The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[The Moonshiner]

Why not? You crank out so many roosters you could fill the freezer, even if you just took the breast meat and leg quarters. I use rooster meat for tacos, chicken salad, soups, dumplings, etc. Anything you need shredded chicken for. The Instant Pot decreases the time it takes to tenderize the meat to fork tender so it can be stredded. I butchered 5 the other day and my big white tom turkey’s days are numbered. I had to fight for my life trying to give him water today.

Because they're all my babies.....



I couldn't even type that with a straight face.
I haven't butchered birds since I was a teen. I don't remember enough to not screw it up I figure. And it seems like work.

 

[Amer]

Remember that Speckled Sussex rooster I gave my neighbor? Yeah he keeps coming back. She can’t keep him from flying out even with 2 clipped wings. She has given up on him. He lives here again now apparently. He must prefer the Sussex hens over her hens because they are slower and easier to catch.

View attachment 4112363

LOL

 

[KF0002]

Because they're all my babies.....



I couldn't even type that with a straight face.
I haven't butchered birds since I was a teen. I don't remember enough to not screw it up I figure. And it seems like work.

It's really not bad, and as long as you watch out and don't puncture the intestines or gallbladder, you really can't screw it up too bad. There are plenty of YouTube videos. If keeping a bird dressed whole as a roaster, always bring the guts and internal organs out and away from the bird before cutting the liver away from the gall bladder. My 12 year old son is learning how to do it. I let him get the organs out and harvest what he wants for fishing. He helps his dad hold the birds down while my husband bleeds them out, that is their preferred method even though we have a killing cone. I will eventually let him do one start to finish soon.

A Benchmade Meatcrafter is the knife I prefer to use. We do the same method as if you were to field dress a Wild Turkey. Lift up the skin over the breast and slice into it and pull the skin apart, exposing the breast meat fully. You then fillet the breasts off each side of the keel. Cut each shank off. Then you press the legs backwards toward the table until the hips dislocate and pull the skin off the thighs and over the drumsticks. Then cut off the leg quarters off at the hips. Once you have all your edible meat off the bird, you can harvest the organs if you want them or just dispose of them with the carcas. We cut the keel bones off with a hack saw for the dogs, so there isn't much of a bird that goes to waste.

Occasionally we will scald, pluck, and dress a whole turkey or Broiler but only when we need a whole bird for roasting like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Otherwise the field dressing method is easier and quicker. A vacuum sealer is also a great investment.

 

[ozmarans]

I agree with @chickengr and have always called them chicken "propagators," not breeders. The chicken propagators and peddlers in my area are so bad that it is impossible to get a decent price for birds. The buyers are just as bad because they don't care what conditions the birds came from, no regard for health, they just want cheap birds. So when you ask $30 for a hen, people scoff at that price and say, "I can go down to Jim Bob's and get one for $10." And we just say, "have a safe trip to Jim Bobs getting your $10 hen!"

$30 for the hens ,they are dreaming , if you don t have 00 don t bother to call me not interestted ,hahaaaaaaaaaaaaa,
we in OZ peoples are willing to pay good money for a good stock ,
$30 maybe I ll send them some plumage that all maybe a tail or some thing but for sure not hole bird ,they are dreaming .
good luck ,how can you pay for the feed ,
Ozmarans

 

[Amer]

It's really not bad, and as long as you watch out and don't puncture the intestines or gallbladder, you really can't screw it up too bad. There are plenty of YouTube videos. If keeping a bird dressed whole as a roaster, always bring the guts and internal organs out and away from the bird before cutting the liver away from the gall bladder. My 12 year old son is learning how to do it. I let him get the organs out and harvest what he wants for fishing. He helps his dad hold the birds down while my husband bleeds them out, that is their preferred method even though we have a killing cone. I will eventually let him do one start to finish soon.

A Benchmade Meatcrafter is the knife I prefer to use. We do the same method as if you were to field dress a Wild Turkey. Lift up the skin over the breast and slice into it and pull the skin apart, exposing the breast meat fully. You then fillet the breasts off each side of the keel. Cut each shank off. Then you press the legs backwards toward the table until the hips dislocate and pull the skin off the thighs and over the drumsticks. Then cut off the leg quarters off at the hips. Once you have all your edible meat off the bird, you can harvest the organs if you want them or just dispose of them with the carcas. We cut the keel bones off with a hack saw for the dogs, so there isn't much of a bird that goes to waste.

Occasionally we will scald, pluck, and dress a whole turkey or Broiler but only when we need a whole bird for roasting like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Otherwise the field dressing method is easier and quicker. A vacuum sealer is also a great investment.

This is very useful, thank you!

 

[KF0002]

This is very useful, thank you!

Yw! I will add that if you are leaving a bird whole you have to scrape the lungs out of the chest cavity, and pull out the crop bag from the neck of the bird and cut it out. Then when you bring all of the guts out you bring them out by cutting a small opening just between the bottom of the keel and the vent. You will bring out the esophagus and trachea and the entire digestive tract in one piece through the opening. Then you cut around the vent and cut the vent off and the entire digestive tract including the vent is removed. Then you can rinse the bird and rest the meat in a cooler of ice for 2-3 days. I also salt the bird with Kosher salt. As the ice melts it creates a brine. I recommend watching a video to show what Im saying. You can then bag up the bird for the freezer or cook it.

This is a young jake turkey.

View attachment 4112856

 

[KF0002]

$30 for the hens ,they are dreaming , if you don t have 00 don t bother to call me not interestted ,hahaaaaaaaaaaaaa,
we in OZ peoples are willing to pay good money for a good stock ,
$30 maybe I ll send them some plumage that all maybe a tail or some thing but for sure not hole bird ,they are dreaming .
good luck ,how can you pay for the feed ,
Ozmarans

Yeah no one will pay more than $30 a hen around here, no matter what bloodline or the quality of the bird. They would rather pay $10 for a bird full of parasites and disease from one of the chicken peddlers around here. Every now and then I can get $75 a piece on full grown turkeys, but even then people try to talk you way down off your price. Or they tell you they want the bird, then when the time comes to meet up, they ghost you and you never hear from them again. That's why we eat so much chicken and turkey. lol

 

[KF0002]

Oh and @Amer, I forgot to mention that when we cut around the vent to remove the digestive tract, we also cut around the tail and preening gland and remove the entire thing.

 

[Amer]

Yw! I will add that if you are leaving a bird whole you have to scrape the lungs out of the chest cavity, and pull out the crop bag from the neck of the bird and cut it out. Then when you bring all of the guts out you bring them out by cutting a small opening just between the bottom of the keel and the vent. You will bring out the esophagus and trachea and the entire digestive tract in one piece through the opening. Then you cut around the vent and cut the vent off and the entire digestive tract including the vent is removed. Then you can rinse the bird and rest the meat in a cooler of ice for 2-3 days. I also salt the bird with Kosher salt. As the ice melts it creates a brine. I recommend watching a video to show what Im saying. You can then bag up the bird for the freezer or cook it.

This is a young jake turkey.

View attachment 4112855View attachment 4112854View attachment 4112856

Oh I know all that/have done all that
It just was interesting to know about the field dressing. I have cut just the breasts off birds but not the legs too.

 

[Amer]

Yeah no one will pay more than $30 a hen around here, no matter what bloodline or the quality of the bird. They would rather pay $10 for a bird full of parasites and disease from one of the chicken peddlers around here. Every now and then I can get $75 a piece on full grown turkeys, but even then people try to talk you way down off your price. Or they tell you they want the bird, then when the time comes to meet up, they ghost you and you never hear from them again. That's why we eat so much chicken and turkey. lol

I've never had a problem selling d'Anvers pullets for 35 each, what I have trouble with is people asking for birds when I don't have any (that's fine I'll put you on the waitlist.)
But what's worse is someone will ask about d'Anvers on the Facebook group and people will immediately throw out my name even if I'm not remotely close by nor do I have the requested variety and I don't sell eggs or chicks. It's nice being famous but... I don't think my birds are as good as you're making them to be. There are many breeders out there who are far better.