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

[LemonMeringue]

I love your avy!!!

Oh thanks!!! That's my young Mottled Houdan hen.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

very sweet!

 

[fisherlady]

All done. Just too emotional over non-chicken stuff to keep on keepin on today. I must have put my big girl panties on inside out or backwards, or both. Ever have a day where nothing goes right? Yeah, that's today for me. I doubt I've ever had a more b____s-up time of processing. Missed the mark with my knife, not once, but twice - once on each side. Didn't notice til like a minute later (was swatting other birds with a broom trying to jump in the bucket after the blood) so had to make a third cut into a gory scene, using my fingers to "see" where to cut. Then had decided to try a 140* scald. Yeah, that didn't work for me. Quit after about two minutes of dunking and noticed I had begun to cook the meat. Will be going back to my 150-155* scald and just peel off the top skin layer. I've never had a harder time plucking, gave up after nearly pulling the bird off the table. Decided to skin him out, and did a hack job. Ended up just settling for harvesting the leg quarters and some terribly mangled boneless, skinless breasts. Still, two and a half pounds of meat in the fridge.

I thought I was over the learning curve - I've been doing my own birds for about 18 months now, but ugh.

Gonna go feed the remaining broilers and call it a day.

Some days it's just not the right time... no shame in admitting that and taking care of yourself in whatever way you need, the birds will be there when you are ready!

I got to process my birds today in the pouring rain. And I mean POURING. I felt like I was walking around with a quart of water in my boots for 2 hours. I may as well have processed them while standing in the lake, lol. Oh, well. At least the yard is rinsed now.

The process part went well, my dad came by to see the Featherman plucker in action. My mother-in-law and father just stared in awe at the birds being totally plucked in less than a minute.

This was my first time processing at home, I have only harvested one chicken before this at processing class.

Things I want for next time I process:

1. More than 7 birds to do at once. The amount of time it took to set up, clean, and dismantle the equipment wasn't efficient for the few birds I had, but I didn't know how to pluck by hand. Now that I've done birds twice now, I could do it if I had to.

2. Birds of a different breed. These jumbo cx from mcmurray are as big or bigger than the big roasters you get in the store. I don't have a meat scale, but I weighed them on the bathroom scale (which I disinfected, and the birds were in plastic that I wiped after.). I don't know how accurate that is for just a few pounds. They all weighed at least 5.5 pounds, some weighed almost 7. We'll see how they taste.

3. Sharper knives that are only used for processing, nothing else. I had to get a different knife after the first bird, it didn't go as well as I wanted it to. The rest went ok after I switched knives.

4. My husband to be home, and dryer weather.

.

Here are photos of one of my birds. I am proud of myself, and I think my dad was shocked that I could do it. I was a vegetarian for years.






Now I'm off to drink some angry orchard hard ginger cider.

Congrats on a job well done!!!

Great looking birds!

I think that's called acceptance and maturity. The first time I had to stick a needle into someone's vein I thought it was a horrible feeling and I felt like I would hurt them, botch it up, make them scream, or worse, hit an artery and have to staunch the flow of their life's blood from pumping out on the floor. But..as time goes by and you do it hundreds of times, it's just a job that is best done fast, done well and gotten over with. I got good at it and I'm glad I didn't let that first fear keep me from practicing until I could be confident that I wouldn't hurt people when I took their blood or gave them an injection.

That's the whole thing with butchering chickens too...it's a hard job, a dirty job and it never feels right to take the life of a warm, living creature with your bare hands. But then you do it, you get good at it and you're glad that you are proficient at it so that the bird doesn't suffer, die of illness and old age, etc. It doesn't bother me anymore either, though I still don't really like to do it...I'm just glad I know how and I can give my birds a good life and a good death and that's all the matters in the end. It's all a part of good stewardship and it makes me proud to do that well and honorably.

Very well said!! and very similar to a conversation I had with another board member earlier today. I went to her house to help her process her birds and this subject came up and we were in total agreement with you about the quality of life and the quick ending.
and I totally agree with the first half of your post also, same situation... I have worked emergency medicine for 28 yrs and when someone asks 'how can you do that' my response is usually... 'I do what I know needs done, when it needs done, and take it from there'

Oh thanks!!! That's my young Mottled Houdan hen.

She is very cute looking, they certainly are an interesting addition to a flock!

 

[fisherlady]

Dinner at camp Friday night... from the smoker, cooked for 4 hrs at 275 (or slightly lower)... was a 7lb 6oz bird.... and yes, it's upside down. I prefer cooking them that way.



If we ever debated on keeping meaties... this bird alone would be enough to convince us that it is worth every day of it!

 

[Elke Beck]

Dinner at camp Friday night... from the smoker, cooked for 4 hrs at 275 (or slightly lower)... was a 7lb 6oz bird.... and yes, it's upside down. I prefer cooking them that way.



If we ever debated on keeping meaties... this bird alone would be enough to convince us that it is worth every day of it!

Hold on! I'm coming for dinner! It should take me about 6 hours to get there!!!!

I cook my chickens breast down, too. I think the white meat cooks more evenly and stays juicy.

 

[fisherlady]

Hold on! I'm coming for dinner! It should take me about 6 hours to get there!!!!

I cook my chickens breast down, too. I think the white meat cooks more evenly and stays juicy.

Let me know when you can make it! LOL... I fix the bird and ribs the day before and it takes 4 to 6 hrs for smoker/bar-b-q!

 

[LemonMeringue]

Oh that looks GREAT! I like cooking mine breast down too! It seems like the rest of the bird bastes the breast as the juice comes down.

 

[hillfloweranch]

Dinner at camp Friday night... from the smoker, cooked for 4 hrs at 275 (or slightly lower)... was a 7lb 6oz bird.... and yes, it's upside down. I prefer cooking them that way. If we ever debated on keeping meaties... this bird alone would be enough to convince us that it is worth every day of it!

YUM! It'll take me 6hrs to get there flying, not counting the strip tease for the TSA but that bird looks awesome!

 

[hillfloweranch]

This is what I use to feed FF

 

[199787]

Great thread! I have been feeling pretty awefull about processing my chickens this fall. I am not getting my meat birds until late August and I have a bunch of extra roosters to go along with them. I am cheating this first time. There is a USDA inspected processor 15 minutes away that will do the deed and give you back you bird in a shrink wrapped bag for $3.50. They assured me that they are humane and they have a small open air facility. My husband was stoked when I found this place because he really didn't want to do it. The deal was that he does the killing. I don't think I am ready for that... He had to cull a chick for me with a scissors and didn't like it at all, plus after all the videos we watched on processing chickens he was really happy not to have to dispose of all the guts and stuff. It's going to be hard just to load them up and know they are done for. I have always felt we are all hypocrites if we eat meat and can't raise our own, but I am going to go this route first because I just am too soft hearted to do it myself the first year. Still getting emotionally prepared to send them away this fall.

Lisa