The Chicken Slaughterer

[Taz's Master]

When ordering chicks the minimum order was 15, so we got 5 laying hens (Barred Rocks-one turned out to be a rooster), and 10 Cornish Giants for meat, then acquired 3 Leghorn hens. Now our chicken ranch is going to see a drastic herd reduction this weekend, on the agenda is: killing, plucking and dressing 10 chickens. Never done it, any suggestions? Should we just freeze the carcasses, or use seasonings? If the advice is to pay someone else, don't bother,I'm leaning toward hiring the job out, but I've been overruled, (just seems like a way to use up a whole Saturday that could be put to more productive use). But any other tips would be appreciated.

PS It should go without saying (but after the tablesaw pic thread, it needs said), this thread would be more palatable in a text only format.

[Amail]

I remember reading somewhere (perhaps this forum) that a guy's wife has gotten the time down to 8 minutes from catching the bird to popping it in the oven.

I'm no expert (not even kinda - just saw it in the movies), but if you pick up the bird by the head and swing it vigorously in a quick circle, it looks quick, clean and painless.

You're on your own from that point forward. Glad I could help. You're welcome.

[cashflyer]

http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/killing-chicken-meat.php

Also:

http://everything2.com/title/How+to+kill%252C+pluck+and+dress+a+chicken

[tops911]

when I was a kid we'd just hold the chickens by the legs, lay their heads on the ground put a small pipe across their necks, stand on the pipe and pull on their legs. Head came right off and there is no flopping around, well the neck wiggles and throws blood but the carcass stays nice and clean when you hold it by the legs. I think we did something like 100 or so..........

[on2wheels52]

"a guy's wife has gotten the time down to 8 minutes from catching the bird to popping it in the oven."
I think that's a little optimistic, perhaps they skinned them. If you're going to bother boiling water to dunk them in you're not going to do one bird, you'll do a dozen at least. Anyone better at butchering chickens than my wife might want to put out a video. Them Iowa farm girls know how to use a butcher knife.
Jim

[Moses]

While holding the chicken in your left arm, circle your thumb and forefinger around the chickens neck. In one swift motion pull the chickens head away from it's body. They snap right off. Pretty easy.

[BLEW911]

Originally Posted by Moses

While holding the chicken in your left arm, circle your thumb and forefinger around the chickens neck. In one swift motion pull the chickens head away from it's body. They snap right off. Pretty easy.

[slakjaw]

some guys fashion a V out of some wood and put the head in there and then chop.

go to youtube.. lots of video material to reference and then you can choose your own method.

[jyl]

For utmost efficiency, couldn't you combine the killing, boiling, and plucking into one operation? They must make machines for that.

[slakjaw]

Campels soup company herds hundreds of birds all at once into a room with chicken wire on the floor and then they flip a breaker and electrocute the birds. Pretty efficient operation.

[Tidybuoy]

Visiting a chicken farm - They grab the chickens by the feet and put them in a special hanging conveyer belt setup. The the chickens are moved over a tank of water that has been electrified. As they pass by, their heads are dipped into the water which calms them down and causes the adrenelan to stop flowing into the muscles. Then the heads are sliced off.

I highly recommend bringing the kids on the tour.

I personally find it much easier to just go to Whole Foods.

[jyl]

Is raising your own meat chickens cost effective? Even compared to free range, organic, humanely treated, blah blah chickens? I would think that economies of scale put the home raised meat chicken at a big disadvantage?

[Looking_for_911]

When I was a kid my great-grandfather would buy about 500-600 chicks every year. Of course we'd lose about half to the hot Alabama heat right away. The remaining chicks would be allowed to grow, reproduce and do whatever else they were good for, like lay eggs.

Then, after I'd named about half and considered them pets would come slaughtering day. I still vividly remember my great-grandmother - not so much my great-grandfather - with a hatchet chopping off heads while around her feet danced and flopped headless birds.

Then, if this weren't bad enough, the cleaning would begin, then the freezing. Follow this with every day, Every day, at least twice a day, we'd eat chicken until they were gone or the next batch of chicks came home.

Fried chicken; baked chicken; boiled chicken; stewed chicken; roasted chicken; barbecued chicken... you get the picture, right?

Couple all this chicken eatin' with eggs Every morning, usually fried, and boiled eggs sometimes throughout the day, and I - after I no longer lived with them, they were next door to our house - would not touch eggs or chicken for years and years!

It took me until late adult-hood to get to the point where I would eat chicken again. Even today I have to be in the mood for it, and the mood only comes around once or twice a month at the most!

Eggs? No, not if I can help it.

With memories like that it's no wonder I'm so screwed up.

[Super_Dave_D]

We have a dedicated chicken buyer in my office and I often give him a hard time. I ask him how it feels knowing that every time he cuts a PO - 14,000 chickens lose their life?

[88-diamondblue]

Have butchered chickens since I was a kid. We nailed a 8' 2x4 up and put nails in it about every 10". Catch the chickens and use twine strings in a loop to hang them by there feet up side down from the nails. We never cut the heads off just slice the throat. They bleed out and you don't have chickens running all over the place. Dip in near boiling water to pluck the feathers. If they don't pull out fairly easily the water is not hot enough or the bird wasn't dipped long enough. I have never gutted them so no advice there. Just don't cut the intestine, not good for taste.
Just put in good freezer bags and freeze. It most likely would be cheaper to buy them but the home grown version is the fantastic taste .

I will be doing this in a few weeks as well. Can't wait to taste the fresh meat. The hearts and gizards are a treat. Flour them, put Lowry's season salt and fry in real butter. Absolutely sinful but so good.
I will enjoy one of those birds with one quart package (1 of 65 put up this last week) of sweet corn I froze this week. Enjoy

[The Gaijin]

The methods that include bleeding out I think make for a better tasting bird.

As they are flipped over, they kind of calm down and pass out..

[Big Ed]

I don't eat a ton of meat as it is, but if I had to conduct the slaughtering I'd be damn near vegetarian.

[Taz's Master]

Well, they're dead and bagged. Actually the killing, plucking and butchering went pretty well. Nothing I'd try to avoid in the future. As far as the cost, probably not much savings, but 10 whole chickens in the freezer, and knowing how they were fed/cared for, I'll probably do it again. I've never been troubled by understanding where my food comes from.

[svandamme]

it's not fun if you don't let em run around a bit after the chop

[aigel]

Chopping the head is a good diea, as it will bleed out. Blood spoils faster than meat and you want all the blood out that you can.

A dip in steaming water will make the plucking a quick affair. Wear gloves and go at it while the bird is still hot.

8 minutes to prepare a chicken is not crazy if you have the routine down, IMHO. Even at 20 minutes total each, you can get it done in under 4 hours.

Never season to freeze. Also, chickens I'd let sit for a day in the fridge to let it dry up a little. Definitely don't want to age it.

It is not cost effective to raise your own livestock. However, it beats any certified this and that, because you *know* the truth. Fraud in the organic / certified this and that area is just way too tempting! Hunting is a similar activity. Per pound it is expensive, but nothing better than a wild animal IMHO.

George