Well, we did it. We butchered all of our Cornish Broilers except for 2. I decided to keep a rooster and a pullet. This was my first time doing it and I learned a lot!!! Let me share for those other newbys. 1. When they tell you to starve your chicken or feed corn or no food for 12 hours...follow that. We didnt...just on a whim we decided to butcher...planning does work. 2. I invested in a plucker...EZ Plucker and thank goodness I did. It took 15 seconds to clean 2 chickens. I could not have done it without it...We could not have done it without it. 3. We used the Cone method and thank goodness I bought the tall rack from Brower (we are tall people) as well as the killing cone....it was worth every dime /dollar spent. 4. I also invested in a scalder....I am glad I did that as well. We still could not get the timing down as to how long the chicken should stay in the water...any tips for next time would be great...like 30 second, etc. We either kept them in there too long or not enough. Water temperature and time in it is key to the whole feathering process. 5. Knife...invest in a great knife to get all the innards out. 6. Don't forget the ice. You will need this and a tank with water to put your chickens in after you have cleaned it out. (Yes, we forgot about this....quick trip to local convenience store and a cooler was a quick fix solution) 7. Lots of freezer bags...I'm thinking about investing in a food saver. 8. Lungs....dont forget to take out the lungs...bright pink stuff.... 9. Start early...dont decide to do this on same day...start early. We did 22 chickens and started around 1pm....we finished from set up to clean up around 6pm. 10. A grabber and a net were essential to us....keep in mind, we are newbies...never ever raised chickens before....only touched them a couple of times throughout raising them...the grabber and a net was very very valuable. 11. If you are using the cone method, dont forget to put water in the bucket BEFORE the blood drains into it. 12. The You tube videos is nothing compared to the real thing in terms of the fight the chickens have when life is ending. That part was tough. I prayed before the process and thanked GOD for providing us with food to eat and for the chickens to provide my family nutrients. This was the ultimate sacrifice for the chickens. We respect our animals. So, don't be shocked at this as we were. 11. Finally, you will need a water hose, clorox clean up, dish detergent, garbage bags, buckets to place the innards. These are just my little tips as a first timer...good luck to the rest of you. Lets just say, I'm glad this is over.
sounds like you had an interesting day. But good job!! I'm not a religious person per say but anytime i kill something its the first i do is to say thank you to god when i kill something.
I too, learned as I went along. Although we use no plucker, or have a 'said' scalder. We just use a muck bucket, and hot water, and a thermometer. I agree, with hold the feed, for sure. Nothing more disgusting that cleaning your birds on your kitchen table (on plastic bags of course), and having 'that' mess come out, when your trying to cut around the anus. A GREAT tool I use for cutting around that, as well as opening them up are small sissors, VERY sharp and pointed. Grab midway with your fingers and pinch horizontally, and cut vertically, then just continue to cut until you get the desired opening. A knife I find makes a jagged cut. I also use these to cut around the crop, trying to leave the neck skin intact.. to stuff later on. Course, you have to be careful getting in there with a knife to cut around the neck, and then twisting it out. Did you cut the gland out above the tail? Be careful not to touch that stuff, if you manage to expose it. Stinky stuff. Oh.. just wanted to add, we use the road cones to kill in...just cut the hole abit bigger, especially if you want to do turkeys.
Thanks for this info -- your "Lessons Learned" will be VERY helpful for us when we do this for the first time!
Outstanding! I love to learn from someone just slightly more experienced than me, as well as from old timers. OTs have more information, but newbies have more RELEVANT information, it seems to me. To the OP, yes, a Food Saver system is great! The 11" rolls are good for whole birds, and the 8" rolls are good for small packs parts. And a grapefruit spoon has become my lung scraper of choice - though really just breaking the membrane over the lungs seems to do it for me. (It took a while to be able to handle lungs halfway well.) Sounds like you did very well for your first go, and just think - It'll only get easier!
I use my hands with gloves to go inside. I find if I rip or pull the windpipe and other cords from the top of the neck, and using my fingers work my way along the back scooping and releasing as I go. You can get the lungs intact working them out of the cavity they seem to be in. Keep scraping along, and you can eventually pull everything out in one 'ball'. Have you ever seen the eggs from inside a turkey hen? They are cool! I will go off and try and find it. Oh, here it is!
Thanks!! I believe in giving back info from lessons learned!! Oh and one major one....if you want fryer meat you might want to butcher at 4 weeks and not the 9 weeks that we waited. You live and learn!!! I ordered 50 more from Ideal on one of their specials for under 70 bucks..... I will definitely only go 4 weeks tops 5. Thanks for those who have added and good luck to all!!!
@Smiles.... Foodsaver is next on my list! Thanks for that info!! I know nothing about them soooo I'll need any help with info out there!! Thanks again!!
As a kid, I helped my Dad clean chickens. We would ring their necks and the bodies would run around for a little bit of time. Then we would dip them in hot water and start plucking. I am glad there are people here with more humane and efficient ways of doing this. I still hate the smell of a scalded chicken.
