Slaughtering methods...

[AinaWGSD]

Quote:

Internal decapitation. Basically using the English method (as described in the link above) you break the neck in such a way that the spine is severed and breaks the jugular but the head does not separate from the body. When you hang the bird it bleeds into the neck, in the space between the head and spine. It's cleaner in that the blood remains contained inside the skin and doesn't spill on the ground. But I don't like it because then there's a huge gross blood clot at the base of the head and it icks me out when I go to cut the head off (I don't use the English method, but we did have the same effect the one time we used the broomstick method).

 

[triplepurpose]

what is the english method sky the chicken man?

Look at the link I posted there, scroll down the page, and you'll see. Easier than me trying to explain it, although Aina did a good job... The blood does indeed collect and clot inside the neck skin and I find it washes away easily and neatly when you cut the head off and rinse under a hose or sink. Like I said, my favorite method for a while now. It requires no equipment. I find it to be very civilized. My workshop attendees were also impressed by how simple, tidy, and humane it was. But even if it's not your preferred method I think it could be handy to know. It could also be a nice, kind way to "euthanize" without special equipment.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

yum yum, what breed were they? Can't wait to do my first.

 

[Turkeytruff]

We use plastic grocery bags and duct tape (although we've also been known to use clear packing tape when we couldn't track down the duct tape). Cut a hole through one bottom corner of the bag, slip it over the bird's head, and secure the bag in several places (at least at the base of the neck and around the wings just behind the shoulders, we usually go around the feet too) with the tape, then hang the bird over a bucket for the slicing. We usually sit in a folding chair and hold the birds in our lap for the actual cut, then lower them into the bucket to bleed. We line the buckets with black trash bags both to contain the mess as much as possible and to provide a dark place for them to spend their last minutes to reduce the stress on the birds. Granted, this works best if you have some sort of frame or rafters to hang them from (we do ours in the garage and hang them from the rafters).

For me, slitting vs cutting the head off comes down largely to my own squeemishness. I find the bird with the head still on to be less disturbing to me when I am plucking. But when researching how to butcher my own chickens I had red in several sources that it is better to slit the throat and let them bleed out because you get a more complete bleed due to the heart pumping longer than if you just cut the head off.

I did 2 standard Bronze breasted turkeys and 1 rooster last Saturday. I hung a plastic wire reinforced clothes line between 2 railings with a rope hanging down from it. I tried to use a feedbag to contain the first one and just had a little hole cut out in the bottom of it. First it was difficult to get his head down through the hole because he curled it tight up against his body. Secondly when they thrash around after they have been cut the feed bag just fell apart - it was a heavy paper one; maybe other ones would be better.

Ya, thats exactly what i wanted to know. Blood in the meat probably makes the meat not taste as good. My last chickens had an odd kind of flavor. Not bad tasting but you got kind of tired of the taste of it and could eat much chicken. Those chickens I lopped the heads off with an axe.

Opinions vary here, I know, but the guy I was doing this with (it was my first time) works in a slaughter house and he said they always made a point of draining all the blood as otherwise there was a metallic taste in the meat.
We just ate one of the turkeys (well I canned part of it too) and it was delicious! I will be doing meat chickens next spring I think. Your picture looks delicious Yukonchick!

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

We are getting ready to do our first chickens this weekend

, plan on raising turkeys next year(Bourbon Reds)

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Well we just processed our first 2 birds, the whole family form my 5 year old(didn't do much but point and lol) all the way up to me and my wife. We had a good time my 10 year old had some tears but then was ok. They looked great in the sink for final cleaning, great in the fridge and will be better in the oven.