The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ki4got]

I"m stressing a bit on how to heat the hot water. I have the kitchen stove, or a fire pit.....thats it. and the kitchen door is a ways away from the area that I think we will be processing in.

I have a friend with a grill that has a side propane burner, maybe I could use that....

get a turkey fryer. they work well for both cooking (frying) whole birds and also for scalding. runs off a grill bottle and you can keep it near whatever you're working on.

 

[lalaland]

There are all kinds of propane burner stands for outdoor use ... if you plan to do this often it might be worth the investment so you can have your water pot near your plucking area. You don't need a huge pot for a chicken, and you don't need the water to be at a rapid boil, either. With a smaller pot of water the side burner on a gas outdoor BBQ might be adequate (I'd be worried I'd flip the BBQ if I put the turkey pot on the side burner of my BBQ ...)

Here is a quote about picking a scalding temperature: "Young birds with easier to remove feathers can be scalded at 125° - 130° F. for 30 to 75 seconds. The proper length of time for adequate feather removal leaves the epidermal layer of the bird's skin intact. Temperatures of near 140° F. for 30 to 75 seconds can be used with older birds for easier feather removal. The cuticle covering of the skin will generally be removed at this temperature. Because of the difficulty in removing feathers from waterfowl, ducks and geese are processed at higher temperatures 1 to 2 minutes in water at 160° - 170° F. Adding detergent to the scald water helps water penetrate through the feathers, especially on waterfowl."

I found that quote at this site: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/components/0701b.html

You might find that the hot tap water in your home is 120 or more ... for me 120 is a little higher than I'm comfortable putting my hand in, but not by much. I recommend a thermometer rather than a finger. A meat or candy thermometer will help test the water temp. It isn't hard to get the scalding water so hot that you can tell you're actually starting to cook the bird ... that's too hot.

I like this video for really explaining how to make the cuts and efficiently eviscerate the bird.

that is really helpful! The roosters are only 18 weeks old, so maybe the lower temp will work. It is getting chilly here, I figure by the time I haul boiling water out to the processing area, it will have really cooled down. I will use the thermometer.

and I hadn't htought about the grill tipping over with the weight of the water on the burner. I think they make those little burners for alittle side dish or something while you grill, probably not a giant canning kettle

 

[lalaland]

thanks Leah's mom for the video - I will watch it when I am home, it is probably not work approved content !

and I am a little short of funds to just buy a turkey burner or camp stove or.....and before I make that investment want to be sure I want to do this again. If it goes as well as I expect, I'll keep an eye out for one somewhere cheap.

6 days and counting to a calmer flock!

 

[MargaretYakoda]

This one has always been my favorite. Return to it over and over.

Thanks, that's another good one. I bookmarked it, and the followup. Between the ones I shared and these, we should pretty much have it covered when the time comes.

I did notice one thing, though there is a big difference in the time taken with the chicken beforehand, the actual process that both videos show is very similar. Upside down bird, jugular slit, hang for a bit, process.
The woman in the video I shared usually does just one bird at a time, because they're birds people who can't handle killing their former pets drop off at her farm. The guy in your video, Leahs Mom , while being more businesslike about it, is clearly respecting the life of the birds as much as the women in the video I shared. It's just a bit of a different style. I've seen some youtube videos that treat the birds horribly. I don't want to do that.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Yes, I've seen some people that like to act "macho" or something...not sure the word... No need for that kind of behavior as though they take joy in killing. I'm not sure I'd like to live next door to some of those folks.

I don't ever think I'll like killing any animal. But I also know that the animals I raise will have had a good life - unlike what goes through the "factory farm" system. I can hardly stand to see how they are treated and live.

I also don't think I'll ever get used to the idea of killing them. When I was a kid, the animals we had were pets/friends. So I've never had animals as a food source. It's definitely a different mind-set and I have to get used to it.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Oh...and Happy Thanksgiving to the Canadians

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Oh...and Happy Thanksgiving to the Canadians

Thank you!

 

[lalaland]

This one has always been my favorite. Return to it over and over.

this was a good addition - he shows a little more detail about the butchering, and hearing a second way to explain things helped!

 

[lazy gardener]

that is really helpful! The roosters are only 18 weeks old, so maybe the lower temp will work. It is getting chilly here, I figure by the time I haul boiling water out to the processing area, it will have really cooled down. I will use the thermometer.

and I hadn't htought about the grill tipping over with the weight of the water on the burner. I think they make those little burners for alittle side dish or something while you grill, probably not a giant canning kettle

 

[delisha]

Quote: X2!!!