processed first chicken!not good tho.

[Judy]

Quote:
Great post; really good information!

 

[chickabator]

we just use the crock pot. put the chicken in it and let it cook over night until about 1:00 pm and then I take out debone and it makes the best dumplins you could ever put in your mouth. I just did a 1 1/2 year old leghorn roo a little while back

 

[3KillerBs]

Here's my recipe for soup/stock beginners: http://www.recipezaar.com/Crock-Pot-Chicken-Stock-219819

I usually use carcasses and parts, but when I had my chicken killing lessons on some stringy birds of unknown age the resulting chicken and dumplings was the best I'd ever eaten.

If you have no crockpot you can get the same results in a stockpot (or your enameled canner) by simmering it on very low heat from early morning until bedtime. That takes a little more watching to keep the heat right and you may have to top up the water if the lid doesn't fit well and is evaporating too much steam.

When you've done this you expect the meat to be tasteless, because all the goodness is now in the stock, but its still quality protein.

 

[cybercat]

Yep make yourself some homemade chicken soup and can it or freeze it. You will thank your lucky stars you did this winter. Homemade soup is the best. Hmm I need a bigger freezer.

 

[Southerngirl]

Don't give up !! At least you know now what to do ! The older chickens especially if they are over a year usually do best stewed. The main thing is you were able to process your first chicken !! I bought a set of Paula Deen knives at Walmart to try on our spring meat broiler batch. The kit had a boning knife included too. These sliced through like butter !! Excellent for processing if you need a good set.Just from my experience ! We used them on 38 Broilers and sharpened after every 5th bird. Good luck and welcome to the world of self sufficiency !

 

[Southerngirl]

Don't give up !! At least you know now what to do ! The older chickens especially if they are over a year usually do best stewed. The main thing is you were able to process your first chicken !! I bought a set of Paula Deen knives at Walmart to try on our spring meat broiler batch. The kit had a boning knife included too. These sliced through like butter !! Excellent for processing if you need a good set.Just from my experience ! We used them on 38 Broilers and sharpened after every 5th bird. Good luck and welcome to the world of self sufficiency !

 

[chooniecat]

thanks for replys and given as it was late here when roo got out of oven I was tired and discouraged. this morning tossed leathery roo into woods(chic bones not safe for my pets) but feel encouraged to boil the rest or,thank you for reminding me crock pots work, crock pot the rest. I DID know these things at some point but killing one of my chix was obviously mentally frying for me. will be doing the cockerel soon and into crock pot. LOVE soup!! bring on meat babies.

 

[jaku]

Unless you REALLY like broth, I wouldn't even waste the time butchering 5 year old birds. I've never tried it in soup, so that's a possibility, but any other way you cook it, it's going to be bad. My thought is that processing birds takes awhile, between setup, actually doing it, and cleanup, and there's no way I'd do it for some stock/soup. But don't be discouraged about getting meaties- these just aren't meat birds. Your meat birds will be MUCH better!