Processing an overly cocky roo tomorrow

[off-grid hen]

Thank you for your post. I have put myself in a situation to get ready to do the same thing. I got 2 cockerels in my most recent chick order. One got rehomed and we are keeping the other if he stays calm. But I dunno, he is crowing at 7 and a half weeks, so we'll see. not long after we got the chicks, we lost our sweet rooster to a predator. I hesitated incubating some of his eggs, but I am always game for a science experiment. I borrowed a brinsea mini and said, "what the heck, why not?". I figure I will now force a situation to work up the nerve to process extra cockerels that hatch and/or this one if he decides to turn mean.

My husband is a hunter but he had a hard time with our first mean rooster. He hadn't flogged him enough, apparently. He didn't process the bird, he threw him in the wood furnace, which I found wasteful. He told me flat out that he wouldn't be able to "do" the EE roo if it came down to it because he is a nice boy. I just ordered a cone. I told him I'd do it if he turned out to be aggressive. (I'm surprised that he is having a hard time with it. He spent a few years of his childhood on a farm, and he hunts. I guess shooting something that you've never met before is not as hard one you've raised.)

If he can bring me deer, I can bring him chickens.

My fear is that I won't do the initial cut properly. Like it'll be too deep or not deep enough. I have helped with cutting up deer before, but never evisceration. I'm afraid I'll mess that up and make a mess of the meat.

After reading your thread, I figure I'll do as much research as possible, and that mistakes on the first try are inevitable. I won't let it discourage me. It sounds like yours went well. Do you have sources that helped you out, specifically? The last time I performed a dissection was in 10th grade, and I'm nearly 40. And I've never even killed and cleaned a fish.

Thanks for helping with the courage! That meal sounded delicious. Makes me want a late-night snack.

 

[dadthebaker]

Thank you for sharing, and it's not just you ladies that need to...er... Man up... My day is coming soon...

 

[Henicillin]

Another upstate New Yorker! *waves from the Capital District* Have you found our New York State thread in the "Where Are You?" forum section yet? Come on over - we're a fun bunch!

I did do a LOT of reading and research before I processed my roo. There's a handy-dandy sticky at the top of the meat bird forum that links to some great resources, both videos and step-by-step tutorials. I also found and bookmarked a couple more videos I thought were helpful:

Survival skills with Russ - how to butcher a chicken - this is pretty much what I did, except I hung mine by his feet off a deck railing instead of from a tree branch. There are kids next door who like to wave hi and see what we're doing over in our yard. I figured if I hung the bird off the deck railing with the bleed-out bucket in the hostas, it wouldn't be quite as obvious that I was, you know, killing him. Fortunately, that issue never surfaced! I didn't bother with a cone, and he only flapped once. The second video linked to this one is really good as well. She uses tin snips instead of poultry shears to cut up the bird, as they'll cut through bone easily and they aren't terribly expensive. Those are on my list of "must gets!"

Respectful chicken harvest - she does a great job showing exactly where to cut, and her technique strikes me as very kind. When I have to do a beloved hen, I'll probably end up doing it like this:

I used this as my slitting knife on the recommendation of my husband. The blades are razor sharp, and can be replaced when they become dull.

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/dewalt-18mm-metal-body-snap-off-knife-230850.html

I extended the blade fully so I had more length to work with. I did hit some feathers on the first cut, so, although it did start the bleed, it wasn't quite as deep as it should have been. I cut again immediately, this time to the right depth. He never even reacted to either cut, nor to my holding his head off to the side to help with the bleed-out. Having done it this way successfully, I'm now a convert to idea that slitting the throat with a super-sharp knife causes them to bleed out and die before their nervous systems have time to process the situation. Previously, I was on board with the decapitation idea, as I didn't think I could do the slitting. If I can, anyone can.

Skinning and gutting took a while, since I'm a rookie. Both are actually pretty interesting, though - I found myself in "oh, so that's how that's attached" mode more often than not.

Edited to add a link to the bird knife I used for skinning and evisceration. It's easy to handle, sharp, and small enough to work in tight spots. I'd forgotten that the hook is actually a hooked blade designed to open birds without cutting the breast meat, so I didn't give that a shot. I'll try it next time!

http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/product/bird-hunt-knife-36531.aspx

Of course, making Crock-Pot Rooster is the best part! I'll be freezing the stock I made tomorrow and using the rest of the meat like pulled pork.

 

[mtnviewfarms]

What a wonderful and thorough account you've provided for us - who haven't got their 'big people panties' on yet as the previous poster so aptly put it.

I posted a few minutes ago on this part of the forum about not being able to 'process' our BRs and hoping that another
dual or meatie bird that we don't raise for egg laying will be easier for us to 'get in the mental groove' about processing them.

You mentioned being proud of being able to take it 'start to finish' in processing him but really you have taken it even further than that to 'full circle of life' as you raised him and provided a healthful and happy life for him as well.

Thanks again.