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

[ronott1]

They are Cornish meat birds, and about 3 months old. I know they are older than most people let them get before butchering.

Yikes!

They will be the size of a Turkey for sure.

Let us know how they taste.

 

[fisherlady]

another crude method but does give estimate.... one gallon jug of water weighs 8# 5oz. You can compare the two and it will give you a decent idea.

 

[offgridhermit]

Quote:
Thanks, live weight is between 12-14 pounds. In the pix they are eating out a 10 inch dish that use to be a skillet, and the water dispenser holds 1 gallon of water. That gives you some idea of how big they are.

 

[fisherlady]

Thanks, live weight is between 12-14 pounds. In the pix they are eating out a 10 inch dish that use to be a skillet, and the water dispenser holds 1 gallon of water. That gives you some idea of how big they are.

I generally figure about 75% of live weight for dressed weight... We butchered 2 which were just over 12 lbs this spring and both dressed out between 9 and 9.5 pounds.

 

[Amina]

The chicken turned out great!

 

[ronott1]

The chicken turned out great!

I roasted a Delaware last night and am making soup out of the left overs. It is all delicious.

 

[offgridhermit]

Yeah! I'm a happy camper. Got 4 birds processed this morning.

It wasn't as bad or as smelly as I thought it would be. Of course I may never get the smell out of my hands. lol

My neighbor friend came down and showed me what to do and let me get hands on as well. Unfortunately I didn't do any of the killing and should have. Actually glad I didn't have to do the killing though.

I didn't give these birds any feed at all the day before processing, just plenty of water.

I thought I would share a few pictures.


After removing the head the bird was hung upside down in a bucket to bleed out.



Dunked in a turkey fryer with water temp about 160 degrees.


I didn't find the smell over powering at all.


Plucking feathers. This part went very fast, faster than I expected, and faster than my mom did it when I was a kid. My water was hotter than hers was, and the breed of chicken was different as well.

Washing after plucking.





Removing feet.
I won't show any gutting, only got pix of initial cuts anyway.



That's one big chicken. Dressed out at about 9.5 pounds.

 

[LindaB220]

Yeah! I'm a happy camper. Got 4 birds processed this morning.

It wasn't as bad or as smelly as I thought it would be. Of course I may never get the smell out of my hands. lol

My neighbor friend came down and showed me what to do and let me get hands on as well. Unfortunately I didn't do any of the killing and should have. Actually glad I didn't have to do the killing though.

I didn't give these birds any feed at all the day before processing, just plenty of water.

I thought I would share a few pictures.


After removing the head the bird was hung upside down in a bucket to bleed out.



Dunked in a turkey fryer with water temp about 160 degrees.


I didn't find the smell over powering at all.


Plucking feathers. This part went very fast, faster than I expected, and faster than my mom did it when I was a kid. My water was hotter than hers was, and the breed of chicken was different as well.

Washing after plucking.





Removing feet.
I won't show any gutting, only got pix of initial cuts anyway.



That's one big chicken. Dressed out at about 9.5 pounds.

Nice job Offgrid, I could do with one of those at Thanksgiving. You can find all kinds of threads on butchering and homesteading on here.

 

[bobbi-j]

Yeah! I'm a happy camper. Got 4 birds processed this morning.

It wasn't as bad or as smelly as I thought it would be. Of course I may never get the smell out of my hands. lol

My neighbor friend came down and showed me what to do and let me get hands on as well. Unfortunately I didn't do any of the killing and should have. Actually glad I didn't have to do the killing though.

I didn't give these birds any feed at all the day before processing, just plenty of water.

I thought I would share a few pictures.


After removing the head the bird was hung upside down in a bucket to bleed out.



Dunked in a turkey fryer with water temp about 160 degrees.


I didn't find the smell over powering at all.


Plucking feathers. This part went very fast, faster than I expected, and faster than my mom did it when I was a kid. My water was hotter than hers was, and the breed of chicken was different as well.

Washing after plucking.





Removing feet.
I won't show any gutting, only got pix of initial cuts anyway.



That's one big chicken. Dressed out at about 9.5 pounds.

That IS one big chicken!

Good for you for taking that step to learn how to process your birds! Rewarding, isn't it?

 

[fisherlady]

Yeah! I'm a happy camper. Got 4 birds processed this morning.

It wasn't as bad or as smelly as I thought it would be. Of course I may never get the smell out of my hands. lol

My neighbor friend came down and showed me what to do and let me get hands on as well. Unfortunately I didn't do any of the killing and should have. Actually glad I didn't have to do the killing though.

I didn't give these birds any feed at all the day before processing, just plenty of water.

I thought I would share a few pictures.

After removing the head the bird was hung upside down in a bucket to bleed out.





I didn't find the smell over powering at all.

Congrats on getting it done! There is definitely a rewarding feeling when you see that meat in the freezer! I really like the bucket and the wheelbarrow ideas... definitely shows that there are many ways to get it done and we can all find what works best for our own situation...thanks for sharing the pics, I believe that folks who are 'on the fence' can look through this thread and gain encouragement from being able to see the experiences that others have shared.

The smell doesn't bother me much either, but if the birds seem dirty or you have someone helping who doesn't care for the smell it can sometimes be reduced by 'pre washing' the birds... we simply get a tub of (tap) hot water and put a squirt of Dawn and a half cup or so of bleach in it. We then swish the birds in this tub after they are bled out and before they go into the scald water... we just swish them until they are wet through to the skin and heavy soil is washed off .