Well I just finished dispatching and dressing out my first bird. A little cornish hen sized roo. His dressed weight is about 2 pounds. I had a hard time actually killing him, I tied string around his feet, and then hung him up, he was calm. I then tied more in a figure 8 type pattern around his body thinking it would stop him from flapping afterwards. With hands shaking I stood there for almost 5 minutes and darn near chickened out completely but I wouldn't let myself. I had a hard time bringing myself to slicing the throat so I held his neck and whomped him hard at the back of the head with a piece of wood but it wasn't hard enough and he started squacking, at this point I was crying because I knew I screwed up and was making him suffer, so I quickly grabbed his head in my hand and broke his neck fast. Then I sliced the throat and let him bleed out. You guys were right it wasn't all that much blood. But I didn't tie the body up well enough and he came undone and made a little mess.... Once I took the bird inside and scalded it and started to pluck it instantly became meat to me and no longer a chicken. I wasn't thinking about the kill anymore. He still had some food in his crop and I sliced it open by accident getting some of the contents on the neck area but I washed everything out really well. So, I feel like I screwed up bad but I did get it done in the end. I did it all by myself too Not bad for a gurl... I'll add a pic later. It's in the fridge now. I need to do another for hubby to have one so I can make my apricot glazed cornish hens, maybe tomorrow. So how long till I get my MeatBirdMembership card?!
Quote:You get the membership card after you shovel at least 8 weeks worth of poop and bedding for 25 or more cornish cross rocks. Seriously, good job. It takes alot to do the deed and follow through. Congrats. You will appreciated that meal far more than any before because you raised and harvested the meat yourself and didn't buy it in a vac pac from the grocery store.
Congrats to you! It is a hard thing to do but...... The meat is so worth it. I thoroughly enjoy the flavor of my birds. I hand picked the chicks from Rural King. Raised them for 8 weeks and then......it was time to butcher. We killed 45 birds over the period of 4 weeks. I am so glad it is over. My biggest bird weighed 5 pounds. And the was cleaned, plucked and ready for the freezer! Good luck with the rest.
"You get the membership card after you shovel at least 8 weeks worth of poop and bedding for 25 or more cornish cross rocks. " Aww man, now that I'm down to 24 that kinda puts me out till the next batch... LOL Thanks guys, really.
Just remember to let it refridgerate for a while. Sometimes people forget to refridgerate and try to eat it right after butchering on their first attempt. Often times, they find they can't eat it, right after their first killing experience. We tried tying up the bird too. We didn't tie well enough either... we ended up throwing it last minute into a five gallon bucket until it was done with the throes. I was okay after it was dead. The killing and the death throes were the worst part. The blood didn't even bother me. The blood actually surprised me, because I was expecting more. Although, because the bird wasn't restrained properly, it ended up splattering. Live and learn. We will be using killing cones next time. I think we'll be killing our extra roos this Friday. -Kim
See, wasn't so bad, was it? Dont listen to what anyone else says. You learned today...."do not whack chicken with stick." LOL. Tomorrow just slice that throat.
* You did better than I did with my only assignment to date-- culling one of my rabbits when it got myxo. It was horrendous, the rabbit refused to die, and DH had to finish the job for me. In a way, I'm glad it's hard. Means you have a conscience and a heart. Too many have too little of either, even when it comes to people!! Imagine the effect if we all had to slaughter our own meat. Would we be tougher or more sensitive?? I wonder.
congrats, I don't remember my first, but I remember my first rabbit when I was in 8th grade that I did. I remember the mixed emotions and wanting to be happy about my success, but also surreal about how we as humans get our food. it really is a great thing when you can be responsible for your nutrition in such a way. congrats!!!