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

[Wax Myrtle]

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[COLOR=008080]"dunk the bird into hot soapy water (146˚F). The soap helps the water penetrate the feathers and reach the skin ultimately loosening the feathers."[/COLOR]
 

What kinda soap and how much? Dawn dish soap or ivory


Adding.... Thoughts on actually washing the birds before processing/during?

I use dish soap. Prefer something tropical scent. After death. I hose them off with cold water immediately after bleeding to remove as many, Erm, cling ons as possible and to wash off any blood. I understand this is what can contribute to bad scalding smells. After I pluck, but before I draw, I wash them off again with cold water at the sink. (Until I get my plucker working, I will continue plucking/drawing at my kitchen sink.) After all is done and before I package them, they get one last rinse and papertowel dry off.

I would not ever add the stress of a pre-death bath.

Edit to clarify: soap goes in the scald water. I don't ever actually apply any soap directly to the birds. Not sure I'd want that flavor.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

 

[ronott1]

Okay, horror story. On Sunday I was going to do the last three of my CX because as of this Thursday they will be 9 weeks old, and they are getting too big. I put the biggest into my cone, and he barely fit, but he seemed to be calm and staying in so I decided to move forward. I turned away to pick up the knife, and the bird flipped himself out of the cone and onto the garage floor. Did I mention I do my butchering in the garage because my neighbors are close and I don't want to freak anyone out? So this bird smacks down hard on the cement, then stands up and wheezes. I figured I better do it quick, so I put him back into the cone and quickly slit his throat, making sure that I held onto his legs right after I cut him. I fumbled when I set down the knife, so it fell into the garbage bag under the cone that the chicken was bleeding out into. I became a little distracted by having a wicked sharp surgical steel knife in play, so I let go of the chicken, which was almost dead so, of course, had a major spasm and flopped out of the cone onto the floor...again! Blood was splattered over an area about 8 feet in diameter. I quickly grabbed the bird and jammed him into the garbage bag as he did the death flailing they do. He managed to get his wings tangled up in the garbage bag. Finally, he stopped moving, so I untangled him from the bag and put him back in the cone, then, as he was dripping blood over me, I was able to fish the knife out of the bag. The knife had cut a slit in the side of the bag on its way down, so there was blood leaking from that. I finished that bird up, granted the other two a stay of execution, and spent about an hour cleaning up the mess.

I am sure that one day I will look back on this and laugh, but that day is not today.

They make bigger cones...Just sayin....

This story is why I use the broom method.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

According to Julia Child, both.

Here is a link to a Coq au Vin using a real rooster instead of a fryer http://sunstonefarmandlearn.com/2009/10/25/favorite-rooster-recipes-coq-au-vin/. Coq au vin means Rooster with Wine. You need to use a good quality wine for this recipe, like a nice burgundy.

Ooooh, nice. I've been looking for an authentic Coq au Vin. Thanks.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Quote: I've never put soap in the hot water. Why do you add soap? And wouldn't you have to rinse it afterwards, to get the soap off the skin? And does it make the feathers slippery? I read a LOT about how to process chickens, and this is the first I've heard of it.

Here's my processing horror story--the first birds we killed, we were keeping in a pen that coincidentally happened to be right next to the killing cone. So they watched. And they KNEW. They were absolutely terrified and stressed. I felt awful for them. Now we make sure that the meat pen is around the other side of the barn so the next victims can't watch. They're much calmer when you carry them to the cone that way.

 

[paridisefarm2009]

I use dish soap. Prefer something tropical scent. After death. I hose them off with cold water immediately after bleeding to remove as many, Erm, cling ons as possible and to wash off any blood. I understand this is what can contribute to bad scalding smells. After I pluck, but before I draw, I wash them off again with cold water at the sink. (Until I get my plucker working, I will continue plucking/drawing at my kitchen sink.) After all is done and before I package them, they get one last rinse and papertowel dry off.

I would not ever add the stress of a pre-death bath.

Edit to clarify: soap goes in the scald water. I don't ever actually apply any soap directly to the birds. Not sure I'd want that flavor.

I use dawn dish soap in the scald water also But before I scald after the kill I dunk the bird in soapy water and then put in in the sink and wash it all over Like I'm giving it a bath and smoosh out the poo and wash it more to get a lot of the blood off before I scald and pluck , that is my method of clean bird Maybe I'm a freak But I'm constantly washing any poo away

 

[fisherlady]

The advantage to washing or rinsing before scalding is probably more about keeping the scalding water cleaner and reducing the smell of the steam from the pot. The bird will end up being rinsed 2 or 3 times before you are done, and we always do a final cold rinse in the sink under good light to check for any problems and make sure the cavity is clean.

Soap in the scald water is something I heard about from a fellow who processes by the hundreds (raises Rangers) I forget why he said, probably something to do with the oils in the feathers, but only takes a quick squirt per scalding pot, so not much.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

I've never put soap in the hot water. Why do you add soap? And wouldn't you have to rinse it afterwards, to get the soap off the skin? And does it make the feathers slippery? I read a LOT about how to process chickens, and this is the first I've heard of it.

Here's my processing horror story--the first birds we killed, we were keeping in a pen that coincidentally happened to be right next to the killing cone. So they watched. And they KNEW. They were absolutely terrified and stressed. I felt awful for them. Now we make sure that the meat pen is around the other side of the barn so the next victims can't watch. They're much calmer when you carry them to the cone that way.

oh no! they really KNEW? I can imagine the chatter on jail break!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

The advantage to washing or rinsing before scalding is probably more about keeping the scalding water cleaner and reducing the smell of the steam from the pot. The bird will end up being rinsed 2 or 3 times before you are done, and we always do a final cold rinse in the sink under good light to check for any problems and make sure the cavity is clean.

Soap in the scald water is something I heard about from a fellow who processes by the hundreds (raises Rangers) I forget why he said, probably something to do with the oils in the feathers, but only takes a quick squirt per scalding pot, so not much.

So after they are all prepped all you do is rinse a final time right?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Should I Vaccinate MEAT BIRDS? if so which vacines?