Only partially processed

[Mkgcc]

Today I started processing the first group of our meat birds. This is brand new for my family so we knew it would be slow going and we didn’t set the bar high for what we could get done. We only got 4 finished but we still have a dozen or so in the tractor. My concern is predators. I’m sure they smell the blood (even though we rinsed everything,) and I hear a fox in the woods now. Should we have done all in one day to avoid drawing the local wildlife in? I figured they’re not idiots and already know the birds are there but maybe this made it worse. Thanks for your help!

 

[Alaskan]

Today I started processing the first group of our meat birds. This is brand new for my family so we knew it would be slow going and we didn’t set the bar high for what we could get done. We only got 4 finished but we still have a dozen or so in the tractor. My concern is predators. I’m sure they smell the blood (even though we rinsed everything,) and I hear a fox in the woods now. Should we have done all in one day to avoid drawing the local wildlife in? I figured they’re not idiots and already know the birds are there but maybe this made it worse. Thanks for your help!

Well..... is the tractor secure?

Are the birds in it still alive?

If you answer yes to the 2 questions above, then I am sure things will be fine.

If the tractor is a bit iffy.... can you pull it into the garage for the night?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Should we have done all in one day to avoid drawing the local wildlife in?

The way I read your post you did what you could. It was your first time. There is a learning curve and you will get faster, but it is unrealistic to think you could have finished all of them. Don't beat yourself up about not doing something you could not realistically accomplish. And congratulations on your first time processing. That's a major hurdle.

Hardly any of us totally wipe out our flocks when we butcher. I raise dual purpose for meat and may butcher on 7 or 8 different days throughout the year. I always have chickens left. Will butchering raise the interests of predators? Maybe, but I've never noticed it.

As Alaskan said it boils down to the security of the tractor. If it has held up until now there is a real good chance it will continue to hold up. As you said, they already know you have chickens. Good luck with it and let us know what happened. Hopefully nothing.