Roo Hurt My Silkie - Execution Tomorrow Morning - I'm a wimp

[PurpleChicken]

I've posted on several threads saying how my standards
and silkies get along OK. I've also posted about my desire
to eat my roos if they get out of hand and so I can do my
part to prevent baby roos from ending up in a dumpster
behind a hatchery.

Today my #2 roo beat the crap out of my silkie roo. The
silkie was just pinned to the side of the run while the
standard(Speckled Sussex) roo picked all the feathers
off his head and ripped apart his pea comb. The silkie
is now in a guinea pig cage until I can provide him new
accomodations. I'd give him an 80% chance of survival.

Tomorrow Roo #2 will lose his head. I have never
processed a bird but have studied it here and been
told how to do it from friends who have. I've also
watched videos on youtube.com. Giving him away
is not a valid option and neither is just killing it.
He MUST not be wasted.

I'm gonna take off the hole head. I had to do it on one bird when she
was badly injured. Slitting the throat is something I could learn to do
later on when I get an actual meat bird order.

Any last minute advice would really be appreciated. How I
wish someone like silkiechicken or Greyfields was closer
by.

 

[HobbyChickener]

Keep your head up sometimes that just has to happen. Not wasting it is the right attitude however I am absolutely positive there will be someone here that will disagree. I am going to have to "thin" my heard soon do to have 7 roos to 4 hens. I also believe in the waste not want not theory. As for your first butchering my grandmother always said not matter how you cut up a chicken it still tastes like chicken. Hope your silkie comes through OK, Good Luck.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Grandmother logic is an amazing thing.

 

[silkiechicken]

I fully agree, waste none of the bird. The only thing that gets tossed her is the feathers, skin, and intestines. We save the heart, liver, gizzard, ovaries and feet for soups along with the bones left over after removing the meat for soup.


I butcher them all, including cornish, by cutting off the whole head... well I hold them down, cut their throats and basically use my hands and break off the rest of the head completely and hold till it bleeds out. I only do the jugular vein cut if requested that the butchered bird be delivered with it's head on. (an Asian thing)


You gotta do what you gotta do. If your silkie is too badily beaten, you can eat him too. Tastes just the same. Asian culture sees them as a delicacy that comes out to be about 16 a lb dressed with head on.

Just when you come to eat him, be sure to age it over night. If it's over about 4-5 months old, it will be tougher than store bird.. and any older, good for soups or slow cookers.

 

[mudhen]

PurpleChicken, good luck!
I haven't faced doing this yet. A farmer I know nearby is ready to do her roos and I'm going to go 'help' and learn. I can face the chopping off the head part, but I think the part I have a problem with is the feather plucking.

I may be looking at having to do this myself. My speckled sussex (NOT Lil'Brownie!!!)
is really begining to act and look like a roo. Four months old, but hasn't attacked anyone nor has she/he? crowed yet, so who knows.
(BTW, the girls all say hi! I'll post a pic for you soon!)

Good luck, and hope that little silkie pulls through. (Your son's favorite?)

 

[PurpleChicken]

Silkiechicken,
Thanks for the reply. I was hoping you'd chime in. Great info.
Any special tricks, suggestions, or pointers you have on removing the internals?

I was hoping I'd have the opportunity to assist in processing a few birds
before having to tackle it alone. I've cleaned plenty of fish but I think it
might be a little different.

 

[HobbyChickener]

If you are intending on doing a lot of birds I would suggest a good set of poultry shears. When the time comes for me I think that the biggest problem I am going to have to getting my hands on them.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Glad to hear not Lil'Brownie.

Big Brownie is my son's favorite.
The Speckled I'm going to Cull is from the same hatch as Lil'Brownie. He
has been crowing for 5 days now and his comb is 200% larger than Brownie's.
That batch was hatched around May 20th.

Your lucky to know a local farmer. The one I know is raising 300 turkeys for
Thanksgiving and was more than happy to accept my offer of free labor
when it comes time to process. Sounds like fun huh??

 

[silkiechicken]

For my personal use, I skin all the birds. I place them dorsal side down, make a slit above the vent and cut up towards the crop and take all the feathers and skin off like a jacket. The I make a cut deeper above the vent and up towards the breast bone with being careful to not cut into any intestine. Then I just reach in with my hand and pull out the liver, find the gizzard, pull that out, and then cut around the vent and pull out the internals in one piece. I then pull out the heart and take out the lungs. I take the crop out from the top. One thing that will make it much easier to butcher and clean is to withhold feed for at least 12 hours. That way the crop might be able to be pulled through the bottom hole and the intestines are alot smaller and less to deal with.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Thanks so much!!! That is exactly what I was looking for!!!
I left the food out of the coop for the night and will go get him in the morning.
He should be empty. He had a dinner of noodles and free ranging so
that's a fair "Last meal"

Thanks again!