Red Ranger, live and not...

[bobbi-j]

Maybe I'm doing it wrong. I just use a pot of water at a rolling boil and a pot of water with ice water. Couple of drops of dawn dish soap in the boiling water.

Dunk the bird in the boiling water quick (maybe do a couple quick dunks to move the feathers around and get to the skin), then dunk it in ice water.

I read it someplace, but you never know. I may have been doing it wrong all these years.

If it works, it’s not “wrong” - just another way of doing things.

 

[oldrooster]

To the OP did you think of using a kill cone? It might help with the thrashing and being able to slit the throat better, and also your knife may have needed to be sharpened.

 

[trudyg]

I'm too cheap and do it too rarely to invest in a cone, tho I can put the word out that I need an old one if there's one on the side of the road. I ziptie the legs together, then have a cord hanging from a nail in a tree--since my cord rotted, I'll probably hang a planter chain with an S hook on the end and use that going forward.

Yes, my knife needed to be sharper. I use a utility knife and thought I could use the same blade for 5 or so birds, but this one was a cockerel and their feathers are very much tougher. My initial swipe, I think, dulled the blade too much on those feathers and I did need to change out to a new blade. Then it went well. And I learned to part the feathers and make sure I'm at the skin before attempting the cut.

 

[trudyg]

I don't pith or scald, since I was skinning, but most of the feathers came out easily. Others, not so much. For the 12 week old cockerel, the feathers were really in there tight. The other cockerels I did at 7 and 9 weeks the feathers pulled out pretty easy and, if I'd had a pair of pliers at the ready, I could have got just about all the feathers out if I wanted. Except for the wings and head. I'm hoping to get to the point where I have the head, legs, skin and various parts for broth that I would can and save for fall/winter. My DH is not well and this would be great to add to his diet during the time of year he struggles the most.

 

[bobbi-j]

We scald, but DH has been butchering chickens all his life and knows just how hot the water should be. At the right temperature, the feathers practically wipe off. I just hate the smell and feel of wet feathers.

 

[trudyg]

Smells are what gets me, too. I can handle barf, blood and poo but the smells, ugh.

 

[bobbi-j]

Smells are what gets me, too. I can handle barf, blood and poo but the smells, ugh.

I'm an EMT, I can handle all those things, too. I hunt. I can help process a deer and have venison for supper that night. But chicken.... I can eat it in a week or two. Better than it was when we first started raising meat birds - it used to be months before I could eat our chickens. Something about that wet chicken smell...

 

[oldrooster]

We scald, but DH has been butchering chickens all his life and knows just how hot the water should be. At the right temperature, the feathers practically wipe off. I just hate the smell and feel of wet feathers.

I would hate to think of how in the orient how they "dress" dogs for meat. could you imagine wet dog smell before you have dinner??? I'm glad that I don't live there....