Process Question????

[anthonyjames]

Ok.. I got all hens and have had my hens for about year. Our first hens had a couple roos that came accidently and we gave them to a family farm. Well one of them is acting up and causing fights. And the farm called and asked if I wanted him. So I talked to my two young girls (3 & 4) and told them what was going to happen and they said "Well if anyone can have them for dinner it should be us. Can you get him so we can eat him." So I called the farmer and said I will be over later today.

I don't have any cones or hatches. But plenty of very sharp knives. What would someone recommend for bleeding them out? That is my issue.
After that I will dry pluck him (Still looking for pot big enough to scald but no luck.) and gut him and let him rest until tomorrow.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Five gallon Buckets! Can use for almost anything. I would have two five gallon buckets ready. One empty, one full of hot boiling water. After removal of its head, drop it into the empty bucket. When it stops moving/bleeding out, then dip it into the water bucket. Be careful not to burn/scold yourself. You can then place its head, feathers and guts in the "empty" bucket to dispose of the remains.

 

[farrier!]

So far the only critter I can easily do is quail.

A friend was nice enough to come over and help with our 3 problem roos. She used her foot and stepped on their heads and pulled to remove them. They flapped just a bit and we shoved it into a feed bad. Worked really well for just the 3. She then skinned them.

I slow cooked them in my roaster and they tasted really nice. It was a big surprise to me to see the difference in muscle color and quality compared to store bought.

 

[HEChicken]

I'd really recommend against dry plucking - you will be at it forever and will never want to process another bird again. As a PP said, a 5-gallon bucket is a good idea. You can heat water in multiple pots on the stove to fill the bucket, and then add enough cold water to get the temp right - around 150. You then want to dunk the bird around a half dozen times for maybe 10-20 seconds at a time. After the 4th time, tug on a wing feather. If it doesn't come out easily, keep up with the dunkings until it does. Once a wing feather comes out easily, you'll be able to pull handfuls of feathers at a time off the bird and it will go very quickly from there.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

farrier! :

So far the only critter I can easily do is quail.

A friend was nice enough to come over and help with our 3 problem roos. She used her foot and stepped on their heads and pulled to remove them. They flapped just a bit and we shoved it into a feed bad. Worked really well for just the 3. She then skinned them.

I slow cooked them in my roaster and they tasted really nice. It was a big surprise to me to see the difference in muscle color and quality compared to store bought.

That is exactly the way I do it, including the cooking.​

 

[anthonyjames]

Thanks.

5 - Gallon buckets I got. I think I will slit the neck and hold in the bucket. After that I am thinking I will skin it feathers and all. Should be easy. I have skinned my animals but never any birds. If I find another bucket I may pluck it an slow roast in oven. If not it will be skinned and off to the slow cooker.

 

[chicks4kids]

I used a bucket as well but I cut a small hole around 2" in the bottom that way I didn't have to hold the bird. My bucket was a sand/beach bucket. Worked real well. I doubt you'll want to hold it while it bleeds out. You could also use a plastic planter that a plant came in or something of that sort.

 

[HEChicken]

Oh, by the way, I didn't have a cone either. But I had a very large, plastic vinegar bottle, so I took that and cut the bottom out. Then I enlarged the neck a little but left the handle intact. We screwed this to the fence post. The slightly enlarged neck was just the right size to fit the heads through, the wings and body were contained in the remainder of the vinegar bottle and the legs stuck straight up. Kind of a pauper's killing cone but since we only had four to do, it worked for us. If I were doing meaties on a large-scale, I would break down and purchase one of the actual cones but for such a small number, this worked. You could use any similar sized bottle - bleach, vinegar, perhaps even a large laundry detergent bottle. I haven't taken a pic of my "cone" but its still there on the fence post. I might see if I can get a pic and post it so you can see what I mean.

 

[HEChicken]

Ok, here it is:

 

[anthonyjames]

Thanks all for the quick responses. So I cut a hole in my 5 gallon bucket. And the first cut missed and boy did he have a lot of feathers on his neck. Ended cutting it off instead of him fighting to get out of the bucket. Note to self. Use smaller pail.

Then I skinned him, quartered him and he is soaking in salt water until tomorrow until I figure out what I want to make him into. The back, neck and feet are 2 hours into simmering for stock.

Can't wait.