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

[Beekissed]

I'll tell you another way that really works on older birds...marinating and BBQ on the grill! Can't tell the old from the young birds when you do that. YUM.

 

[cassie]

My advice is very simple. DON'T THINK ABOUT IT. The first chicken I processed was out of necessity. It was a Cornish X that suddenly couldn't walk. I knew he had to be processed ASAP and there was no one home to help, and there wasn't going to be anyone to help for several days. I found the instructions on how to process a chicken on the meat bird forum. I printed them out and followed them step by step. I did one step at a time and didn't think about the next one at all. This way I got through it and so can you. It gets easier with time. Don't think about it. Just do it.

 

[3 NH reds]

Might make coq au vin like the last time. Or put it in the smoker until it falls apart. Saw a food show they smoked mutton for 18 hours and it was not strong and looked so good.

 

[jajeanpierre]

As I got closer and closer to the day when I'll have to kill my cockerels, I stopped reading this board. I did buy the things I needed to, though. I still am a spineless jelly fish. Yesterday I had my trees pruned and the crew knocked a squirrel nest down. One baby died. (I saved the rest, and released them back to mama this morning, all fed and warm. She immediately came and took them all.) I decided that the dead baby squirrel was pretty natural chicken food so offered it to my 5-month old free ranging Ameraucanas. They really didn't know what to do with it so I decided to cut it up into small pieces. Well I found that to actually put a knife into the skin of a (very dead) baby squirrel was really unbelievably hard and disturbing. How hard is it going to be to put a knife to the throat of a living, breathing chicken I've raised for 5 months???? The one good thing I found out is the knife I bought specifically for the job is not as sharp as I would want. I might use my very sharp paring knife. Or, I can put this off another week or two as I look to buy a sharper knife.

 

[gryeyes]

As I got closer and closer to the day when I'll have to kill my cockerels, I stopped reading this board. I did buy the things I needed to, though. I still am a spineless jelly fish. Yesterday I had my trees pruned and the crew knocked a squirrel nest down. One baby died. (I saved the rest, and released them back to mama this morning, all fed and warm. She immediately came and took them all.) I decided that the dead baby squirrel was pretty natural chicken food so offered it to my 5-month old free ranging Ameraucanas. They really didn't know what to do with it so I decided to cut it up into small pieces. Well I found that to actually put a knife into the skin of a (very dead) baby squirrel was really unbelievably hard and disturbing. How hard is it going to be to put a knife to the throat of a living, breathing chicken I've raised for 5 months???? The one good thing I found out is the knife I bought specifically for the job is not as sharp as I would want. I might use my very sharp paring knife. Or, I can put this off another week or two as I look to buy a sharper knife.

Oh, me too. I have even begun to purchase a second piece of property solely for the benefit of my flock. It is 5 miles from my house - easy to visit daily - zoned for residential agricultural/livestock use. I SO don't want to butcher any more roosters just because I can't keep more than two here around rooster-intolerant neighbors.

 

[Kassaundra]

I have processed several now, but still can't bring myself to do it hands on. I really can't say enough good about the pellet gun, if it wasn't for it I don't think I would be able to do it at all.

 

[Beekissed]

As I got closer and closer to the day when I'll have to kill my cockerels, I stopped reading this board. I did buy the things I needed to, though. I still am a spineless jelly fish. Yesterday I had my trees pruned and the crew knocked a squirrel nest down. One baby died. (I saved the rest, and released them back to mama this morning, all fed and warm. She immediately came and took them all.) I decided that the dead baby squirrel was pretty natural chicken food so offered it to my 5-month old free ranging Ameraucanas. They really didn't know what to do with it so I decided to cut it up into small pieces. Well I found that to actually put a knife into the skin of a (very dead) baby squirrel was really unbelievably hard and disturbing. How hard is it going to be to put a knife to the throat of a living, breathing chicken I've raised for 5 months???? The one good thing I found out is the knife I bought specifically for the job is not as sharp as I would want. I might use my very sharp paring knife. Or, I can put this off another week or two as I look to buy a sharper knife.

I'll tell you a little trick to it all...if you have a killing cone~you can make one from a bleach jug~you can use two hands. Then you just gently place your holding hand around their heads, and your thumb under their beaks and gently press down a little. This brings the skin taut and prevents having to saw the neck, making for a clean, quick slice...better for the bird and better for you.

It also has the added benefit of having their faces turned away from you and covered by your hand. This is a good added benefit if it bothers you to see the birds you've raised under the knife...at that point, all you see is a neck.

 

[Chambertin]

I got back to the house in China and all the cockerls were already gone.
Wont be posting any instructional videos this season.
(Dont get any of the chicken either! )

Had some more surprises waiting foe me and it looks like I'm moving back to the US permanently.
Ahh life, I hate you.

 

[ronott1]

I got back to the house in China and all the cockerls were already gone.
Wont be posting any instructional videos this season.
(Dont get any of the chicken either!

)

Had some more surprises waiting foe me and it looks like I'm moving back to the US permanently.
Ahh life, I hate you.

I hope things start getting better for you!

 

[jajeanpierre]

I'll tell you a little trick to it all...if you have a killing cone~you can make one from a bleach jug~you can use two hands. Then you just gently place your holding hand around their heads, and your thumb under their beaks and gently press down a little. This brings the skin taut and prevents having to saw the neck, making for a clean, quick slice...better for the bird and better for you.

It also has the added benefit of having their faces turned away from you and covered by your hand. This is a good added benefit if it bothers you to see the birds you've raised under the knife...at that point, all you see is a neck.

Thanks. I am just so shocked at how freaked out I was to take a knife to an already very dead baby squirrel that had been alive just an hour before. I've never been squeamish before. I've dissected things, even a pithed frog. Today I held the two cockerels who will be "first" up by their feet just to get used to everything. I'm going to cut up a milk jug to see if that will work. I'm going to have to go through a dry run even pull their heads down and think about how hard I'll have to use the knife. They're itty bitty little cockerels--Silkies. I'm going to buy some chicken with skin on and see if my paring knife is good enough.