no so first time, but questions

[trudyg]

A couple years ago, I butchered several cockerels that were at pita stage. Wasn't prepared and did a lousy job. Studied up and, today, did a 9 week old red ranger cockerel. He was already grabbing combs and bloodying his brood-mates. ( I got confused with the date and thought he was 10 weeks)

I didn't want to skin, but that's what I did for simplicity sake. I followed several folks who explained how to skin and butcher. It went great! I made the jugular cut at 5:45, had everything already set up, and was done and in the house an hour later! I'm so proud of myself.

Anyway, I had some issues. As I skinned, I had a really hard time finding the crop. Found it when feed spilled out.... Ok, rinse and move on. He had gone the afternoon without food. Should I have run a finger in the neck end of the bird to loosen some of the guts up? I didn't and it was kinda hard scooping them out. Will do better next time.

Next issue was the butt. I started pulling off the skin at the head end and then, when I got to the vent, didn't know what to do. Keep pulling and pull the intestines out, too, or just cut the skin off around it? I cut the skin around it so I could pull off the rest of the skin, but the feathers there were really blocking my view of where the vent was. the poop helped me find it... Rinse and move on. That was on the back, mostly, and I left enough at the underside that still got in the way but was afraid to cut too much. Next time, do I start at the butt end and slit the skin around the hole, then start tearing the skin off? Probably should pluck those back end feathers out, first, too.

I then made a hole big enough to reach in and scoop the guts out, but had a hard time loosening it all up. Maybe I was being too careful not to break anything open. Got everything out and then was stumped--how do I get it all out? I have to cut leaving the guts and vent attached, but how? I carefully cut until I could make a cut that chopped off the whole butt end, vent, guts and all. Too much was cut off, so I need to know how to do this better next time.

I tried to separate the liver (DH likes liver) but nicked the gallbladder. Thankfully I had the chicken farther away and just scooped all the guts into my feather bucket and rinsed everything off. Finished picking a couple pins and feathers that had stayed behind on the wings and legs where the feet were cut off.

I'm astounded at how well I did and it was all thanks to you guys here on the forum. I learned so much, had even printed out a sheet with tips and then left it in the house, but didn't really need it. I have 9 more to go, so this is a major milestone for me.

 

[cottontail farm]

Congratulations on your ranger! Hmm... now you're making everyone think. Let me see. I do most of my skinning with my hands and kitchen shears. I never withhold feed and just take them off the roost at night so I'm familiar with full crops.
So... Take the head off.
The first thing I do is skin around the wishbone area then take off the neck and crop cutting below the crop with kitchen shears. Skin the bird working down. when you reach the cavity area, scoot the whole bird so the butt is hanging over the edge of the sink ( plastic bag in sink). Cut around cavity clear to below the tail ( but don't cut it loose yet) hold bird with left hand and reach in with the right to scoop out innards - you kind of have to work them loose - towards the bag. They'll still be attached at the vent. Pick chicken up with the left hand and hold over the sink.
One more snip below the tail and the whole organ/digestive area falls into the bag.
i hope this makes sense.
What does everyone else do?

 

[trudyg]

That's pretty much where I ended up--with everything hanging off the back end. I just couldn't tell where to make that final snip. I kept looking where poop was coming out to see where the vent was, then going back to the guts hanging out. I think I just didn't get them out far enough to do that final snip. One post said to twist the bird and it would twist off, but I'd just as soon cut it off. Thanks, that shows me that I should have worked at it a bit more.

 

[Mosey2003]

I just typed out how I skin in another post, going to copy that to here. But what you want to do is pull up to the crop, especially if there is feed in it, you'll find it. I kind of filet around it to get it away from the body and skin, then cut the tube close to the cavity, and also cut the esophagus close to the cavity. You should be cutting the vent out all around before you try to pull the guts, that was part of why it was harder for you. Here's my copy:
The first time I tried to skin, I just kind of thought it would be super easy, like taking off a jacket, and made a long slit down the back. Do NOT do that! lol I then searched for a video and saw the easy way to do it. You make a slit across the skin near the bottom point of the keel (breast) bone. Then stick your fingers of both hands in and rip up and down, toward the neck and legs. That part is easy peasy. The middle wing section is terrible, and I find so little meat there that I'm not going to bother with it again. You have to filet under the wing feathers with a knife, just a total pain. So I say cut the wing off with poultry shears at that first joint from the body. Then I pull down off the legs, work your fingers into the membranes between the thighs and body, not too hard. Then up over the neck and wings, pull/filet the crop away and cut that and the esophagus out, then take that section of skin and pull straight down the back. Then I wiggle my knife between two tail vertebrae and cut the tail off, carefully so as not to go too deep. Then you go ahead and cut around the vent and into the cavity and gut as usual.

 

[BlackHackle]

The way I butcher them is a fast process that Joel Sulitan made up. Two people can have a whole flock butchered in a couple hours. We first place the birds in a butcher cone, slice the throat, but not the entire head off. After it dies, we would remove the head and quickly dunk the chicken in a pot of steaming hot water. From there they would move to the table where they are de-feathered by simply running your thumb over them. The crop is removed then they are cut open at the lower end and emptied of guts. It sounds long, but it is super easy

 

[trudyg]

Mosey2003, your post was one that I copied and pasted for my notes that I left in the house--the one where you have pictures. So, do you cut a slit at the keel and then reach in and pull the guts out first or do you pull off the skin first? I did skin first, then guts. (I had read the original post as gut first, but Miss Prissy said skin first so I did that) So, I need to cut a circle around the vent first, not getting in far enough to cut the intestines, and then start ripping the skin. A small bit of skin will still be around the vent once I get all the skin off? Or, when you say cut around the vent first, are you saying to gut first? Sorry, I'm not clear on what you do first--but you were my guide. Thank you.

 

[Mosey2003]

You skin first.

With the bird on his back, find the keel bone. Doesn't have to be exact, basically the middle of the bird. Pinch the skin and lift it up so you just have ahold of skin, and then make a slice across, so that you have a slit. Put your knife down, and put both hands into that slit and pull, one hand toward the neck and the other toward the feet. Carry on with the skinning at the top of the bird, around the wings and neck, get the crop cut out and the esophagus cut down/loosened up. Then go back to your legs and get the skin pulled off them. Flip the bird onto its breast, gather the skin by the neck, and pull the whole bit straight toward its tail. Now you basically only have skin attached all the way around the cavity. Personally, I then cut through the tail as we don't eat it. Then I take my knife carefully around the vent. I feel for the two pokey bones on either side of the vent and stick close to those. Then make a hole in the cavity and pull it all out.

 

[trudyg]

Thanks. I have 9 more to go, so I'll get plenty of practice.