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

[WalkingOnSunshine]

"Our Fry Pan Bargain is an economical way to raise delicious, fryer-sized chickens for yourself and your customers while enjoying a more active bird. This all- rooster assortment may include one or more of the following breeds: Golden Buff, Rhode Island Red, Black Star, Black Jersey Giant, Salmon Faverolles, Speckled Sussex, Cuckoo Maran, Welsummer, Black Australorp, Barred Plymouth Rock, White Plymouth Rock, Buff Orpington, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Buckeye, Golden Laced Wyandotte, and Dominique. These roosters take longer to reach butchering size and won't be as large as the broilers, but good things come to those who wait. No guarantee on the number of any type on the assortment. Roosters only."


these breeds are not really meaties though are they? some grow slow not?

None of those are "meaties" per se. They are all dual purpose birds, which could be raised for meat or eggs. The cockerels would be processed around 14 weeks old instead of 7-8 weeks like a Cornish-Rock cross. Since they are dual purpose, they will be more meaty than a RSL or Leghorn. They may not weigh as much at 14 weeks as a Cornish X would at 8 weeks. They also benefit from caponizing, IME.

In my experience, they are not as tender and I would not, for example, make fried chicken with them. But they make great braised dishes and wonderful chicken broth. They will be more strongly flavored than a Cornish X, too. Yummy, but not as tender as my family likes for eating "plain chicken."

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I haven't read this entire thread, so I'm sorry if some of it is repeated.

We have processed several cockerels. I have not made it to the killing part yet, my DH does that - though I have put down several chicks. Mostly, with a larger bird, I'm worried about not getting a clean whack, or whacking my fingers in my nervousness. But I do everything once it's dead.

The first few times are not easy, I'm not going to lie. Especially the killing part. It doesn't help much when your DH says, are you sure? He's a pretty one. The killing part gets easier in that you are better at making it quick, but it's never easy from what my DH says. He has botched one, and he said that was horrible. He couldn't get another whack, so he had to let him bleed out. He also had one crow once the head was removed and that creeped him out. We will probably get a killing cone soon and try that way. Right now it's been a stump and a hatchet.

The gutting, plucking, etc does get quite a bit easier in time. The things that creeped me out the first few times I did it was the smell of the feathers when I scalded and reaching my hand into the body cavity and having it be warm in there.

Hand plucking is easy. Put a few drops of dish soap in the water and get it to boiling. Dunk and swirl around a bit and pull it out. If you leave it in there too long, you will rip the skin when you pluck. Start with the tail/wing feathers as those are the hardest to get out. The rest come off really easily, but they will stick to your hands, so have some cool water there to dunk your hands and get the feathers off.

We use a killing cone, and I HIGHLY recommend that method. The bird is very calm because it is held closely upside down. It contains the blood to one area. The bird is less stressed, and there's no struggle so you don't bruise the meat.

I really dislike plucking birds. After the first couple, I started just skinning the majority of mine. It's just as easy as plucking, and my family doesn't eat chicken skin, anyway. We only keep a few with skin on for frying and roasting.

But the most important part of Happy Chooks' post is this:


Quote:
This is exactly how I feel about it. The birds I raise myself have a good life. We let even the Cornish X range once they're big enough (although they mostly don't go far). We know what they ate, we know they had fresh water, we know they were reasonably content animals. I know that they weren't "injected with a solution" so I have more control when I cook them. The bonus is that they taste better, too.

 

[chiques chicks]

I've done CX and some SLW roos. The CX had more meat, but still had more flavor than store bought. The SLW less meaty, slightly tougher, but more flavorful. Moisture in cooking was key, along with time.
I had raised all from chicks and all were intended for the freezer groom the start. Taking any life is never easy, I don't want it to become easy. By three same token, I feel it is important, especially in todays society, to know where your food comes from. I have a city friend who had only ever known store bought, plastic wrapped food. She has come to look forward to fresh eggs, meat or fish, and vegetables. A summer picnic with all home grown ingredients is a treat to be savored. She has even joined in processing, from killing to cleaning. Looking forward to knowing what it becomes helped her face it. Yes, it was hard, but she got past it. She wanted to learn and kept that at the front of her mind, to get through it.
Always remember, even the food wrapped in plastic was live at one point. Someone had to do it. Why not be connected to your food? That way you know what you are eating and gain an appreciation for your food.

 

[Waffle]

Cockerels need to be eaten by 4 months old to be tender. Older ones need to:

1. Rest for 48 hours in the fridge
2. brined
3. moisture cooked. I cook mine in a Pressure cooker. They can also be braised.

At four months many will be close to 3 pounds dressed or smaller. That does not matter. The monsters at the store are not natural.

It is funny that you look at them as dinner. The ones that were going to be processed were like that for me. One thing I did was pick them up every once in a while and feel how much meat they had on them.

Lol Yes looking back I now know we should have rested the meat but EVERYTHING is a learning curve!! My husband picked up the meat birds once in a while to do the same! I just wouldnt go anywhere near them lol lol

 

[Waffle]

WAFFLE!! Hi waffle!

Oh my goodness not a good experience!

so do you think the horrible toughness was from not brining and setting for a day or two before cooking?

lol hey Sally!!
Yes I really do think it was from not resting the meat but hey I did it and that showed them!! The meat bird turned out just fine thank goodness. We had giant cornish. Still in the learning curve and I would like to do it again but My husband doesnt want to. We are however going to be building some new small coops for the chickens and saving the huge one for pretty much a garage. Its to nice a building to have the birds wreck it to be honest. This way I will have the chickens a little closer to the house too as its a bit far in the crappy cold canadian winter!!

 

[Waffle]

I definitely agree with this. Meaties are GROSS! I have 20 in a meat pen right now, plus six EE cockerels (stupid straight run chicks). And the difference is astounding. Meaties are simply made of meat. They're not even really birds--all they do is sit around and stuff their faces and poo, even when there is an acre of lovely pasture to explore. When you hold them, it's not like holding a bird, the way holding a laying breed is. It feels like holding a dressed chicken from the supermarket, even though they are alive. Freaks me out. And they are so gross, I'm always so relieved to not have to feed them or deal with them any more. And I certainly wouldn't want to name one. Meaties, IMO, make processing day much easier.

The good thing about meaties, of course, is taste. They taste SO GOOD that having to deal with them while they are alive and process them is worth it. My EE cockerels will also taste really good, but they will be tough and only good for coq a vin or stock--no way I could roast or fry them, my teeth aren't that good!

I totally agree I think thats why I found the meat hens a little easier to do. they are quite disgusting. thats why I could look at them as dinner and not pets

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: so Cornish whatevers are the best way to go right?

What are "red stars" production or meat birds?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

lol hey Sally!!
Yes I really do think it was from not resting the meat but hey I did it and that showed them!! The meat bird turned out just fine thank goodness. We had giant cornish. Still in the learning curve and I would like to do it again but My husband doesnt want to. We are however going to be building some new small coops for the chickens and saving the huge one for pretty much a garage. Its to nice a building to have the birds wreck it to be honest. This way I will have the chickens a little closer to the house too as its a bit far in the crappy cold canadian winter!!
Learning curve for sure, it never stops though! I have learned so much by this thread alone and all you guys its a wealth of info! awesome!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I've done CX and some SLW roos. The CX had more meat, but still had more flavor than store bought. The SLW less meaty, slightly tougher, but more flavorful. Moisture in cooking was key, along with time.
I had raised all from chicks and all were intended for the freezer groom the start. Taking any life is never easy, I don't want it to become easy. By three same token, I feel it is important, especially in todays society, to know where your food comes from. I have a city friend who had only ever known store bought, plastic wrapped food. She has come to look forward to fresh eggs, meat or fish, and vegetables. A summer picnic with all home grown ingredients is a treat to be savored. She has even joined in processing, from killing to cleaning. Looking forward to knowing what it becomes helped her face it. Yes, it was hard, but she got past it. She wanted to learn and kept that at the front of her mind, to get through it.
Always remember, even the food wrapped in plastic was live at one point. Someone had to do it. Why not be connected to your food? That way you know what you are eating and gain an appreciation for your food.

Do you know if anyone on the PA thread raises the CX Ray?

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Here in Woodland CA, Tractor Supply Center will order them in for you--6 chick min.