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

[fisherlady]

I have a pair of meat sheers that I thought might work well for it. I use the cone and knife method, but if you wanted to sever the spine a good pair of meat sheers might work great.

I can see a good pair of shears working on the softer spines of young meaties but would have to be a pretty stout pair to work on the more solid necks of 18 wk old roosters or older hens. I would have to test any pair of shears on a stout live branch to judge it's viability as a chicken tool.
If anyone has found shears heavy duty enough to work well I would certainly try them, though I am now comfortable doing my scalpel.

Also note, some tools work great for one person but someone with weaker or arthritic hands may have trouble with them.

 

[Bridebeliever]

I was even thinking of

 

[Bridebeliever]

Apparently nothing...LOL

 

[Bridebeliever]

I found something of what I was looking for. I had read somewhere about not cutting the windpipe.

KILLING/BLEEDING

When killing the bird, it is best to cut the carotid artery, not the windpipe. This allows the bird to bleed more easily and minimizes shock. A properly bled bird will have little or no blood around the bone or joint. Do not cut the head off as the bird is bled. This will result in an undesirable appearance. The head should be removed during the evisceration process. Estimate bleeding time at about 1 minute and 15 seconds.
I got this from http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/processing-info/

 

[fisherlady]

Yes, this works very well and is our method, you cut the side of the neck along the jawline, you do not cut across the throat itself. The confusion happens when many of us incorrectly use the terms neck and throat interchangeably.

 

[fisherlady]

I am on my mobile so I can't find pictures on this thread but I'm pretty sure I posted pictures of where to cut a long time back, if you can try searching the pictures of the thread.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Will do! Thanks!

 

[sideWing]

I found something of what I was looking for. I had read somewhere about not cutting the windpipe.

KILLING/BLEEDING

When killing the bird, it is best to cut the carotid artery, not the windpipe. This allows the bird to bleed more easily and minimizes shock. A properly bled bird will have little or no blood around the bone or joint. Do not cut the head off as the bird is bled. This will result in an undesirable appearance. The head should be removed during the evisceration process. Estimate bleeding time at about 1 minute and 15 seconds.
I got this from http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/processing-info/

This is how I do it with the cone.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Question from a newbie!

Everything I have seen on processing chickens show slitting the neck and poking the brain! Eeek! I don't think I can do it! What happened to the old fashioned wood block and off with the head? The thing I fear about slitting is that I won't do it right and it'll suffer! I figure head completely off=completely dead.
I have 9 chicks and I think two might be roos...ugh...and yes, I'm already attached to their little personalities!

We do it the old fashoined way with a hatchery and stump. We have a pair of ropes that hang from a branch nearby with slip knot nooses on the ends. I hold the feet, hubby chops, then I hang them by their feet to bleed out. Works well for us.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Thank you! I was thinking of using the cone and completely taking the head off. I guess I didn't know if that makes processing harder? I think I've seen that after the 150 degree bath and then de-feathering the next thing that's done is head off. Thankfully I do have a friend that has meat birds. I invited myself over to her house next time she processes so I'll get a really good dose of what it's like!

this is the way my husband ends up doing the larger birds for some reason he just cant seem to get the huge brahma right! all the others he can but just cant get those big ones right