One Cull Cockerel

[Painted Calls]

A couple things I didn't see mentioned here... When choosing loppers, you want bypass, NOT anvil. Bypass will cleanly cut through, and anvil will crush while cutting.

Bypass:

Anvil:

When choosing a pipe cutter, you want to make sure it's NOT the ratcheting kind.

I have nothing more to really add. I use a .22 to the back of the head as well. Hope all goes well, B's!

 

[3KillerBs]

A couple things I didn't see mentioned here... When choosing loppers, you want bypass, NOT anvil. Bypass will cleanly cut through, and anvil will crush while cutting.

Bypass:
View attachment 3001469


Anvil:
View attachment 3001470


When choosing a pipe cutter, you want to make sure it's NOT the ratcheting kind.

I have nothing more to really add. I use a .22 to the back of the head as well. Hope all goes well, B's!

That's good information for anyone reading this thread in the future!

 

[3KillerBs]

The deed is done.

I went broomstick since my wrists aren't aching much today and I was sure I knew how to do it that way.

I got everything set up, including making a processing area on my potting sink with a washed and bleached feed bag as it's base and sharpening my best knife. Then I picked him up out of his lonely home in the brooder, which was relatively easy, and carried him into the garden (I had decided that if I pulled his head off I wanted the blood in a useful place instead of in lawn).

Head under the broomstick, feet in my hands, oops, the broomstick slipped out from under my boots.

He was more puzzled then freaked out but I calmed him again, repeated the preparation -- making sure that the broomstick was firmly up against the heels of my muck boots -- and gave a sharp, but not overly-vigorous pull.

I got the expected, vigorous flapping from the spinal cord being severed, but took the precaution of feeling his neck and found a very nice, 3-finger gap just behind his head.

When the flapping was over I carried him over to the processing area, weighing him first.

Live weight: 80.7oz -- 5lbs .7oz.

Dressed weight: 53oz counting feet and giblets -- 3lbs 5oz.

I lost most of the liver due to breaking the gall bladder. He was such a narrow, skinny thing that I could barely get my hand in and I'm not the most practiced chicken-cleaner.

Here are a bunch of photos:

I was strongly reminded why I *really* need a good setup for scalding and plucking.

Not only do I like to eat the skin, I do not find the experience of wrestling feathery skin off a chicken to be even remotely "the easy way". It took me a good 30-45 minutes to get him undressed -- even though I sacrificed the second and third wing joint (which I didn't like doing because the wing is my favorite piece and I feel that if I'm going to kill an animal I should use as much as possible of him).

I don't know if it will work, but I cut his GLORIOUS tail off to salt and, hopefully, preserve. It may or may no work. I may or may not ever use it/the feathers. But it's worth trying.

And here is the proof that I made the right choice. I don't know how much bigger Rameses is in terms of live weight, but he's much broader in the ribs and hips.

 

[3KillerBs]

P.S. I think it explains a great deal about cockerels when you see that their testicles are as big as their heads.

 

[Painted Calls]

P.S. I think it explains a great deal about cockerels when you see that their testicles are as big as their heads.

He definitely had some honkers!

Great job!

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm glad we have the meat bird forum here because it's the only community I am part of that can understand the simultaneous sadness at having had to end the life of a beautiful (if poor-type), cockerel, satisfaction of a job properly accomplished, and anticipation of a good meal to come in due time.

He definitely had some honkers!

Great job!

And he was neither the earliest developer nor the dominant bird in that batch of cockerels.

22 weeks today.

 

[Molpet]

I'm glad we have the meat bird forum here because it's the only community I am part of that can understand the simultaneous sadness at having had to end the life of a beautiful (if poor-type), cockerel, satisfaction of a job properly accomplished, and anticipation of a good meal to come in due time.



And he was neither the earliest developer nor the dominant bird in that batch of cockerels.

22 weeks today.

Yeah I have had some with ginormus testes and some itsy bitsy...or just one and one overy

 

[Molpet]

I also have discolored ones in fall and winter. One suggestion is in off season some breeds shrink, atropine, until breeding season. Seems to be the case in mine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/discolored-testicle-in-heritage-mix-cause.1277956/

 

[Mosey2003]

Not only do I like to eat the skin, I do not find the experience of wrestling feathery skin off a chicken to be even remotely "the easy way".

Yeah, I always shake my head when people say it's so much easier. It's less equipment to set up and tear down, but easier? Nah. I'd rather set up a scald pot and hand pluck than skin, honestly. I skin some every year when I have just one or two to do, but I don't relish it at all. Even knowing the best way to go about it, it's still hard work pulling it off when there's nothing good (not slippery) to get ahold of to brace the pulling. The wing ends are nearly impossible.

 

[Molpet]

Yeah, I always shake my head when people say it's so much easier. It's less equipment to set up and tear down, but easier? Nah. I'd rather set up a scald pot and hand pluck than skin, honestly. I skin some every year when I have just one or two to do, but I don't relish it at all. Even knowing the best way to go about it, it's still hard work pulling it off when there's nothing good (not slippery) to get ahold of to brace the pulling. The wing ends are nearly impossible.

If I'm not saving backs, wings and giblets I'll part skin. Just taking the legs and breast fillets.... freezer is full of backs waiting to be broth.