needs some encouragement

[jgervais]

Our EE Rooster is 16 weeks old now and ready for freezer camp.
We debated between keeping him, craigs-listing him and putting him in the freezer. I would really like to at least make a meal out of him since we bought him and put in the time and care of feeding him.

He's a pretty roo, generally well behaved, but the past 2 weeks he's really been rough with his 6 ladies; pulling feathers, chasing them around, not letting them eat the snacks I give them.... just overall seems like a bully lately (maybe thats how all roo's are?)

I just picked up a batch of 18 mixed Dorkings and plan on keeping a roo from the batch, so the EE is not needed...

My husband doesn't think he can kill a chicken. I'm not sure I can either, but I'm willing to try.... I just need some words of encouragement. I don't know of a place in the Jackson, MI area that will process just 1 chicken either....

How bad is the smell with just 1?
How much blood will there be?
Is crying ok? :-/

 

[eggbuster]

Whose nose is doing the smelling. I don't smell much, DH does. Its all relative; the smell will improve when he hits the roasting pan no matter what.

There won't be near as much blood as you are expecting.

Its your party and you can cry if you want to.

 

[jgervais]

Quote:

 

[nobodyherebutuschickens]

Ah! Been wondering about this topic...nI've heard some horror stories about chickens running around with their heads cut off. Does that really happen? Often? What's the best way to kill and process just one chicken?

 

[jgervais]

Quote:
This definitely does not help with my concerns!!!!!

 

[ailurophile23]

Catch the roo, put him upside down in a cone (can be homemade from a bucket or a bleach jug or bought stainless steel), and cut his throat with a really sharp knife - let him bleed out into a bucket below (very quick). No running around with this method. Can then skin and gut into same bucket and then dispose of bucket contents (bury or back corner of propoerty away from everything else or....) Smell? Depends on your nose. Relatively simple for the actual activity of it. Not so simple or easy from the emotional standpoint. Tears just add a little salt to the meat. Good luck with this.

 

[Denninmi]

Well, if you asked me 2 years ago, I would have said "never"

If you asked me 2 months ago, I would have said "I hope I have the strength to do this."

Ask me now, and it's "piece of cake, nothing to it."

Really, just do it and get it over with, rather than over analyze. The first time will be the hardest.

If you're eating chicken from the store or having someone else processing, you're just shifting the burden. The chicken is just as dead.

Personally, I would rather see someone do it quickly at home -- one minute, chicken is running around happy, the next, its over.

Take it on a road trip to a processing plant, and it will just be scared the whole time, AND you have absolutely no guarantee they will treat it with respect or kindness. You could hope, but you don't know. They may do so many they just don't care how they grab the bird, where they squeeze, etc. and if it suffers a little extra pain, so be it. Or, they may be very gentle, but its hard to say.

 

[itsy]

It's a very graphic post, but this will give you step by step photos of how to kill/process the rooster:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=109583

I know what you're feeling and it was very difficult for me as well, but after I did it - I ordered my meat chicks and plan on doing it all over again with more birds. I'm considering processing our rooster as well - not because he's so mean to the ladies, but because he's mean to us. He's getting his spurs in and I don't want him to injure anyone. People say there are plenty of nice roos out there.

Take comfort in knowing that you gave the chicken a good life. He wasn't shoved in tight quarters - he got food and drink regularly. He got exercise and got to be a chicken.

You can do it!!

 

[jgervais]

Quote:
These are the thoughts that are making me think I can do it. Shifting the burden is a good way of putting it. Either way, the chicken doesn't live - time to step up to the plate (pun intended

)

 

[Avalon1984]

You will be amazed how easy it is over with. I was expecting much blood and a roo running around but nothing happened. My husband held him while I broke his neck and bled him. It was over almost instantly. No fuzz, no traumatizing event for everybody involved. Plucking and gutting was most of the dirty work but I gave myself time to do things step by step and felt incredibly empowered afterward. Make sure you have a trash can or something to put all the feathers in. Keep your work surfaces nice and clean and wash the carcass off often when you pluck. That has helped me keep things clean. And most importantly, get some really really sharp knives. I made a family event out of it with my hubby and although he was squeamish at first he stood up to the challenge. You can do it!