Raising our 1st set of CX meaties

[foreverlearning]

So, how many birds would you suggest to process a day the 'old fashion' way? I'm thinking 3 sounds like a good number but if 17 w/a plucker was a workout I don't know!

By hand I prefer 10 a day with a helper. Half that if you have to do it on your own. Plucking takes a lot of time but my household loves the skin. If you don't eat skin then save yourself a lot of time and work by just skinning the suckers. Make sure your table is high enough! I am short and those plastic foldable tables were just short enough to make my lower back ache like no tomorrow.

 

[jenifry]

Quote:
My husband and I decided we will never try to attack more than 10 a day again. It was too much to do more without a plucker!

 

[SlipsWife]

By hand I prefer 10 a day with a helper. Half that if you have to do it on your own. Plucking takes a lot of time but my household loves the skin. If you don't eat skin then save yourself a lot of time and work by just skinning the suckers. Make sure your table is high enough! I am short and those plastic foldable tables were just short enough to make my lower back ache like no tomorrow.

My husband wants to skin them...I'm wanting to make use of our turkey fryer and thing we'll need the skin BUT maybe we can do half and half. I think if we raised our own meaties we would eat chicken more often. Raw chicken at the store tends to look off in color to me and slimy...I'm sure its fine and I'm overreacting. I usually buy frozen breast, convincing myself that its been processed correctly and frozen immediately...Ok, lying to myself...

 

[SlipsWife]

Quote: 10 a day without a plucker sounds like a lot to me! After watching videos of pluckers being used I feel like its one of those things that you don't realize how bad you truly want it or need it until you have it. I might try posting on craigslist and see if anyone has one they are wanting to sell or even rent to us for a weekend...

 

[foreverlearning]

My husband wants to skin them...I'm wanting to make use of our turkey fryer and thing we'll need the skin BUT maybe we can do half and half. I think if we raised our own meaties we would eat chicken more often. Raw chicken at the store tends to look off in color to me and slimy...I'm sure its fine and I'm overreacting. I usually buy frozen breast, convincing myself that its been processed correctly and frozen immediately...Ok, lying to myself...

Half and half sounds good to me. For the few that I skin, I portion out the leg, thighs, and wings then can the rest for quick meals. The ones with the skin on go in the freezer. I split my last batch between mine and my mothers houses. I went over there the other night for dinner and spit out the chicken. She had picked up some from Walmart because she didn't want to defrost any for dinner. While I used to eat chicken from the store all the time before, I can't stand it now that I have had home grown. The store stuff tastes watered down and soggy and the fat is much more greasy then what home raised are. You don't realize how bad store bought tastes until you raise your own.

 

[Angelicisi]

Half n half would make you both happy...betcha he plucks a few extra next round because he liked your fried so much

Haha @ slimy. So very true now that I've seen our birds dressed. Right outta the plucker I get hungry for chicken

My husband wants to skin them...I'm wanting to make use of our turkey fryer and thing we'll need the skin BUT maybe we can do half and half.  I think if we raised our own meaties we would eat chicken more often.  Raw chicken at the store tends to look off in color to me and slimy...I'm sure its fine and I'm overreacting.  I usually buy frozen breast, convincing myself that its been processed correctly and frozen immediately...Ok, lying to myself...

 

[jenifry]

Right outta the plucker I get hungry for chicken

I roasted two chickens the day we processed, BOTH TIMES. My kids hardly touched them, spent the whole meal talking about chicken guts and how they flap around after losing their heads... but they were still delicious.

 

[jenifry]

Half and half sounds good to me. For the few that I skin, I portion out the leg, thighs, and wings then can the rest for quick meals. The ones with the skin on go in the freezer. I split my last batch between mine and my mothers houses. I went over there the other night for dinner and spit out the chicken. She had picked up some from Walmart because she didn't want to defrost any for dinner. While I used to eat chicken from the store all the time before, I can't stand it now that I have had home grown. The store stuff tastes watered down and soggy and the fat is much more greasy then what home raised are. You don't realize how bad store bought tastes until you raise your own.

SO True... there is a firmness and flavor to our birds that I will never forget. I am finding it harder and harder to eat anywhere but home; none of the food is the same as from my garden, my canning, or my home grown meat! I can't even buy a tomato in the store!

 

[Beekissed]

SO True... there is a firmness and flavor to our birds that I will never forget. I am finding it harder and harder to eat anywhere but home; none of the food is the same as from my garden, my canning, or my home grown meat! I can't even buy a tomato in the store!

Yep! And why eat garbage when you can eat gourmet quality birds that would cost you $27 a piece at a farmer's market? I think that's what most people who still eat from the store meat case miss when they criticize those who raise their own and even point out that it's just cheaper to eat from the store. Sure, it may be cheaper, though I've pared down costs so much that I highly doubt that....and cheap is good for a lot of things..I'm a frugalist and I love cheap. But when it comes to food and flavor and you have a choice, why choose the yucky stuff? The "calculated to give you health issues, bland, mushy and filthy to eat offerings from a slimy package in the store" kind of yucky...whose hands have touched that stuff?

It should tell folks something about their food supply when you are cautioned to bleach all surfaces that have come in contact with it or you may contract a life threatening illness...and then they want you to place it in your kids' mouths?

 

[kuntrygirl]

 


 SO True... there is a firmness and flavor to our birds that I will never forget. I am finding it harder and harder to eat anywhere but home; none of the food is the same as from my garden, my canning, or my home grown meat! I can't even buy a tomato in the store!  

Yep!  And why eat garbage when you can eat gourmet quality birds that would cost you $27 a piece at a farmer's market?  I think that's what most people who still eat from the store meat case miss when they criticize those who raise their own and even point out that it's just cheaper to eat from the store.  Sure, it may be cheaper, though I've pared down costs so much that I highly doubt that....and cheap is good for a lot of things..I'm a frugalist and I love cheap.  But when it comes to food and flavor and you have a choice, why choose the yucky stuff?  The "calculated to give you health issues, bland, mushy and filthy to eat offerings from a slimy package in the store" kind of yucky...whose hands have touched that stuff?    

It should tell folks something about their food supply when you are cautioned to bleach all surfaces that have come in contact with it or you may contract a life threatening illness...and then they want you to place it in your kids' mouths? 

$27.00 ????????????????? Is that how much they are at farmer's markets?