Smell After Butchering

[LilRedRoo]

We've butchered some layers once in a while (free range) and have come to know what to expect regarding smell and behaviour. We dry pluck, so not the "wet" smell issues, just what you get when you open them up. I did my first broiler a couple of days ago .We have been feeding them grower feed mornings and evenings, and letting them range in the day. The broiler smelled pretty rough compared to the free range, but this was only one bird. I'll do the rest over the coming 4 weeks a couple at a time and will keep a mental note on what they are like overall. It seems like most of the smell though is just the wet, partially digested feed.

On behaviour, my layers go nuts when their necks are cut or heads are removed. The broiler I cut just looked at me like I was crazy, slowly bled out and then closed it's eyes. I'll keep a mental note on this as well as we process them.

If I notice anything consistent I'll post back, but it'll be a while since we aren't in any hurry.

 

[jenifry]

I've done 45 meat birds this year, and three unlucky chicks bought as pullets that happened to be cockerels. What I found most disturbing is the cannibalistic behavior of the meat birds. My children locked them in the coop one night, and before I was out to let them out in the morning, they had half eaten two of the smaller chicks alive. It was like a bloody massacre. I was terrified, as I leave all my birds in the same coop. I don't feed grower feed, or commercial feed, just the locally grown, organic, hen feed from my local elevator. (A mixture of millet, milo, barley, sunflower seed, wheat, oats and cracked corn) I supplement in winter with alfalfa hay (Also non-GMO) and whatever kitchen scraps we have. My chickens all smell the same when butchering, and taste 150% better than anything I have purchased in the store.

I doubt I will be purchasing Cornish Cross again, maybe Jersey Giants or Brahmas, as I still have 6 20 week old Cornish Cross that haven't grown big enough to butcher on my natural feed regimen.

 

[cstronks]

I've done 45 meat birds this year, and three unlucky chicks bought as pullets that happened to be cockerels. What I found most disturbing is the cannibalistic behavior of the meat birds. My children locked them in the coop one night, and before I was out to let them out in the morning, they had half eaten two of the smaller chicks alive. It was like a bloody massacre. I was terrified, as I leave all my birds in the same coop. I don't feed grower feed, or commercial feed, just the locally grown, organic, hen feed from my local elevator. (A mixture of millet, milo, barley, sunflower seed, wheat, oats and cracked corn) I supplement in winter with alfalfa hay (Also non-GMO) and whatever kitchen scraps we have. My chickens all smell the same when butchering, and taste 150% better than anything I have purchased in the store.

I doubt I will be purchasing Cornish Cross again, maybe Jersey Giants or Brahmas, as I still have 6 20 week old Cornish Cross that haven't grown big enough to butcher on my natural feed regimen.

jenifry,

You may want to try dark cornish as opposed to the commercial strain cornish cross. These heritage birds have a more mild temperament than the industrial ones. You hopefully will not experience the same problems with the heritage birds as you have with yours.