What can I use to get lungs, etc out?

[FunClucks]

For a whole bird (not cut up or spatch-cocked), I pull out the guts, then working from the rear of the bird to the front, I start about the middle of the bird, where the lungs start, and I run my index finger down between the ribs, from the outer side of the chicken towards the back bone. I exert as much pressure as I can to keep my finger right up against the inside of the ribcage in the groove. I do this about five times, moving up one groove each time (there are about five grooves the lung fits into) until I hit the neck area of the bird. Then I turn my hand over, grab the lung, and pull it out. Perfectly formed lung pops right out. Repeat on the other side.

[I also do this with the kidneys to remove them, and it makes an awful mess because the kidneys break up, not pop out. I always wash the inside of the carcass out a lot from many angles with a high powered hose. Not sure if I'm supposed to remove the kidneys or not, but hey, why not do it since I'm there already.]

I haven't had a problem with the lungs breaking up once I discovered this technique, and they come out easily and smoothly with little if any lung material left in the carcass. I inspect the lung after removal to make sure I got it all, and usually they're complete and undamaged. However, my experience to-date has been with cornish cross meat birds processed at 5-9 weeks. Dual purpose birds have a narrower carcass and may be more difficult to remove the lungs from, I don't know yet. Also, I have small fingers, they fit in those grooves pretty easily.

 

[Geena]

This is the lung scraper that Amazon sells

OUCH!!

 

[Isadora]

OUCH!!
View attachment 3434602

Lol, yeah. Hence I use my fingers.

 

[cassie]

I used a strawberry dehuller.

 

[FunClucks]

I used a strawberry dehuller.

Picture? Is it like a melon baller but smaller? I see several versions of these online.

 

[FunClucks]

Cool fact - I figured out that if I cut the off the crop and esophagus and such close to where they enter into the neck of the bird, and then get a strong enough grip on them from the inside when I reach in from the rear to pull out the innards, if I grab enough of the web of stuff at the neck of the bird along with the esophagus and heart, I can actually pull out the lungs with the heart, liver, and most of the innards. Even faster then popping them out after the fact. Getting a good grip on that stuff and having enough space inside the bird to get my hand in is key.

 

[Mosey2003]

However, my experience to-date has been with cornish cross meat birds processed at 5-9 weeks. Dual purpose birds have a narrower carcass and may be more difficult to remove the lungs from, I don't know yet.

Indeed, they are. Especially young cockerels, they're very different than doing a broiler. I started with dual purpose and got really frustrated thinking I was doing something wrong because it never seemed to be as easy as all the butchering videos made it seem. The first time I processed a broiler I was amazed, it was so easy in comparison.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I leave mine in...around here store bought chickens still have the lungs in anyways doesnt effect the taste at all.

 

[FunClucks]

Indeed, they are. Especially young cockerels, they're very different than doing a broiler. I started with dual purpose and got really frustrated thinking I was doing something wrong because it never seemed to be as easy as all the butchering videos made it seem. The first time I processed a broiler I was amazed, it was so easy in comparison.

I processed a year old Production Red cockerel this past weekend. His carcass was so narrow I had to break the back-to-leg joints open to get it to lay on it's back properly so I could remove the innards. Very narrow body, and difficult to get my hands in. I have small hands, so this surprised me. The lungs weren't really hard to remove once I got in there (small fingers helps), but definitely not as easy as cornish cross.

Also, skinning was 3x as hard and took 3x as long. The breast meat was 1/4 what a 5 week old CX had, but the legs/thighs were about the same size. Good thing I wasn't raising him for meat.

 

[Ethan P Dobbins]

A regular ol eating spoon will scrape the lungs right out just fine.