Red Ranger, live and not...

[trudyg]

Here's my 12 week old cockerel Red Ranger:

Now, remember that this is only the 3rd time I've butchered. Here he is ready for the refrigerator:

The coffee cup is for perspective. The wing broke at that joint while he was flapping, so I cut it off.

Let me tell you, this guy did not want to leave this world. He never passed out until from lack of blood, then spasmed periodically long after this should have stopped. His head was off, so I know he was dead. Anyway, I couldn't really get my fingers between the neck and tubes, so used my knife to help. The skin was very hard to pull off. His gonads were the size of butter beans. Everything about him was a struggle (remember, I'm not a spring chicken and not muscley at all). Got him done and in the refrigerator, then bragged to my son DH want to rotisserie him, but I don't think we have a rotisserie on our grill.... may have to go shopping.

Lessons learned today: if the cord hanging him from the tree is old and iffy, replace it before he starts twitching. Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen that blade. Do it the night before trash pickup so you don't have to dig a hole.

 

[lazy gardener]

Good job. Be sure to rest him until the rigor passes before you freeze or cook him. Any idea what the dressed weight is?

 

[dotporter]

Great job! Next? Plucking!! My first few birds got skinned because it looked easier, but plucking isn't nearly as hard as it looks. I even managed to pluck a Tom turkey who we had to butcher because he was so big he was killing the hens.

But, I digress, that chicken looks Delicious!!

 

[trudyg]

I have no idea what the weight is, a bit less than a 5 lb sack of sugar? He looks pretty big but not real heavy. Just a guess. I think, if I do a male again, I'll consider plucking just because of the muscle required to skin him. Then again, I'd been at work all day and it was hot; my best time to work is dawn-thirty. I do yank out as many feathers as I can before starting to skin because they get in the way. His feathers were like armor, that neck cut was difficult just to get past them. Just glad it's done and I can rest easy now. My brain works on me when I have a task that I'm not particularly good at to do (ocd and monkey brain).

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, 90% of the task is the psyche up to start it. This is the same for me no matter what project I'm undertaking.

 

[Mosey2003]

Good job!!!

I thought skinning was the worst thing I ever tried, until I watched a video that showed the best way to do it. The easiest way is to lay them breast-up, pull up the skin near the point of the keel, and slice across it. Then pull half up over the neck, and half down over the legs. Works best to cut the wings off after the first joint before you start, and the legs off at the joint.

 

[trudyg]

Thanks Mosey--I was following your instructions. Worked real well on the females but this young cockerel was pretty hard to do, I wasn't prepared for all the muscle needed.

 

[Mosey2003]

Ah, I must not have realized it would seem hard. I haven't skinned any females, just the cockerels. Oops!

 

[BlackHackle]

Great job! Next? Plucking!! My first few birds got skinned because it looked easier, but plucking isn't nearly as hard as it looks. I even managed to pluck a Tom turkey who we had to butcher because he was so big he was killing the hens.

But, I digress, that chicken looks Delicious!!

I agree. After you cut the neck and the bird stops moving, dunk him in steaming hot water then use your thumb to rub the feathers off. It is just that easy!

...or you could use a feather plucker

 

[Mosey2003]

I just dislike plucking because I have to monitor the scalding water to make sure it doesn't get too hot. If someone gifted me a proper scalder, I would probably be more open to plucking.