whack. Focus on the spot you need to hit, not on the bird's eyes. You can toss him under a tub or something to contain him as he flips & flaps.

 

[Stefrobrts]

Well, I was inspired to buck up and do it. I went for the hanging him by the feet and cutting his throat method. I put on my leather garden gloves and took the head in one hand and held it firmly and cut with the other, then held the head long enough to make sure he was bleeding out good. I think that's a pretty humane way to do it, he was bled out and unconscious in seconds.

I let him drain while I got some water ready, and dipped him to scald him, but I guess I did it too long because the skin tore. Then I spent about an hour skinning him and cleaning him. Getting the feathers off the wings was the worst, and there's hardly enough meat to make it worthwhile. Gutting was no problem, thanks to some of the helpful posts I've seen here recently. He's resting in the fridge, and we'll cook him up next week. End result - 2 1/2lbs of chicken. Not cheap, I'm sure, but I'm eager to find out how he tastes.

So, Liamm_1, hang in there. Know that your experienced helped another, and next time it will go even smoother!

 

[crj]

Sounds like all went well. Next time get the water to 150 degrees and no cooler and the feathers will fall right off. That is one thing I did learn. You don't leave the bird in the water just swooosh it around a bit then pull it out. I noticed that water cooler then 150 the feathers are difficult to pluck out. I did my birds in the same way. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I know many say that and it's true. What I can't do is clean out the guts and stuff. I left that to my husband since he couldn't do the deed.

Congrats on your first fresh chicken.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Yay for you Stefrborts! Did you have any problems with the bird flapping while he hung? You can just let him go for it & nevermind the fallout, or you can hold his wings in place with a few wraps of duct tape.

And I agree with crj, a good scald will help make hand plucking much easier. Water around 150 degrees and agitate the bird up & down about 10 times or so, until a wing feather slips out easily. Here's some good info on scalding: http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-properly-scald-chicken-my-never.html

Enjoy that tasty chicken!

 

[redhen]

This is why i would never ever slice a birds neck.. too much chance for screw-ups. And then the animal has to suffer..
I'd chop the head off...its over in a second... or use the broomstick method (you can see that on you tube also..)..
Both are pretty dummy proof and not so inhumane.

 

[DianeS]

Quote:
HA! This was so totally not my experience. I won't sicken anyone on this particular thread with the horribleness that was my first butcher with a hatchet, but suffice it to say there isn't such a thing as a dummy proof method when it comes to butchering chickens, everyone has to find their own way that works for them, with their mentality and physical abilities.

 

[Stefrobrts]

Quote:
He flapped a bit, but not for long. I could tell it wasn't conscious flapping, just twitching. I hung him where he could flap without beating against anything. Even that was over with pretty quickly.