Prepping for the inevitable, culling excess cockerels

[FunClucks]

You may already have this info, but just in case you don't, here is Molpet's picture with things labeled.

1. liver, 2 lobes.
2. heart
3. Galbladder, located on top of intestines, attached to the liver - I usually have to cut a portion out of the liver to remove the galbladder carefully so it doesn't bust and make everything taste bitter.
4. Gizzard.
5. Fat deposits around the gizzard - this one, and to the left of the gizzard muscle you can see. The gizzard is under all of that fat.
6. Part of the lungs can be seen, mostly on the left, some on the right. They go into the grooves of the ribs, and you have to pop them out with finger without being able to see them unless you cut the chicken open like this.
7. Behind that white membrane is the neck. I usually cut it off from the other end of the bird before I get to removing the guts.

Best method to de-gut that I've found - carefully make a horizontal incission across the end of the chicken just above the vent, when chicken is lying on its back with vent facing you. Incision goes from rib to rib, and you can pull the chicken open a bit. Loosen the membranes between the ribs/body and intestines that you can get to. Then reach in with your hand, grab around the heart, and some of the lungs if you can get them, and pull everything out onto the table.

Rigor starts to set in for my chickens around 30 minutes, my whole process takes 1.5 hrs if I skin. By the time I have a clean carcass, it's stiff enough I don't want to use a shrink wrap bag yet. I put the clean, rinsed carcass whole into a large cooler of ice water for 3 days (keep the ice refreshed), then rinse, put in shrink wrap bags, shrink them, and then the freezer.

If I part them out, I'll do it once I have a clean carcass - two legs, thighs, and wings into one gallon ziplock (bone-in skinless), the breasts into another ziplock (boneless skinless), edible entrails (heart, gizzard, liver, neck, yolks) into a sandwich size ziplock. I save the bones/frame left over after meat removal for soup stock. This makes two meals for my family, one per gallon ziplock bag of meat, from one 8-10 lb CX chicken. Then I put these three bags into the fridge, on separate shelves (not stacked), so they can cool down quickly. After 3 days once rigor passes, I move them to the freezer.

With RIR cockerels around 12 weeks, you might could get an entire carcass into one gallon ziplock. Or stick it into a large metal bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge until rigor passes, it will pack more compactly after that. You don't have to remove the neck unless you want to. You could cut it to spatch cock it over the grill.

No matter how you cook, make sure the joints move freely so rigor is past prior to cooking. Low and slow cooking methods are the best. I suggest investing in a pressure cooker/canner, they're relatively inexpensive and practically guarantee tender chicken. 12 weeks should still be pretty tender, I tend to try and cook/eat birds a year old or more, so pressure cooking is a must for those birds.

 

[redinator]

You may already have this info, but just in case you don't, here is Molpet's picture with things labeled.

1. liver, 2 lobes.
2. heart
3. Galbladder, located on top of intestines, attached to the liver - I usually have to cut a portion out of the liver to remove the galbladder carefully so it doesn't bust and make everything taste bitter.
4. Gizzard.
5. Fat deposits around the gizzard - this one, and to the left of the gizzard muscle you can see. The gizzard is under all of that fat.
6. Part of the lungs can be seen, mostly on the left, some on the right. They go into the grooves of the ribs, and you have to pop them out with finger without being able to see them unless you cut the chicken open like this.
7. Behind that white membrane is the neck. I usually cut it off from the other end of the bird before I get to removing the guts.

Best method to de-gut that I've found - carefully make a horizontal incission across the end of the chicken just above the vent, when chicken is lying on its back with vent facing you. Incision goes from rib to rib, and you can pull the chicken open a bit. Loosen the membranes between the ribs/body and intestines that you can get to. Then reach in with your hand, grab around the heart, and some of the lungs if you can get them, and pull everything out onto the table.

Rigor starts to set in for my chickens around 30 minutes, my whole process takes 1.5 hrs if I skin. By the time I have a clean carcass, it's stiff enough I don't want to use a shrink wrap bag yet. I put the clean, rinsed carcass whole into a large cooler of ice water for 3 days (keep the ice refreshed), then rinse, put in shrink wrap bags, shrink them, and then the freezer.

If I part them out, I'll do it once I have a clean carcass - two legs, thighs, and wings into one gallon ziplock (bone-in skinless), the breasts into another ziplock (boneless skinless), edible entrails (heart, gizzard, liver, neck, yolks) into a sandwich size ziplock. I save the bones/frame left over after meat removal for soup stock. This makes two meals for my family, one per gallon ziplock bag of meat, from one 8-10 lb CX chicken. Then I put these three bags into the fridge, on separate shelves (not stacked), so they can cool down quickly. After 3 days once rigor passes, I move them to the freezer.

With RIR cockerels around 12 weeks, you might could get an entire carcass into one gallon ziplock. Or stick it into a large metal bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge until rigor passes, it will pack more compactly after that. You don't have to remove the neck unless you want to. You could cut it to spatch cock it over the grill.

No matter how you cook, make sure the joints move freely so rigor is past prior to cooking. Low and slow cooking methods are the best. I suggest investing in a pressure cooker/canner, they're relatively inexpensive and practically guarantee tender chicken. 12 weeks should still be pretty tender, I tend to try and cook/eat birds a year old or more, so pressure cooking is a must for those birds.

This is helpful. I assumed the liver lobes were the lungs.

Any specific pressure cooker you recommend? I've thought about getting on before, but I have a habit of buying kitchen gadgets that never get used.

Could you roast them in the oven, in a roaster w a lid? If so what temp to set it at? I use a digital meat thermometer, so it would just take however long it takes, lol.

 

[FunClucks]

This is helpful. I assumed the liver lobes were the lungs.

Any specific pressure cooker you recommend? I've thought about getting on before, but I have a habit of buying kitchen gadgets that never get used.

Could you roast them in the oven, in a roaster w a lid? If so what temp to set it at? I use a digital meat thermometer, so it would just take however long it takes, lol.

Roast in the oven with a lid is a great plan, I'd set the oven at 275F and see how things progress. I cook most of my roasts that way. Takes an eon, but always tender. Meat thermometer is a must.

As for pressure cooker, get the simplest one Walmart has that meets your size requirement. I wanted to do a whole bird. This is the one I have, works great. Good instruction manual with recipes. I put a whole chicken in, fill about 1/3 full with water, also a lot of chicken soup veggies (celery, onions, bay leaf, carrots). Best pulled chicken ever, and super easy to debone. I process sorta like they say to process chicken soup. I use the broth for egg drop soup, the veggies for pea soup, and the chicken for pulled chicken with bbq sauce if I don't feel like eating chicken soup.

 

[Molpet]

@Ridgerunner roasts his

Could you roast them in the oven, in a roaster w a lid? If so what temp to set it at? I use a digital meat thermometer, so it would just take however long it takes, lol.

 

[chuckmill83]

Your going to want to get a bird done before rigor mortise sets. I have put a bird in the refrigerator until rigor mortise has passed then pluck and gut.
I prefer to gut outside where it's easy to hose down, but some people do gut inside and wipe down the cabinet fronts from the drippings.
I don't feed intestines.
Boiling tends to toughen meat. Low and slow or pressure cooker.
Age determines cooking method.
View attachment 4140238

I use a cut up kitty litter jug as a kill cone. Electric tape around ankles so they can't run.
View attachment 4140237

A PVC pipe cutter to remove the head.

View attachment 4140239


Be careful not to break a green tube. It's the gallbladder and has bitter green liquid that needs to be washed off very well. It's attached to the liver.

I have a 2 gallon bucket I put garbage bag in for the guts. The bag goes in the trash. I usually freeze the bag of guts so it doesn't stink and draw varmints.

this is a great tip, ty!

 

[redinator]

Ah! I can breathe again! I managed to rehome all of the excess males.

 

[SnackMeat]

I would say cull one or two at a time. It gets tiresome doing it. Expect to take at least an hour your first time, maybe longer. Spread it out over a few days if possible, even weekends.


So far, for us, tips:

1. Have a big pot of water available, or else multiple pots and kettles to blanch the carcass. That helps pull the feathers out. Seriously it takes me five minutes or less after a minute or so in water at 150* F.

2. Crate and pull food 12-24 hours before culling to get their crop small. Small crops make the job easier and neater.

3. I tried cutting from the front but following a tip from YouTube, cutting from back, around shoulderblades up towards neck and then cutting around the neck helped me find and remove the crop more cleanly without accidentally piercing it.

4. You can also consider trading cockerels for eggs or chicks to play the sex lottery again.

5. Scald the chicken feet again in the water and then put in freezer bag for soup.

6. If you have any interest in caponizing, use your culled cockerels for practice. I believe it's two quick incisions at the back and pulling out two small bean sized testicles.

7. Save the feathers of the mane and some of the wing and tail feathers. There's some cool crafts and honestly with ten you could probably do a whole winter wreath from feathers from culling, if so inclined. Otherwise they can be composted.

8. Black soldier fly larva bins are great for bits you don't want like the head, the tail gland, and any organs you won't use. The larva/maggots then can be fed to your chickens for free protein.

9. After feathers are gone or skinned look the body over carefully for any cuts, or scabs. We found a small circle scan and squeezed it on a recent Cornish cross we were given (they bought it not realizing what it was.) squeezed it for several minutes with the hose on it and so much puss came out. Decided there was no way we were eating it and wanted to open it up to see wtf was up with the abscess. It covered almost the entire interior between skin and breastplate. That poor chicken. It went into the BSF bins and they made quick work of it. But it was kind of chance that we even decided to squeeze on this small circular wound that looked partially healed over. With RIR, you shouldn't have that issue but with stuff like bumblefoot which I've read is a staph infection, know what to look for for meat you should pass on.

10. You should have a dish to make fresh and then a dish to make in several days of a carcass being in the fridge for rigor mortis. That way you at least know how much it may or may not affect that breed at that age.

11. And save the bones for stock

 

[redinator]

I would say cull one or two at a time. It gets tiresome doing it. Expect to take at least an hour your first time, maybe longer. Spread it out over a few days if possible, even weekends.


So far, for us, tips:

1. Have a big pot of water available, or else multiple pots and kettles to blanch the carcass. That helps pull the feathers out. Seriously it takes me five minutes or less after a minute or so in water at 150* F.

2. Crate and pull food 12-24 hours before culling to get their crop small. Small crops make the job easier and neater.

3. I tried cutting from the front but following a tip from YouTube, cutting from back, around shoulderblades up towards neck and then cutting around the neck helped me find and remove the crop more cleanly without accidentally piercing it.

4. You can also consider trading cockerels for eggs or chicks to play the sex lottery again.

5. Scald the chicken feet again in the water and then put in freezer bag for soup.

6. If you have any interest in caponizing, use your culled cockerels for practice. I believe it's two quick incisions at the back and pulling out two small bean sized testicles.

7. Save the feathers of the mane and some of the wing and tail feathers. There's some cool crafts and honestly with ten you could probably do a whole winter wreath from feathers from culling, if so inclined. Otherwise they can be composted.

8. Black soldier fly larva bins are great for bits you don't want like the head, the tail gland, and any organs you won't use. The larva/maggots then can be fed to your chickens for free protein.

9. After feathers are gone or skinned look the body over carefully for any cuts, or scabs. We found a small circle scan and squeezed it on a recent Cornish cross we were given (they bought it not realizing what it was.) squeezed it for several minutes with the hose on it and so much puss came out. Decided there was no way we were eating it and wanted to open it up to see wtf was up with the abscess. It covered almost the entire interior between skin and breastplate. That poor chicken. It went into the BSF bins and they made quick work of it. But it was kind of chance that we even decided to squeeze on this small circular wound that looked partially healed over. With RIR, you shouldn't have that issue but with stuff like bumblefoot which I've read is a staph infection, know what to look for for meat you should pass on.

10. You should have a dish to make fresh and then a dish to make in several days of a carcass being in the fridge for rigor mortis. That way you at least know how much it may or may not affect that breed at that age.

11. And save the bones for stock

Thanks for these tips. They'll be here when I need them next spring.

If I buy anymore chickens they'll be auto sexing at hatch or pol pullets. When I start breeding/hatching my own I'll have to deal with this issue again, but not anytime soon.