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

[ronott1]

I am afraid to do it with an older bird, especially a rooster. I have an older rooster who is such a jerk that I will have no qualms about trying something new to dispatch him when his time comes when the younger cockerels settles down and starts guarding and watching over the hens).

Has anyone done this with a large fowl two-year old rooster? Any tips?

This is a good way for big roosters. The other way is to snap the neck with your fingers--that is hard to do with an old rooster.

You can do it with a rooster. No problem. They calm down upside down.

My hen was 1 1/2, no problem whatsoever.

Step on one side of the stick to hold it in place, then step on the other side with your other foot and jerk quickly at the same time, keep pulling until you feel a pop and hold your bird through it's flapping.

Yes, they calm down when held by the feet. It is a quick way to dispatch them without the mess of the ax. I than hang them up for bleeding.

 

[Happy Chooks]

My 4 are done and resting in the fridge - 1 Cream Legbar, 2 Welsummers, 1 Barnevelder, all the same age. The Cream Legbar was the smallest. The Barnevelder had the most breast meat. The Welsummers were a nice size.

I like processing in an assembly line style. First, I plucked. Then all the feet came off. I had them set aside to save for making stock, but I just couldn't do it.

Then, on to gutting and trimming the neck. I think it goes faster this way. I had a hose so I could give them a good squirt, then into a bucket of water they went. When all that was done, I brought the bucket inside and further cleaned and bagged them. It worked great, the weather was perfect to get it all done outside.


Tonight, I need to move more cockerels around for the next round of processing.

 

[Double Kindness]

These are my 4 muscovy ducks I don't know thr sex of they are supposed to be 5 months old

My bf has the next 2 days off work, freezer camp begins tomorrow.

I also have a half ayam cemani and mottled orpington roo being with held from food atm slated for caponizing tomorrow. I think the 2 brown ducks are female, the 2 blacks are male.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm no expert on ducks, but from top to bottom I'd say: female, male, male, female.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

I am so glad people are using that method!

I like the broom method because I'm over 50, and I have a balance disorder, and even so I was able to process the birds by myself. These were young, mixed breed cockerels. I didn't weigh them, but they were all about as big as their mums, full grown Australorps and Orpingtons. So, maybe eight to ten pounds?
Also, I was able to do it in my laundry room with no mess, and no nosey neighbors, or upset questions from my husband (who has dementia and has shown that processing the birds is an emotional trigger for him)
When the day comes that we're processing our Jersey Giants, I may need to work up some kind of pulley system to get the job done.

 

[Tomtommom]

I like the broom method because I'm over 50, and I have a balance disorder, and even so I was able to process the birds by myself. These were young, mixed breed cockerels. I didn't weigh them, but they were all about as big as their mums, full grown Australorps and Orpingtons. So, maybe eight to ten pounds?
Also, I was able to do it in my laundry room with no mess, and no nosey neighbors, or upset questions from my husband (who has dementia and has shown that processing the birds is an emotional trigger for him)
When the day comes that we're processing our Jersey Giants, I may need to work up some kind of pulley system to get the job done.

Yeah, I've done one right in my kitchen haha

Can't do that with a hatchet.

We're in a subdivision, kinda gotta keep the gorey mess down.

 

[Kassaundra]

Yeah, I've done one right in my kitchen haha

Can't do that with a hatchet.

We're in a subdivision, kinda gotta keep the gorey mess down.

I live in town too, I kill in my garage and process in my kitchen.

 

[ronott1]

I live in town too, I kill in my garage and process in my kitchen.

Me too.

 

[Arielle]

These are my 4 muscovy ducks I don't know thr sex of they are supposed to be 5 months old




My bf has the next 2 days off work, freezer camp begins tomorrow.

I also have a half ayam cemani and mottled orpington roo being with held from food atm slated for caponizing tomorrow. I think the 2 brown ducks are female, the 2 blacks are male.

By 2 months the boys are much larger than the girls.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I need to vent..........

I had to do a mercy kill today. I had a cull cockerel growing out that had a tail deformity. Well, apparently, he got some sort of wound on his back that went unnoticed. He's been acting fine, no symptoms at all. I found it today with maggots in the wound.

I knew he needed to be put down ASAP and I was the only one home. I got up my courage and took him into the shed and attempted the broomstick method. Attempted being the key word.......I was pulling and nothing was happening. I wasn't stepping on the stick hard enough. On my 2nd try, I got it right. The pop feeling was a bit creepy, but there was less flapping then the hatchet method. Anyhow, he's not in pain anymore.

I still feel awful for not getting it right the first time. Why do I always have to screw it up?