Ok y'all, I'm about to go butcher my first chicken!

[LivinNewDreamInND]

Awe! I was hoping I was going to read that you did it. I really want to think that I could process my own meat birds someday, but I think I might end up wimping out too. Hopefully your roos enjoy their new homes. Maybe next time.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Well, good for you for even considering it! You can think of this as your first practice run. With each session I learn something new to make the next session go even faster & easier. Maybe the next time you have surplus roosters it will be easier for you to complete the job.

It does make it more challenging to try to do the job alone when you also have a baby to care for. Perhaps there is another BYCer or chicken keeper who does home-processing. I think it's easier when you have someone with some experience to show you what to do the first time.

It's still not my favorite job around the place, but I do find it gives me a feeling of empowerment to have mastered this basic human survival skill.

As for your feather-removal question, I favor plucking over skinning. I just don't seem to have the upper arm strength to easily pull off the skin, especially from the legs & wings. But I find hand-plucking fairly easy, I dunk the birds up & down in a pot of hot water around 150 degrees, but just for about 15 seconds. When a wing feather slides out easily I know it's ready for plucking. I think 2 minutes is too long, you'll cook the skin.