Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[bruceh]

i like that response

 

[off-grid hen]

Well said!

 

[EggieRowe]

Glad I found this thread. Today is the day for our roo Cogburn. (Rule #1 of processing club, we don't name the birds...LOL). But thankfully he's such a jerk to me and the hens that I'm not emotionally attached to him. I worry when the day comes to process my hens, who don't have names, I will hesitate. I'm still debating on taking a hen today to make comparisons - they are all the same age but different breeds. This will be my first solo run, though I've done a few with my mom before.
My thing is I want the process to be perfect. No suffering for him and no screw ups that render him inedible. Those two things are weighing on me more than anything. I've sterilized everything (twice) now, so it's down to putting on the water on for scalding and hanging him up. Read through stickies a dozen times to refresh my memory. All that's left is to do this - wish me luck!

 

[Kassaundra]

Glad I found this thread. Today is the day for our roo Cogburn. (Rule #1 of processing club, we don't name the birds...LOL). But thankfully he's such a jerk to me and the hens that I'm not emotionally attached to him. I worry when the day comes to process my hens, who don't have names, I will hesitate. I'm still debating on taking a hen today to make comparisons - they are all the same age but different breeds. This will be my first solo run, though I've done a few with my mom before.
My thing is I want the process to be perfect. No suffering for him and no screw ups that render him inedible. Those two things are weighing on me more than anything. I've sterilized everything (twice) now, so it's down to putting on the water on for scalding and hanging him up. Read through stickies a dozen times to refresh my memory. All that's left is to do this - wish me luck!

Good luck, hope it goes well, w/ the research, reading and hands on doing w/ your mother you've got this, trust yourself.

In my work we have a saying, "If you drop the baby, pick it up" Meaning if something goes wrong, stay calm and fix it. If you have a miss cut, stay calm and get it right in the next cut, it isn't optimum true, but in reality the roo will be just as dead in just a couple more seconds.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Good luck. IMHO, the main places to mess up are first in the dunking: dunk up and down and test feather pulling. It's easy to misjudge the timing here and in only doing one, you are likely to get it wrong. Don't worry about it- if it's too long and tears the skin you can always skin him. I feel rather a tad too long than not long enough and making the plucking hard.
The other place is in the initial cuts on the neck to free the windpipe and the rear to get *everything* without cutting through the intestines. Again, plenty of water washes away any mistakes so go for it gal!!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I know that's nerves and inexperience talking but please don't set yourself a standard that is impossible to keep....I've never taken part in a processing that was perfect. Not all these long years of doing it. Something always goes wrong and that's just normal and not something you can really control. You will invariably scald one too long and the skin will peel, or nick the bowel and get feces on some meat, or not cut deeply enough on the first cut to get a good flow of blood.

It happens and it happens even to folks with much experience, so please don't let the "process to be perfect" weigh on your mind...it's not going to be. Guaranteed. Just assume that perfection cannot be attained and shoot for the best that you can do each time and you will not be under such performance anxiety.

And...the sterilizing beforehand? That's a step you can remove from the routine. As long as equipment is clean and functional, you will see how quickly the term "sterilize" and chicken processing are not compatible...in any way, shape or form. What you can do is keep fresh bleach water and clean rags, as well as a garden hose, handy for quick cleaning of the tables in between particularly messy butchering episodes and keep fecal matter, debris and other gore from making your work table tainted. I urge everyone to take that step...the cleaner you are in your processing, the better quality of meat you will be turning out. But a simple bleach wash of tables, knives and receptacles are enough to maintain hygienic processing...no sterilization needed.

Good luck, you'll do fine and we expect a full report!!!

 

[bruceh]

I know that's nerves and inexperience talking but please don't set yourself a standard that is impossible to keep....I've never taken part in a processing that was perfect. Not all these long years of doing it. Something always goes wrong and that's just normal and not something you can really control. You will invariably scald one too long and the skin will peel, or nick the bowel and get feces on some meat, or not cut deeply enough on the first cut to get a good flow of blood.

It happens and it happens even to folks with much experience, so please don't let the "process to be perfect" weigh on your mind...it's not going to be. Guaranteed. Just assume that perfection cannot be attained and shoot for the best that you can do each time and you will not be under such performance anxiety.

And...the sterilizing beforehand? That's a step you can remove from the routine. As long as equipment is clean and functional, you will see how quickly the term "sterilize" and chicken processing are not compatible...in any way, shape or form. What you can do is keep fresh bleach water and clean rags, as well as a garden hose, handy for quick cleaning of the tables in between particularly messy butchering episodes and keep fecal matter, debris and other gore from making your work table tainted. I urge everyone to take that step...the cleaner you are in your processing, the better quality of meat you will be turning out. But a simple bleach wash of tables, knives and receptacles are enough to maintain hygienic processing...no sterilization needed.

Good luck, you'll do fine and we expect a full report!!!

ain't that the truth

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: sure is! Good luck!

 

[Kassaundra]

I had to cull one of the chickens I was wanting to keep, she was 13ish weeks old, a black and white FEMALE ee. She wasn't sick or hurt, but failing to thrive, not very active, way smaller then the others. Even though I really wanted her feather color, I want healthy, non "special needs" chickens more. Before I processed I looked her all over outside she looked fine, healthy skin, clear eyes, no sign of illness or injury, after she was dead all her inside appeared healthy and normal, but she just wasn't "right", hard to explain, you just knew when you watched her.

 

[fisherlady]

I had to cull one of the chickens I was wanting to keep, she was 13ish weeks old, a black and white FEMALE ee. She wasn't sick or hurt, but failing to thrive, not very active, way smaller then the others. Even though I really wanted her feather color, I want healthy, non "special needs" chickens more. Before I processed I looked her all over outside she looked fine, healthy skin, clear eyes, no sign of illness or injury, after she was dead all her inside appeared healthy and normal, but she just wasn't "right", hard to explain, you just knew when you watched her.

It happens, but sorry you had to do it

, at least with the chicken you were able to rule out many causes through the processing... I have seen it with other animals and it always makes you wonder. It may have been neurological or endocrine issues which would be near impossible to diagnose without much more in depth necropsy testing.