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

[ronott1]

Thanks so much!!! I will be coming here often, as I NEED to do this! I have been reading through the posts and have learned cutting the head off, even in the killing cone is ok, so that made me feel a little bit better. I'd rather that, than not do it right!!! I also read that it's about 6 more weeks till the time for slaughter, so that really isn't very long!

Atleast I can start slowly, with the one or two cockerels I need to dispatch this year.

Thanks so much for the support and will definitely pick up those tissues before hand!!!

Heritage Breeds like the Barred Rocks take longer than the Hybrid crosses like Cornish Cross. Most people wait until between 16 and 20 weeks to process an Heritage Bred.

Your Barred Rocks will be three weeks old tomorrow, so you have 13 to 17 weeks to go.

That is a lot of time to plan and get ready.

 

[Kassaundra]

Wait is the wine for me or the bird?

You can always do it the Julia Childs way, little for the bird, little for me, little for the bird, a lot for me. lol


(sorry I know I'm way behind, just couldn't pass up commenting on this)

 

[Kassaundra]

I have been reading again..... yeah me, go figure

anyways.....

Jean you made slitting the throat look so easy, but I keep reading horror stories about people starting and trying to slit the throat and failing! saying its thick and you they couldn't get through enough to make the bleed, and some even had to run for a sharp scalpel!

also some even use a hatchet and the darn thing bounces off the neck of the bird!

Anyone have any horror stories to share?

Oh my yes, I think I still suffer from post traumatic stress over both the throat slitting and the hatchet, the hatched was worse by far. My aim wasn't true, I have posted both horror stories before, almost gave up on the whole idea of butchering my own. I use a pellet gun now and it is so much easier on me (and the birds) I still put them in a killing cone, take the shot at point blank while they are asleep, walk away for a couple of minutes take a sip or two of wine (I don't like to be present for the death twitches) go back they have bleed out from the bullet hole in the head and continue on w/ the processing, I too skin rather then pluck. I usually only do one or two birds at a time seems like more hassel then it is worth to do the whole hot water thing,and we don't eat skin anyway.

I have seen several comments about pithing, I did consider that when I was going to do the slitting of the throat, for those of you thinking about it be advised they may be in a sleep trance while hanging there, but the second you touch thier head to plunge a knife into thier mouth they wake up and look at you. Just an FYI.

 

[aoxa]

Hi all, just wanted to pop in, as I just am getting back into chickens. Been near 20 years. My late husband used to do the killing and I processed, so now I am going to have to do it all.

VERY glad there is a thread on here, as I will need it, come fall! I know how, that is not the problem, the killing is. I have decided to get a killing cone but have never used one before. We used to process them like the old days with my Daddy. with an axe. So will need some help and support. I don't know if it's a girl thing or what, but no matter how many times I used to hunt or process livestock, I would cry during the killing. Then get on with the rest with no problem.

I am a bit nervous, and do not have the money to send them out the first time...I am only going to process extra Roo's this fall, as I started late this year and have 15 BR's that will be 3 weeks from hatch, Sunday. I know I am going at this way fast and have some time, BUT...I need that time to get my head and mind right to do this!

I DO NOT name my chickens. I just call them "chickens". So that part is ok. My Daddy told me to never name my food. I just don't know where the jugular vein is in the chickens neck and would have to virtually cut the whole head off. I couldn't stand them being hurt and not killed because I didn't know this method and I can't use the axe anymore...can't chase down the chickens...my husband used to just hold them by the legs till they stopped with the nerves stuff.

So any words of wisdom for me? I do NOT take a life lightly, but need to supplement my grocery bill and this was my way of doing that. Next year I plan to raise some for meat, providing one or more of my hens goes broody for me. This year is eggs and breeding stock. But I will have atleast one Roo that I will have to process, as I only want one for breeding and am going to wait to pick the right one, so mostly stew meat. But one other might be a cockerel too, so might have to process two.

Thanks all, and am VERY grateful for this thread and for BYC and all of you!!!!

I think it's a girl thing. We are such nurturers... I have cried every time I have dispatched a hen so far. Never for a rooster.

Any hen's I have processed so far have been due to failure to thrive.. IE: I wouldn't want to breed them because they were not genetically right to do so. One could not handle the cold weather, One had weakness in her legs, one was roughly 8 weeks old and just wasn't right.. neurological I think, and one was just all poofed up and not looking right.. This is over the span of quite a few months. I cried, every time. After it was done I felt better. I knew it had to be done, but it was hard. I didn't really have time to mentally prepare myself for doing that where I had quite a while to think about how to do the boys.

It does get easier. It never gets easy (or fun). Anyone who thinks killing something is fun, is not someone I care to know.

 

[aoxa]

Oh my yes, I think I still suffer from post traumatic stress over both the throat slitting and the hatchet, the hatched was worse by far. My aim wasn't true, I have posted both horror stories before, almost gave up on the whole idea of butchering my own. I use a pellet gun now and it is so much easier on me (and the birds) I still put them in a killing cone, take the shot at point blank while they are asleep, walk away for a couple of minutes take a sip or two of wine (I don't like to be present for the death twitches) go back they have bleed out from the bullet hole in the head and continue on w/ the processing, I too skin rather then pluck. I usually only do one or two birds at a time seems like more hassel then it is worth to do the whole hot water thing,and we don't eat skin anyway.

I have seen several comments about pithing, I did consider that when I was going to do the slitting of the throat, for those of you thinking about it be advised they may be in a sleep trance while hanging there, but the second you touch thier head to plunge a knife into thier mouth they wake up and look at you. Just an FYI.

Couldn't plithe It scares the crap out of me.

I had a terrible hatchet experience as well. I am a terrible aim.

I had two bad experiences with slitting the throat. After those two I got it down perfect and haven't botched it again.

 

[Kassaundra]

I haven't tried pithing since learning to caponize, don't know if I could bring myself to do it now or not, but a bullet through the brain kinda makes it a moot point.

 

[chicksooner]

You can always do it the Julia Childs way, little for the bird, little for me, little for the bird, a lot for me. lol


(sorry I know I'm way behind, just couldn't pass up commenting on this)

I loved Julia. She knew how to enjoy her food and the process of cooking. A little for the bird and a lot for me is my motto.

welcome to the thread. I have not been on the Okie thread in a long time. There is not much talk on the Tulsa thread and I just couldn't keep up with the Okies and my couple of other threads that I follow.

A pellet gun to the head. That is interesting. I tried the throat slice and it was really hard to hit. But it was an old rooster so I should have known he would be a tough old bird to kill. I have not processed any more since my botched attempt but I plan on attempting again. Now it is just a matter of growing some more out.

 

[Kassaundra]

I loved Julia. She knew how to enjoy her food and the process of cooking. A little for the bird and a lot for me is my motto.

welcome to the thread. I have not been on the Okie thread in a long time. There is not much talk on the Tulsa thread and I just couldn't keep up with the Okies and my couple of other threads that I follow.

A pellet gun to the head. That is interesting. I tried the throat slice and it was really hard to hit. But it was an old rooster so I should have known he would be a tough old bird to kill. I have not processed any more since my botched attempt but I plan on attempting again. Now it is just a matter of growing some more out.

I use a pellet rifle gun, it had more velocity then the hand type gun. The one I got was around $100 at Wally world. It has two barrels one .22 and one .17 You would think the bigger .22 pellet would work better, but actually the .17 pellet does, it is not much smaller and is shot at a higher velocity. I don't know about a real .22 gun, but the pellet version (I live in town so needed to do the pellet version for safety and legality issues) works great, it has never gone through and through, is an instant death and bleeds well from the wound. You could follow through w/ the neck slice or head removal, but I never have and they bleed out fine.

When you attempt again see if any byc Okies nearby will help w/ moral / technical support. You mentioned the Tulsa thread, are you close to Tulsa? I am in Henryetta

 

[ronott1]

I loved Julia. She knew how to enjoy her food and the process of cooking. A little for the bird and a lot for me is my motto.

welcome to the thread. I have not been on the Okie thread in a long time. There is not much talk on the Tulsa thread and I just couldn't keep up with the Okies and my couple of other threads that I follow.

A pellet gun to the head. That is interesting. I tried the throat slice and it was really hard to hit. But it was an old rooster so I should have known he would be a tough old bird to kill. I have not processed any more since my botched attempt but I plan on attempting again. Now it is just a matter of growing some more out.

I have a very sharp chefs knife that goes right to the Jugular in older Roosters. It takes one smooth slice.

 

[Kassaundra]

Caught up. BBQ chicken looks finger lickin' good.

Hillflower-your girl rocks!

Wax we all have those days.

Dh is eyeballing my birds. He is ready to try the processing again. I too don't understand how people can be grossed out by home grown meat of any kind. Give me home grown any day.

I need a freezer.

That is why I am doing DP rather then CX, don't have to do them all at one time, and also why I have learned how to caponize. I also intend to can especially the older hens and slips.