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

[TaraBellaBirds]

I am so glad that I asked this group for help. I have gotten a little and a lot from every single reply. I am going to set a tentative date this weekend and I am going to talk to my husband again about helping. I mentioned it yesterday and he went so far as to admit that he might help once the chicken was dead. Once it's dead, what else can you do but not waste it? It's actually holding the knife and taking it's life that's hard.

Do you think it matters to the chicken if you use the cone rather than hold it upside down? I like the idea of a cone just so I am not holding it when it dies..distancing myself from it.

One last thing, Do you think I should apologize to my son for chastising him over wanting to decapitate and put it down to watch it run around? I mentioned that to someone who said they had done it and they said it was not as amusing as they thought it would be. My son is 14 and I feel like I've made a mistake with him. His feelings were very hurt, but the idea of watching something die that way just horrified me. Now I'm thinking that I was wrong to squash his curiosity. He is not violent child. Just very realist.

Fisherlady nailed this one already, but I thought I would add that the cone containing the flapping dramatically contains the blood from the twitching. Believe me butchering is hard enough without getting completely covered. We use a road cone that has the top cut off a bit.

I am also butchering this weekend, Sun. This will be the first time I've done the entire process by myself. We always do the processing in large chunks 10+ birds with 3 or more people. I am a bit nervous this time because I managed to get attached to one of the CX pullet that is beyond ready. It sucks because she is a sweetheart, but she is HUGE. I have heard of people keeping them as layers, but I don't think that this girl would have any quality of life honestly. She is as big if not bigger than the CX roos we already did, massive! So I may need some comforting this time too LOL, this is why I stay a bit detached from my meaties

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[jajeanpierre]

This is very true. I have done both the chop method and the bled out method. I am not sure why but the convulsions with a decapitated chicken are much more violent than with one that is bled out. A cone helps a lot for the convulsions, but we have even decapitated one in the cone and it is definitely harder on the bird than a quick slit. Once the bird has bled out and is for sure dead (there are a few natural convulsions, more like twitches than flapping around), we then remove the head. I would just not recommend the old-fashioned chop block method (especially for a newbie) unless that was your only option, and yes practice is very important.

I watched videos by a person you are all familiar with--I'm going to get his name wrong, Joe Saladin? I was really disturbed by the racket the dead/dying chickens made in the cone. (For the uninitiated, this kind of nervous system freak out happens even if you destroy the brain. Nothing dies peacefully the way they do in the movies. That was a huge surprise to me, that a perfectly placed bullet in the brain brought a lot of kicking and struggling.)

I hang my chickens on a branch rather than use a cone. You have to be careful that the chicken can cope with hanging by their feet. A cone is probably better, but I use a very thick, soft cotton rope in a loose slip knot around their ankles. It doesn't really tighten. (I have the rope for parrot toys.)

I did watch some videos of the chop method and found the headless body's response incredibly violent, nothing like bleeding them out.

I read an account by a man who was slashed in the throat and almost bled to death. He said he didn't feel it (the cut). I found his account reassuring.

The four things you need to do to make it quick is a VERY sharp knife (watch the videos on how to test for sharpness), a lot of force making the cut (away from you), pulling the skin very tight and cutting both carotid arteries. I grab the hackles at the back and side of the head, pull them really tight, put a little downward pressure and cock the head to expose the jaw line. I make a deep cut just up under the jaw. You don't want to cut the trachea because the bird will panic at not being able to breathe. They don't panic as they bleed out. You want to have a very strong stream of blood spurting out of the wound. A drip indicates you either only got the jugular or you only nicked the carotid artery. As soon as you've done one side, do the other side. If you do both carotid arteries, the bird will very quickly lose consciousness. If you only do one, the other feeds the brain, so the bird is quite conscious as it bleeds out. I did only one side for my first birds and I was NOT happy with how long it took for them to lose consciousness. I don't think they suffered, but they had to know what was going on and it really bothered me.

I also remove the head before I start processing them. I always doubt the chicken is dead (unless they are in rigor) even though I intellectually KNOW they are dead. Removing the head assures me they are dead. I know, neurotic, but I think most of us here are a little neurotic about killing or this thread wouldn't exist.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I am so glad that I asked this group for help. I have gotten a little and a lot from every single reply. I am going to set a tentative date this weekend and I am going to talk to my husband again about helping. I mentioned it yesterday and he went so far as to admit that he might help once the chicken was dead. Once it's dead, what else can you do but not waste it? It's actually holding the knife and taking it's life that's hard.

Do you think it matters to the chicken if you use the cone rather than hold it upside down? I like the idea of a cone just so I am not holding it when it dies..distancing myself from it.

One last thing, Do you think I should apologize to my son for chastising him over wanting to decapitate and put it down to watch it run around? I mentioned that to someone who said they had done it and they said it was not as amusing as they thought it would be. My son is 14 and I feel like I've made a mistake with him. His feelings were very hurt, but the idea of watching something die that way just horrified me. Now I'm thinking that I was wrong to squash his curiosity. He is not violent child. Just very realist.

I'd let him watch your processing. I think he'll have a different opinion after seeing something alive die. My husband uses the hatchet method. My oldest son is also 14 and my DH had him kill a bird. He did a much better job of it than I did, and he commented that it wasn't as difficult as he thought. I truly feel that learning hunting/processing skills when you are young is easier than when you are older and too distanced from your food. Meaties are more difficult to kill with a hatchet - their necks are thicker and they fight a lot more. (and they bleed a lot more) We bruised some of the wings just trying to hold it down.

You could explain to him that decapitating them and then letting them run around would damage the meat. Why would you kill something to waste it? We have seen them fully right themselves in flight while holding onto their feet. My DH has even had one crow after it's head was gone. That really bothered him and he didn't kill them for a while after that.

We have many cockerels that we need to process, they are coming up on 6 months old - but we haven't had the time to get it done yet. First up is the highly annoying Cream Legbar cockerel that has the worst crow I've ever heard.

 

[ronott1]

I'd let him watch your processing. I think he'll have a different opinion after seeing something alive die. My husband uses the hatchet method. My oldest son is also 14 and my DH had him kill a bird. He did a much better job of it than I did, and he commented that it wasn't as difficult as he thought. I truly feel that learning hunting/processing skills when you are young is easier than when you are older and too distanced from your food. Meaties are more difficult to kill with a hatchet - their necks are thicker and they fight a lot more. (and they bleed a lot more) We bruised some of the wings just trying to hold it down.

You could explain to him that decapitating them and then letting them run around would damage the meat. Why would you kill something to waste it? We have seen them fully right themselves in flight while holding onto their feet. My DH has even had one crow after it's head was gone. That really bothered him and he didn't kill them for a while after that.

We have many cockerels that we need to process, they are coming up on 6 months old - but we haven't had the time to get it done yet. First up is the highly annoying Cream Legbar cockerel that has the worst crow I've ever heard.

This weekend I will be processing three cockerels. They are good at crowing. I think in the future I will cull for crowing.

I do love a good crowing rooster!

 

[jajeanpierre]

I am so glad that I asked this group for help. I have gotten a little and a lot from every single reply. I am going to set a tentative date this weekend and I am going to talk to my husband again about helping. I mentioned it yesterday and he went so far as to admit that he might help once the chicken was dead. Once it's dead, what else can you do but not waste it? It's actually holding the knife and taking it's life that's hard.

Do you think it matters to the chicken if you use the cone rather than hold it upside down? I like the idea of a cone just so I am not holding it when it dies..distancing myself from it.

One last thing, Do you think I should apologize to my son for chastising him over wanting to decapitate and put it down to watch it run around? I mentioned that to someone who said they had done it and they said it was not as amusing as they thought it would be. My son is 14 and I feel like I've made a mistake with him. His feelings were very hurt, but the idea of watching something die that way just horrified me. Now I'm thinking that I was wrong to squash his curiosity. He is not violent child. Just very realist.

You are absolutely correct--it is making that decision and following through that is so very, very hard. One moment you have a vital living being and the next you have a doomed chicken that has only seconds or a minute to live. Just before I cut, when I put the knife up to the chicken's throat, I have to pause and collect myself. I take a couple of deep breathes and then when I am ready I make one deep, hard cut. I have the chicken's head immobilized in my other hand because I've grabbed the feathers on the back and sides of the neck (think about grabbing a puppy by the scruff of the neck but a lot tighter--I pull the skin so tight the chicken can't use it's jaw but I don't hurt it in any way). I can manipulate the head to expose the jaw line. Then I take my knife, put it up to the jaw and compose myself. Once I'm composed, I make one long deep cut with a lot of force. Then I do the other side.

The chicken just hangs there bleeding. I did this last one at sunset because I will not slaughter when any of my birds are about and can see what is going on. I have slaughtered in the morning before I put chickens out, but decided I really didn't want to start my day with killing chickens. By the time my chickens were all away it was pretty dark. I decided that I would always slaughter at night.

Someone mentioned that they use a cone so they don't get blood all over themselves. I've never gotten spattered with blood and I just hang them by their feet from a tree branch. I hold their heads until both cuts are made and then step back. Some people have to leave the area and then come back when the chicken has finished its thrashing (which they all do) but I feel if I'm asking the chicken to die for me the least I can do is witness it. I know, a bit neurotic, but I can see if I've done it right or if I need to improve it. If I had walked away and not witnessed their death by cutting only one carotid artery I would never have known they take a lot longer to die then if you cut two. They will bleed out and die, it just takes longer.

I don't know what to say about your son. A lot of people use that kind of humor to cope with death. I don't think you were wrong to be horrified. I don't think there is anything wrong with his curiosity, either. His feelings being hurt may be all mixed up in his feeling guilty or having to defend his morbid curiosity. Your being horrified was may feel like a judgement to him. I'll tell you, even though I freak at killing anything, even bugs, I do have a morbid curiosity to see a chicken running around with its head cut off.

It's a process to get yourself reasonable comfortable in doing this. Take your time.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Brazy, I forgot to mention one other little surprise you might run into when processing--sometimes their is air left in their air sacs and they will squeak when you are trying to process. It is disturbing if you didn't expect it. The smell people are talking about isn't a bad smell. It isn't even a strong smell but seems to seep into your pores and be absorbed in your skin and in your nose. It builds, too, if you are processing more than a few birds. It doesn't wash off. I also think scalding dirty feathers is pretty smelly, but the smell I am talking about is very different than dirty, wet feathers.

 

[CrazyTalk]

I also remove the head before I start processing them. I always doubt the chicken is dead (unless they are in rigor) even though I intellectually KNOW they are dead. Removing the head assures me they are dead. I know, neurotic, but I think most of us here are a little neurotic about killing or this thread wouldn't exist.

Yeah, I do this too - my first time processing I put some weight on one of the dead birds and compressed the chest cavity - made some noises as the air was forced out - I freaked out a bit. When there's no head I know any wooshing or whistling is just air rushing out.

 

[Double Kindness]

I admit, I got baby chicks to distract me from the fact I will be 30 birds lighter in a month. Chicken math at work!

Even the new chicks I got for their meat.. being white bresse and ayam cemani, with a few haffies thrown in. I have hunted and fished before, raised hogs for slaughter... but never birds.

Can I use muscovy duck down if I wash it for making a comforter or pillows? Maybe the soft down of my dp meaties, they are maybe 3 months old and going to freezer camp in a month before winter hits and we're standing outside freezing plucking and cleaning birds.

Does anyone have a great coc au vin recipe? I need to start looking at Jeanette that way - future coq au vin.

 

[fisherlady]

Does anyone have a great coc au vin recipe? I need to start looking at Jeanette that way - future coq au vin.

Do a 'search this thread' for coq au vin.... I know there was at least one recipe for it on here a while back. There was also one for Chicken and Dumplings and a few others.

 

[LindaB220]

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

Glad to have you. I saw that one and, you're right, iit's very good.