UPDATE in post #25..the first dinner!!!
UPDATE in post #37: Final cost per bird per lb.
After losing our other 3 to a predator, we decided to process our meat birds this weekend. We got two done Friday night, but it got too dark to finish, so we finished the other 4 this morning.
First I have to say, my husband has decided I am quite scary, because I have way too much fun doing this. (I think it's because I'm better at it hehe.) To quote my husband this morning "Great...ONE more thing, you don't need ME for"
He did a great job for a first timer in MHO!! I haven't done this since I was a kid...over 20 years since I've plucked and i've never culled or removed organs etc... so it was definitely an interesting experience and with the 6 under our belts..I'm excited for the next 25! Final dress weights were (3 roos, 3 hens) 6.6 lbs, 6.5 lbs 6.4 lbs, 6.2 lbs, 5.8 lbs and 5.4 lbs, at 7 weeks, 2 days old.
So yes, here's our little picture story...
Vodka and diet to get the party started:
Hubby get all ready for the first chicken:
He wanted to make sure I got the bucket in the picture:
After the first bird got stuck because SOMEBODY cut the cone too small, and didn't believe wifey...SOMEONE over compensated lol, and made the cone really large, so the smallest hen slipped right thu. This is one of the birds, head removed, draining:
Didn't have a very big pot, but this worked (had water to temp on the stove that I kept bringing out to keep this pot full, between birds:
I decided to hose her off before I swished in the pot. After that first bird, I was more prepared, with a separate bucket with water & dish soap that I washed them off a bit in, before scalding them in the pot:
MUCH easier
Okay at this point... I wanted a little help lol
What didn't get photographed here...after checking the feathers to see if they were coming out easily, I swished the chicken around in a tote filled with ice and water...
..then onto the plucking!
Didn't take long till I was back in the game with the plucking... This is when hubby started commenting on how much fun I was having...It really CAN be fun !!
My first plucked chicken (in over 20 years anyway!) Yay!!
This one hubby had a hard time killing, so after this one I took over... This is the girl who ended up falling INTO the blood bucket after drained.... THAT was not quite pleasant...
Our daughter came out to join the fun. Our son who has sworn he will never eat another chicken, holed up in the basement and avoided the party.
Hubby's first time getting the insides out. He stopped, threw out the gloves, ran back inside to read the BYC sticky, and came out again with his game face on!! I was so proud!!
Emmy and Tim working hard!
OOhh ohh mom realized her hands were clean, since she'd washed up to use the camera, and grabbed her drink
Hubby held up the neck at the last second. Sweet
Getting the rest of those guts out:
Everybody should walk around with a chicken on their hands, at LEAST once!
This morning...all set up and ready to go again!
Wifey took over the culling part...Everybody, including the chickens, were a little happier. GET IT!
Hubby made me laugh as I used the pliers to pull some of the more stubborn feathers... THEN tells me it's abnormal to be so cheery when you're killin stuff. Nah!
Had to use a knife to get the "last" of the feathers around the rear...but realized when I was packaging, that I still missed a few...
And off to the fridge!!
A funny note..the first couple we did had weird, multi-colored skin all over till I scrubbed it off...apparently the newsprint had transferred all over my chickens as i plucked them!!! Next time I'll be using poly, or old towels.
So that was our first rodeo...next in two months!
-Jessa
UPDATE in post #37: Final cost per bird per lb.
After losing our other 3 to a predator, we decided to process our meat birds this weekend. We got two done Friday night, but it got too dark to finish, so we finished the other 4 this morning.
First I have to say, my husband has decided I am quite scary, because I have way too much fun doing this. (I think it's because I'm better at it hehe.) To quote my husband this morning "Great...ONE more thing, you don't need ME for"
So yes, here's our little picture story...
Vodka and diet to get the party started:
Hubby get all ready for the first chicken:
He wanted to make sure I got the bucket in the picture:
After the first bird got stuck because SOMEBODY cut the cone too small, and didn't believe wifey...SOMEONE over compensated lol, and made the cone really large, so the smallest hen slipped right thu. This is one of the birds, head removed, draining:
Didn't have a very big pot, but this worked (had water to temp on the stove that I kept bringing out to keep this pot full, between birds:
I decided to hose her off before I swished in the pot. After that first bird, I was more prepared, with a separate bucket with water & dish soap that I washed them off a bit in, before scalding them in the pot:
MUCH easier
Okay at this point... I wanted a little help lol
What didn't get photographed here...after checking the feathers to see if they were coming out easily, I swished the chicken around in a tote filled with ice and water...
..then onto the plucking!
Didn't take long till I was back in the game with the plucking... This is when hubby started commenting on how much fun I was having...It really CAN be fun !!
My first plucked chicken (in over 20 years anyway!) Yay!!
This one hubby had a hard time killing, so after this one I took over... This is the girl who ended up falling INTO the blood bucket after drained.... THAT was not quite pleasant...
Our daughter came out to join the fun. Our son who has sworn he will never eat another chicken, holed up in the basement and avoided the party.
Hubby's first time getting the insides out. He stopped, threw out the gloves, ran back inside to read the BYC sticky, and came out again with his game face on!! I was so proud!!
Emmy and Tim working hard!
OOhh ohh mom realized her hands were clean, since she'd washed up to use the camera, and grabbed her drink
Getting the rest of those guts out:
Everybody should walk around with a chicken on their hands, at LEAST once!
This morning...all set up and ready to go again!
Wifey took over the culling part...Everybody, including the chickens, were a little happier. GET IT!
Hubby made me laugh as I used the pliers to pull some of the more stubborn feathers... THEN tells me it's abnormal to be so cheery when you're killin stuff. Nah!
Had to use a knife to get the "last" of the feathers around the rear...but realized when I was packaging, that I still missed a few...
And off to the fridge!!
A funny note..the first couple we did had weird, multi-colored skin all over till I scrubbed it off...apparently the newsprint had transferred all over my chickens as i plucked them!!! Next time I'll be using poly, or old towels.
So that was our first rodeo...next in two months!
-Jessa
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