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

[Kusanar]

I don't know what that smell is. amd I've been trying to figure it out. It isn't a bad smell and it isn't strong--it just grows and grows and sticks in my nose until I wake up the next morning. I thought maybe it was the smell of the entrails, but now I'm not so sure. This morning when I hosed down the area (again) that I had bled them out, I could smell it and it took forever for me to stop smelling it. It isn't the smell of blood, either. It's not the smell of dirty wet feathers because I have only skinned my birds.

I think it was this thread that I was on where I saw the solution to this. Someone on here has the same problem as you and they wore a dust mask with a few drops of essential oils on it which cut the scent, so maybe some lemongrass or something like that that you ENJOY smelling would be better than that death smell... I've never butchered anything, but I've helped my dad skin deer and I think I know what smell you're talking about, I can still smell it on my hands the next day even with washing and all.

 

[Bazy]

Can somebody direct me to the lecture, or wise words that will help me get through processing a 4 1/2 month Australorps Cockerel? I could rehome him, but I don't WANT to rehome him. I want to eat him. He is almost 6 pounds and he has doe eyes and is very tame and sweet, but I have a half dozen hatched ameraucana chicks/cockerels that are going to be eaten too in about two months. My husband won't help, and my one child who would have helped wanted to put him down after beheading to see if he ran around...and I would not allow it so he backed out because I shamed him for being disrespectful....so I'm on my own. It's either learn to do this or I will be trying to rehome around 10 Cockerels. I hatch chicks, so this will never end for me and I need support for getting my head around processing them.

I would actually pay someone to come show me how to do it. Is that possible?

Anyway, I have about one week and this Cockerel is going in the freezer somehow.

I have read and read and I get some points from the thread, but there are a lot of tangents that make things more difficult.

Thanks.

 

[ronott1]

Can somebody direct me to the lecture, or wise words that will help me get through processing a 4 1/2 month Australorps Cockerel? I could rehome him, but I don't WANT to rehome him. I want to eat him. He is almost 6 pounds and he has doe eyes and is very tame and sweet, but I have a half dozen hatched ameraucana chicks/cockerels that are going to be eaten too in about two months. My husband won't help, and my one child who would have helped wanted to put him down after beheading to see if he ran around...and I would not allow it so he backed out because I shamed him for being disrespectful....so I'm on my own. It's either learn to do this or I will be trying to rehome around 10 Cockerels. I hatch chicks, so this will never end for me and I need support for getting my head around processing them.

I would actually pay someone to come show me how to do it. Is that possible?

Anyway, I have about one week and this Cockerel is going in the freezer somehow.

I have read and read and I get some points from the thread, but there are a lot of tangents that make things more difficult.

Thanks.

This thread has lots of help:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-eviscerating-cutting-up-your-chicken-graphic

Pick a day for processing, start setting up the station and see if you can do it. It is ok if you bail out the first time. If so, pick a new date for processing and try again.

Repeat until you can do the processing. It gets easier after the first one.

 

[lindsey8980]

It would be extremely tuff for me as well. I watched a home stedder on line do it in a very calm gentel way. She held it soothed it til it was calm. Slit its throat and broke its neck. She teared up a bit but it is the circle of life. Good luck wish I could help in any way

 

[jajeanpierre]

Can somebody direct me to the lecture, or wise words that will help me get through processing a 4 1/2 month Australorps Cockerel? I could rehome him, but I don't WANT to rehome him. I want to eat him. He is almost 6 pounds and he has doe eyes and is very tame and sweet, but I have a half dozen hatched ameraucana chicks/cockerels that are going to be eaten too in about two months. My husband won't help, and my one child who would have helped wanted to put him down after beheading to see if he ran around...and I would not allow it so he backed out because I shamed him for being disrespectful....so I'm on my own. It's either learn to do this or I will be trying to rehome around 10 Cockerels. I hatch chicks, so this will never end for me and I need support for getting my head around processing them.

I would actually pay someone to come show me how to do it. Is that possible?

Anyway, I have about one week and this Cockerel is going in the freezer somehow.

I have read and read and I get some points from the thread, but there are a lot of tangents that make things more difficult.

Thanks.

Oh, I sure know where you are coming from. It's been a very, very hard thing for me to do. Re-homing isn't the answer--why should you give away all your hard earned work for someone else to slaughter (who might not do it kindly). The kindest thing is to do it yourself.

Reading is a start and is a good way to decide on what method you want to use, but YouTube videos are a much better learning tool.

Choose the method you want to learn. When you choose the method, also evaluate how much error there might be and what that error would be. Chopping off a head with an ax is pretty quick and clean but there can be a lot go wrong. My avian vet dislocates their cervical spine when he processes chickens but I am pretty sure I would not be able to dislocate the spine quickly enough or with enough force to finish the job. I've thought about the broom handle method. I've thought about shooting the bird in the head with a bb gun. Pithing is pretty exact, so not the method for a novice with no one to show them (in my opinion). I finally settled on slicing the carotid arteries.

If you are going to use a knife, it has to be really, really sharp. Also, make sure it is long enough. I think the knives I've bought are a bit too short. You need to use a lot more force than you think you need. Being timid only makes it a longer, more stressful process. A couple of other pointers if slicing the neck is to pull the skin really tight--if you don't you won't get a deep enough cut. You want to make one cut deep on one side and then quickly do the same on the other to get both carotid arteries. The carotid arteries are the arteries which feed the brain, the jugular vein takes the blood from the brain to the heart. If you only go deep enough to get the jugular, the fresh oxygenated blood will still be feeding the brain and it will take a long time for the animal to lose consciousness from lack of oxygen to the brain.

If you are going to use and ax practice, practice, practice. Use a stick and practice chopping it completely in half--you need to know how much force (more is better unless you lose control) and you need to be accurate. Most people use a wide hatchet.

Learn what a dying chicken looks like. It's not pretty but it is better to be prepared. I think a decapitated chicken struggles more at/after death than one that is bled out, but I've never decapitated one so I really don't know from my own experience.

The actual cleaning of the bird is not hard nor is it very upsetting. I, and I think others on this thread, found the actual killing to be really hard to do emotionally. Watch a lot of YouTube videos to learn how to kill and how to clean.

The day you are planning to process this bird, be very prepared. Know exactly what you are going to do. Have everything you need on hand and ready. Have a book open to the pages on cleaning for reference because you will forget something. Know that there is a skill to doing this and you will not be skilled the first few times, but work really hard to make the kill quick and stress free. You can do that the first time if you are determined--just keep in mind you can't be timid. Timid is what causes most of the disasters. Timid, dull knives and poor aim. You don't want to be going back hacking away at the bird.

Do you know how you want to dispatch the bird?

If you want to learn how to do it from a person, you might try contacting a high school that offers some agriculture classes. The person running that program might have some suggestions. Four-H Clubs might also have someone who could help.

 

[Audio51]

Can somebody direct me to the lecture, or wise words that will help me get through processing a 4 1/2 month Australorps Cockerel? I could rehome him, but I don't WANT to rehome him. I want to eat him. He is almost 6 pounds and he has doe eyes and is very tame and sweet, but I have a half dozen hatched ameraucana chicks/cockerels that are going to be eaten too in about two months. My husband won't help, and my one child who would have helped wanted to put him down after beheading to see if he ran around...and I would not allow it so he backed out because I shamed him for being disrespectful....so I'm on my own. It's either learn to do this or I will be trying to rehome around 10 Cockerels. I hatch chicks, so this will never end for me and I need support for getting my head around processing them.

I would actually pay someone to come show me how to do it. Is that possible?

Anyway, I have about one week and this Cockerel is going in the freezer somehow.

I have read and read and I get some points from the thread, but there are a lot of tangents that make things more difficult.

Thanks.

I agree with all of the above posts. If it is help with the mental part of it, I know it helped me to think about the life you gave to him before it came time to process. Remember that all of the other "store bought" chickens you have eaten lived all of their lives in confinement and never got the chance to be real chickens. You rasied him in caring environment and made sure he had a pleasant life until the time came. Some people will also thank the bird for providing your family with food to eat. For me, the first ones I processed were ones I bout specifically for that purpose. When I looked at them growing, I made a point of loking at them as food, not pets. I didn't name them or think about how cute they were. When I would pick them up, I would feel the leg and breast and think "That is just about the right size for a nice eating drumstick" or something like that. That first one is going to be tough no matter how you prepare, but once you get thru it, the next ones will be a little bit easier. I use a killing cone and for the first ones, I made the cuts, then walked away and came back in a few minutes so I would not see them bleeding out. I don't have to do that anymore, but it definitley helped in the beginning. You just need to make sure that they are snug enough that they can;t get their feet pulled down enough to push out of the cone. I have started putting a ling peice of garden twist tie around the legs just above the feet and securing the other end to a nail on the post because I had one get part way out after the cut. Sometimes I just hold the feet.

 

[Bazy]

This thread has lots of help:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-eviscerating-cutting-up-your-chicken-graphic

Pick a day for processing, start setting up the station and see if you can do it. It is ok if you bail out the first time. If so, pick a new date for processing and try again.

Repeat until you can do the processing. It gets easier after the first one.

Thank you ronott1. The write up is very good, and your reassurance is just what I needed. I know it's the best thing to do, but it's the death I am having a hard time with. I can do this. If I don't, someone else will.

It would be extremely tuff for me as well. I watched a home stedder on line do it in a very calm gentel way. She held it soothed it til it was calm. Slit its throat and broke its neck. She teared up a bit but it is the circle of life. Good luck wish I could help in any way

You wish you could help?..you did. You helped by reassuring me that it can be done in a calm and gentle way and reminding me that it is the way of the circle of life. You helped by just understanding. thank you

Oh, I sure know where you are coming from. It's been a very, very hard thing for me to do. Re-homing isn't the answer--why should you give away all your hard earned work for someone else to slaughter (who might not do it kindly). The kindest thing is to do it yourself.

Reading is a start and is a good way to decide on what method you want to use, but YouTube videos are a much better learning tool.

Choose the method you want to learn. When you choose the method, also evaluate how much error there might be and what that error would be. Chopping off a head with an ax is pretty quick and clean but there can be a lot go wrong. My avian vet dislocates their cervical spine when he processes chickens but I am pretty sure I would not be able to dislocate the spine quickly enough or with enough force to finish the job. I've thought about the broom handle method. I've thought about shooting the bird in the head with a bb gun. Pithing is pretty exact, so not the method for a novice with no one to show them (in my opinion). I finally settled on slicing the carotid arteries.

If you are going to use a knife, it has to be really, really sharp. Also, make sure it is long enough. I think the knives I've bought are a bit too short. You need to use a lot more force than you think you need. Being timid only makes it a longer, more stressful process. A couple of other pointers if slicing the neck is to pull the skin really tight--if you don't you won't get a deep enough cut. You want to make one cut deep on one side and then quickly do the same on the other to get both carotid arteries. The carotid arteries are the arteries which feed the brain, the jugular vein takes the blood from the brain to the heart. If you only go deep enough to get the jugular, the fresh oxygenated blood will still be feeding the brain and it will take a long time for the animal to lose consciousness from lack of oxygen to the brain.

If you are going to use and ax practice, practice, practice. Use a stick and practice chopping it completely in half--you need to know how much force (more is better unless you lose control) and you need to be accurate. Most people use a wide hatchet.

Learn what a dying chicken looks like. It's not pretty but it is better to be prepared. I think a decapitated chicken struggles more at/after death than one that is bled out, but I've never decapitated one so I really don't know from my own experience.

The actual cleaning of the bird is not hard nor is it very upsetting. I, and I think others on this thread, found the actual killing to be really hard to do emotionally. Watch a lot of YouTube videos to learn how to kill and how to clean.

The day you are planning to process this bird, be very prepared. Know exactly what you are going to do. Have everything you need on hand and ready. Have a book open to the pages on cleaning for reference because you will forget something. Know that there is a skill to doing this and you will not be skilled the first few times, but work really hard to make the kill quick and stress free. You can do that the first time if you are determined--just keep in mind you can't be timid. Timid is what causes most of the disasters. Timid, dull knives and poor aim. You don't want to be going back hacking away at the bird.

Do you know how you want to dispatch the bird?

If you want to learn how to do it from a person, you might try contacting a high school that offers some agriculture classes. The person running that program might have some suggestions. Four-H Clubs might also have someone who could help.

five star information and advice. I have read this four times and will read it again. I want to do this right, and I want to help the next person who needs help doing it. Your reply made me cry but I really appreciate that you recognize the emotional aspect, while helping with the practical aspect. We Americans are brought up to eat meat yet not associate that meat with death. I am going back to the reality of death in what we eat and you helped a lot. Thank you.

I agree with all of the above posts. If it is help with the mental part of it, I know it helped me to think about the life you gave to him before it came time to process. Remember that all of the other "store bought" chickens you have eaten lived all of their lives in confinement and never got the chance to be real chickens. You rasied him in caring environment and made sure he had a pleasant life until the time came. Some people will also thank the bird for providing your family with food to eat. For me, the first ones I processed were ones I bout specifically for that purpose. When I looked at them growing, I made a point of loking at them as food, not pets. I didn't name them or think about how cute they were. When I would pick them up, I would feel the leg and breast and think "That is just about the right size for a nice eating drumstick" or something like that. That first one is going to be tough no matter how you prepare, but once you get thru it, the next ones will be a little bit easier. I use a killing cone and for the first ones, I made the cuts, then walked away and came back in a few minutes so I would not see them bleeding out. I don't have to do that anymore, but it definitley helped in the beginning. You just need to make sure that they are snug enough that they can;t get their feet pulled down enough to push out of the cone. I have started putting a ling peice of garden twist tie around the legs just above the feet and securing the other end to a nail on the post because I had one get part way out after the cut. Sometimes I just hold the feet.

I completely understand this. I try to look and feel the chicken like what I buy at the grocery store..but I feel guilty after I do it. I have learned from this that you are right to put them aside as food...give them a good life but they are food. I have other roosters that are a few months from processing and I think I will pen them together and feed them but leave them alone.

thank you so much for being there for me and not making small of my anguish over taking a life. I buy meats and chicken all the time..already dead and de-feathered and gutted. I have to do this for my family and for the chickens who would be eaten with or without me. Thank you for understanding.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Thank you ronott1. The write up is very good, and your reassurance is just what I needed. I know it's the best thing to do, but it's the death I am having a hard time with. I can do this. If I don't, someone else will.

You wish you could help?..you did. You helped by reassuring me that it can be done in a calm and gentle way and reminding me that it is the way of the circle of life. You helped by just understanding. thank you

five star information and advice. I have read this four times and will read it again. I want to do this right, and I want to help the next person who needs help doing it. Your reply made me cry but I really appreciate that you recognize the emotional aspect, while helping with the practical aspect. We Americans are brought up to eat meat yet not associate that meat with death. I am going back to the reality of death in what we eat and you helped a lot. Thank you.
I completely understand this. I try to look and feel the chicken like what I buy at the grocery store..but I feel guilty after I do it. I have learned from this that you are right to put them aside as food...give them a good life but they are food. I have other roosters that are a few months from processing and I think I will pen them together and feed them but leave them alone.

thank you so much for being there for me and not making small of my anguish over taking a life. I buy meats and chicken all the time..already dead and de-feathered and gutted. I have to do this for my family and for the chickens who would be eaten with or without me. Thank you for understanding.

It is the hardest thing I think I've ever done. It is a big deal. Will your husband be there to support you? My husband can't do it, but he's there to help and give me moral support.

Have you chosen what method you will use to dispatch the bird? This group can help you decide which method to use. You don't need to rush this. Another week or two until you feel really comfortable with everything won't make any difference.

Lots of people here went through exactly what you are going through now. I sure did. I tormented this group asking questions and trying to build up enough courage to actually do what I knew needed to be done. I am still the queen of putting off slaughtering. I don't raise meat birds--yet. I just cull the extra roosters. I wish I had the backbone to be able to buy birds specifically for slaughter, but so far I haven't the courage.

 

[Bazy]

It is the hardest thing I think I've ever done. It is a big deal. Will your husband be there to support you? My husband can't do it, but he's there to help and give me moral support.

Have you chosen what method you will use to dispatch the bird? This group can help you decide which method to use. You don't need to rush this. Another week or two until you feel really comfortable with everything won't make any difference.

Lots of people here went through exactly what you are going through now. I sure did. I tormented this group asking questions and trying to build up enough courage to actually do what I knew needed to be done. I am still the queen of putting off slaughtering. I don't raise meat birds--yet. I just cull the extra roosters. I wish I had the backbone to be able to buy birds specifically for slaughter, but so far I haven't the courage.

My husband is an animal lover. I can't fault him for not being able to help because his love for animals and the chickens is what allows me my extensive hobby....but he can not help with the killing. Maybe when the feathers are gone he can help me with the cleaning, but I will have to clean up the site for him to enter...if that makes sense.

I can't put it off. It If it doesn't happen in the next ten days, the rooster will start to be tough and then what little hope of support from my family will evaporate.

I am slowly coming to terms with this. All the advice and encouragement is priceless.

 

[ronott1]

It is the hardest thing I think I've ever done. It is a big deal. Will your husband be there to support you? My husband can't do it, but he's there to help and give me moral support.

Have you chosen what method you will use to dispatch the bird? This group can help you decide which method to use. You don't need to rush this. Another week or two until you feel really comfortable with everything won't make any difference.

Lots of people here went through exactly what you are going through now. I sure did. I tormented this group asking questions and trying to build up enough courage to actually do what I knew needed to be done. I am still the queen of putting off slaughtering. I don't raise meat birds--yet. I just cull the extra roosters. I wish I had the backbone to be able to buy birds specifically for slaughter, but so far I haven't the courage.

I am so happy we were able to help. It is always hard to do the killing, especially with the sweet ones.

My husband is an animal lover. I can't fault him for not being able to help because his love for animals and the chickens is what allows me my extensive hobby....but he can not help with the killing. Maybe when the feathers are gone he can help me with the cleaning, but I will have to clean up the site for him to enter...if that makes sense.

I can't put it off. It If it doesn't happen in the next ten days, the rooster will start to be tough and then what little hope of support from my family will evaporate.

I am slowly coming to terms with this. All the advice and encouragement is priceless.

Take your time--It is not something that we do much in our modern, disconnected from food world. It is the way we are supposed to be though. Food that we raise and grow is very special.