Not letting them eat for a few days

[Hurleyk114]

Why exactly do you not feed the chickens before you butcher them? Can you still butcher them after they've ate? I know it's recommended to not feed them for a few days but just curious as to why you shouldn't after they've eaten?

 

[Molpet]

Usually they say 12 to 24 hrs so the intestines clear. Processors don't want to deal with poop.
I haven't been doing that because I just do them when I can catch my heritage and have the energy.
I'm just careful when removing the guts and rinse well if I oops.

 

[Molpet]

Also if the intestines are full and you use a cone, look out for a poop fountain

 

[Penpal]

Ditto on the 24 hours. Even 12 hours. I wouldn't keep food from my chickens any longer than that.

Also, after butchering, leave them be for at least 24 hours (the legs should move freely) before freezing or cooking.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Definitely not a few days!!! Like others have said, 12 to 24 hours is good. However, I've started to feel kind of bad doing that so the past two times I have given them some cracked corn to snack on the morning of processing. I begin processing in the morning so I find the food is still mostly in their gizzard. It doesn't have time to break down. I feel better knowing they don't feel hungry in their final moments, but this is personal preference. Also, you'll get good at not nicking the intestines, and then it really isn't a problem even if there is food in there. You absolutely can slaughter and process a bird that just eaten. People just do the not feeding thing as more of a precaution so there is less chance of an intestine coming open and getting waste in the meat.

 

[FunClucks]

I don't have the heard to withhold food, or I have a failure to plan.

When the poop comes out the rear after slaughter in the kill cone, I give them a post-mortem bath with dish-soap and a high-powered sprayer hose prior to scalding or skinning. It can still leak a bit during processing, so I angle my table and cut in certain locations so it drips in the opposite direction of the carcass. And I spray off the chicken often, and clean the table and utensils with soap and water often. Done 25+ birds so far, and no issues. It is easier when their crops are empty, but my planning is not always the best.

 

[AidKD]

I don't feed them the morning of. By that time all the food is emptied out of the crop and I don't have to deal with it or wasted feed. I definitely wouldn't do a few days. That seems a little mean.

 

[K0k0shka]

I actually prefer that they have just eaten when I butcher them. That's because when the crop is empty, it is really hard to find - it flattens out and practically disappears in there, and it's annoying to have to hunt for it. I never starve my chickens for any amount of time before processing, but yesterday I processed 4 cockerels that weren't mine, and one of them had a completely empty crop. Took me forever to find it! I use a kill cone and I've never had a poop fountain/explosion. Poop hasn't really been an issue for me unless I accidentally nick the intestines while cutting the cloaca out, but if I'm not too tired to pay attention, I can avoid that. Processing a well fed bird, when it's one from my flock, also offers me a nice glimpse into how it's doing - is it eating well, what is it eating, etc.

 

[AmyRoach]

Why exactly do you not feed the chickens before you butcher them? Can you still butcher them after they've ate? I know it's recommended to not feed them for a few days but just curious as to why you shouldn't after they've eaten?

Typically we don't feed for 24 hours to allow the intestines to be clear of poo. If you feed fish or fishmeal in homemade food be sure to switch to a fish free diet for a week or so. This way the meat doesn't taste "fishy". I have never really felt it taste funny, but my kids seem to complain quite a bit about it when I don't. They are much picker than I am.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I take my chickens out of the coop the night before they are to be processed, put them in a dog crate and put the crate in the well house over night. This is a safe, enclosed, dark building, so they can't eat or drink. In the morning I take them out of the wellhouse, hose out the bottom of the crate, put the crate in the car and deliver them to the lady who does my processing. She does not seem to have any trouble finding the gizzards. Here is an example of her work. This bird, a CornishX Rock Cross, was five weeks and two days old and weighed 4 lbs. 11 oz.+

Pic won't load, sorry.