Slaughtering Birds in Below Freezing Conditions

[Redhead Rae]

I have 4 roosters that I've been meaning to send to freezer camp for the last several weeks. Between work, life, and illnesses, I haven't gotten around to it. Now that I have an entire week off a deep freeze has set in until the end of the first week of January. I've slaughtered birds in these temps before, it was NOT FUN especially plucking. Should I wait until the weather breaks or do any of you have tips for slaughtering in below freezing conditions?

 

[BantyChooks]

I suggest killing outside and cleaning inside. Several people I know do it this way... seems to work.

I have processed in 30 something Fahrenheit weather with a hose too frozen to work. Wasn't fun, since I took several hours and did it all outside.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I suggest killing outside and cleaning inside. Several people I know do it this way... seems to work.

I have processed in 30 something Fahrenheit weather with a hose too frozen to work. Wasn't fun, since I took several hours and did it all outside.

I slaughter and pluck outside and eviscerate and clean inside. Its the plucking I'm not looking forward to with pulling we feathers.

I'm considering skinning the birds (I've never done it before, but it doesn't look too difficult), but I hate the idea of doing that because of the loss of fat and flavor.

 

[BantyChooks]

I slaughter and pluck outside and eviscerate and clean inside. Its the plucking I'm not looking forward to with pulling we feathers.

I'm considering skinning the birds (I've never done it before, but it doesn't look too difficult), but I hate the idea of doing that because of the loss of fat and flavor.

Gotcha. I have skinned before; it works well & the bird still tastes great when cooked appropriately.

 

[Akrnaf2]

I slaughter and pluck outside and eviscerate and clean inside. Its the plucking I'm not looking forward to with pulling we feathers.

I'm considering skinning the birds (I've never done it before, but it doesn't look too difficult), but I hate the idea of doing that because of the loss of fat and flavor.

If you skin them you will loose one of the most flavor giving part of the bird and that is a peaty. If you can't do them all in one go, I would suggest to do them on demand, do them gradually one at a time, when you need one for a meal.

 

[Redhead Rae]

If you skin them you will loose one of the most flavor giving part of the bird and that is a peaty. If you can't do them all in one go, I would suggest to do them on demand, do them gradually one at a time, when you need one for a meal.

That sounds like a nice idea, but I currently have 16 birds in the freezer waiting to be eaten. I want to slaughter these 4 because 1) they are trouble-makers, 2) I don't need them for breeders, 3) I want to slaughter them sooner rather than later since they are all between 6 and 8 months old, and 4) I want to put any more feed into them. Also, it is only slightly more troublesome to do 2 or 3 at a time than it is to do 1. 4 is my limit though.

 

[DrumstickRanchTex]

I have 4 roosters that I've been meaning to send to freezer camp for the last several weeks. Between work, life, and illnesses, I haven't gotten around to it. Now that I have an entire week off a deep freeze has set in until the end of the first week of January. I've slaughtered birds in these temps before, it was NOT FUN especially plucking. Should I wait until the weather breaks or do any of you have tips for slaughtering in below freezing conditions?

 

[Akrnaf2]

That sounds like a nice idea, but I currently have 16 birds in the freezer waiting to be eaten. I want to slaughter these 4 because 1) they are trouble-makers, 2) I don't need them for breeders, 3) I want to slaughter them sooner rather than later since they are all between 6 and 8 months old, and 4) I want to put any more feed into them. Also, it is only slightly more troublesome to do 2 or 3 at a time than it is to do 1. 4 is my limit though.

1. Start eating more chickens!
2. You don't have any choice then.

 

[DrumstickRanchTex]

That sounds like a nice idea, but I currently have 16 birds in the freezer waiting to be eaten. I want to slaughter these 4 because 1) they are trouble-makers, 2) I don't need them for breeders, 3) I want to slaughter them sooner rather than later since they are all between 6 and 8 months old, and 4) I want to put any more feed into them. Also, it is only slightly more troublesome to do 2 or 3 at a time than it is to do 1. 4 is my limit though.

I have butchered ducks, chickens, and geese in the winter and I decided not to scald and pluck them. Instead I skin them outside and then get them indoors for the rest of the processing. The job is not too bad that way.

 

[Zoomie]

When butchering this time of year I've used rubber gloves, like you would use for dishwashing, for plucking. It was still cold of course, but at least my fingers were not getting wet and it seemed to me that I could get a better grip on the feathers. I put a bucket of warm water outside to put them in to wash them, then scalded inside, and took them back out for plucking so I did not make such a huge mess in the kitchen.

One nice thing about butchering in the cold: no flies.