- Oct 16, 2011
- 112
- 5
- 91
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.
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.

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.
