What to do with insides?

[Krazyquilts]

I've heard that the digestive track makes good catfish bait. Gonna try it one day.

That's a great idea! We are going to get our pond stocked next spring, so maybe next year we'll go fishing right after butchering days!

 

[RUNuts]

Outside the duck marsh, I was talking to the lady that cleaned the ducks. All entrails go into catfish buckets and after the day's cleaning, she went to her friends pond and the catfish were lined up waiting on duck guts. In return for the feed, she got to fish all year round. Yes, catfish like that. I've also heard that catfishing is good under cormorant roosts. Nasty, nasty. I've never checked to see if that was true.

 

[Fairview01]

When my wife isn't around I'll coarse grind all the soft tissues, tails, on her kichenaid. Haven't made it 36 years with her by being stupid.

 

[stuckinthecity]

My grandpa tossed anything they didn't eat (that wasn't given to the dogs or barn cats) into the catfish pond.

 

[Arielle2]

OP---my boys do the cleaning these days. Every is sorted. Carefully cut bile sac from liver with a scissor, putting liver in its own bowl. Try sauted liver onion and bacon.
Necks saved for soup.
Gizzards are edible, but tough. Cut along side as if a poorly shaped bagel, you will eventually reach the inner lining that is yellow and holds the grit and grain. Use care to not dull your knife if you feed grit. Wash in bowl of water to remove grit and grain. Pull yellow lining out if you are using for human consumption. Put in another bowl.
Feet are great for stewing. Dip in hot water and strip off outter skin layer. Boil in soups.

 

[Arielle2]

Also, GI. I have snipped this with scissor into bitesize, chicken bite size, and they gobble up.The last few inches need cleaning for sure. Note a short cooking period is better before feeding however the smell is objectionable.Cook outside.

We waste nothing. Dogs, cats chicken get what we dont want.

 

[Subsistence Farmer]

Most published things I've read say 60% of live weight dressed. My birds follow that rule pretty close if neck is included.

I harvest heart, gizzard and livers. Heart, necks, gizzards go into stock as do skinned feet (we jokingly measure stock by the foot). My reward on slaughter day is fried livers for dinner with macaroni and cheese.

The other entrails are tossed onto an area of the property away from the chickens but visible from the kitchen. We just love watching the buzzards hop around and eat them.

The feathers are composted, along with egg shells. In my book nothing is wasted. I don't believe In feeding chicken to chicken either.

 

[lazy gardener]

I take a pick axe and dig a hole in an area that I want to improve fertility in. My soil is very bony, so the digging is a total body work out. I then bury all the feathers, entrails, dump my bloody water, cover the area with soil, rocks, and just for good measure, put some hdw cloth over it for a month or so.