Questions about preparing bird after culling

[Churkenduse]

I have 2 questions:

1: Do you prefer to skin your bird or dip in water about 130 degrees (do not boil) and pluck feathers?

I imagine if you are jusing it for soup or any recipe that you don't need the skin.


2: Do you prefer to axe off its head or cut the jugular?

Thank you

 

[MissPrissy]

1. I do both. The whole bird I leave skin on. I like the crispy skin on a roasted chicken. I also prefer for fried chicken. For other uses and since I knew my chickens had fat under their skin so that I couls still have a rich stock I skinned them and cut them up for use in different ways.

2. We chop. I hold. My husband chops. Then we hang and let them bleed out.

 

[Churkenduse]

Thanks MissPrissy, Do you think one person can hold and cut, maybe if you tie the bird down?

 

[lynxpilot]

1. DON'T boil the bird. A good scald is at about 130 degrees F for about a minute. I have a plucker and after the proper scald, they are totally bare including the pin feathers. Any hotter and you start to affect the skin and fat underneath. I don't skin them because I sell them and like to leave that option open to the buyer.

2. I've cut the jugular and cut heads off both. I now just cut the heads off. What minute difference there is in the bleeding you get out of one or the other isn't enough for me to justify the extra time the chicken is alive during the butchering process. I'm sure many would argue this. I guess it's just your choice. I'm entirely disenchanted by the butchering process and anything to make me think their suffering is quicker is better. I could be all wet on this one, but I get plenty of blood when I cut their heads off.

Enjoy!

Dave

 

[MissPrissy]

You are right, Dave! I should have caught that boiling part myself!

No boiling. You are dunking the bird in 130 - 165 degree heated water to loosen the feathers. Any hotter and any longer than 12 - 15 seconds at a time and the meat will begin to cook especially on the wings.

Churkenduse, this is what we have done when a 2nd pair of hands has been busy. We make a hanging loop for the feet. If you gently take the bird and turn him upside down and hold him by his feet he will become very very calm and will rest upsidedown without flapping and carrying on. Put the hanging loops on his feet and hang him upside down. Then you alone would be able to cut the neck veins or simply end it mercifully with a quick chop.

Look at my post and some photos here in another thread on some birds we processed .

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Geez, wish you had put your subject in your topic line because in the row of "recent" threads it is a shocker to open this post and realize the subject matter is so.................not one I was expecting..........

 

[Churkenduse]

DON'T boil the bird. A good scald is at about 130 degrees F for about a minute.

thanks Dave


I didn't realize I wrote boil I will change that. I know you do not boil or you will start them cooking.

Geez, wish you had put your subject in your topic line because in the row of "recent" threads it is a shocker to open this post and realize the subject matter is so.................not one I was expecting..........

What did I do wrong we are in the MEATS topic and I asked a questions about meats. This section is about butchering, culling, meats, chickens​

 

[kstaven]

6,000 members here. Yah can't please them all!!! Even clicked on as a recent post the top of the page when the subject opened would still say "meat birds"

 

[patandchickens]

it's just that most people, when they select something from 'recent posts' on the bottom of the forum front page (which does NOT show what section the post is in), are not going to bother looking at what category banner comes up when they click on the post -- they will go right to reading the text.

Churkenduse, you did NOT do anything wrong, it's just that because of this peculiarity of the site (not showing what section a 'recent post' is in, on the forum front page) and the fact that not everyone wants to read about chopping off chicken heads at 7 a.m.

, it might be helpful to make your title somehow descriptive of the fact that it's meat bird related. Like "I would like your opinions please - processing". In fact, if you wanted you *could* do that now - if I recall correctly, when you hit 'edit' on your original post it gives you the option of editing the title.

Ok, back to talking about processing now

Pat

 

[Churkenduse]

Churkenduse, you did NOT do anything wrong, it's just that because of this peculiarity of the site (not showing what section a 'recent post' is in, on the forum front page) and the fact that not everyone wants to read about chopping off chicken heads at 7 a.m. ,

Thank you very much for explainging that too me I will do that right now, I just got it, thank you.​