butchering chickens

hey guys:

I had 6 chickens from chicks (plymouth"s 2 months old) weighing about 8 # a piece. They were a fair project for 4h. I think the time has come to butcher them. Ive never been around chickens any other than picking up eggs; i need help on how to butcher them. How do I need to do it the easiest way possible. This will turn out to probably 35-40# of meat.

Thanks

skinum, gutum, eatum
Bud

They'll taste better if you remove the feathers.

Do you know anyone that raises chicken for meat? If so, ask them to come over for instruction, or take a bird or two to them for instruction.
I read a chapter in a book, and looked up several different web pages on how to butcher chickens, and just never got up the nerve to do it. Then a couple of years ago my Aunt from the west coast came by for a short visit. She asked me if I butcherd any of my birds and I told her the truth. She asked if I wanted to learn and I said "sure". She grew up on a farm and it had been years since she did the deed, but she walked me through it and it's pretty easy when learning from someone that's done it before.
Hardest part was plucking if you didn't have the water temp just right......and if your too slow like I was on the first one!
BTW, she was 82 at the time and I think she enjoyed teaching me as it seemed to bring back some good memories for her.

I would cut their heads off first. LOL

I use a cleaver to cut the head off, sit it in boiling water for 1 minute and pull the feathers out. I use a propane torch to burn off the remaining feather stubs. At that point, it would depend what we are using the chicken for. A broiler will have the legs removed and the inerts removed etc. Here is a website that might help, though an elderly woman showed my wife and I.
an idea

We raise a bunch of broiler chickens to sell every spring. We use a killing cone to restrain them and then slit the main blood vessels on either side of the neck just behind the base of the jaw. Do not cut the windpipe or they will die before they have properly bled out. If you miss a blood vessel, they will take a long time to bleed and die. I can't really tell you where the vessels are, I'd have to show you. For just six birds you might just want to cut the head off. You should really have a way of restraining their flopping around or they are likely to break one or both wings.

You could skin them, which is easier if you are inexperienced. Or you could scald them and pick the feathers. You want the scalding water to be about 160 degrees, though when we were scalding by hand and were scalding 5 birds, one after the other, I would have the water up around 180 or so to be sure it was hot enough for the last bird. Add some dish detergent to the scalding water. This will help break the surface tension on the feathers and allow the water to act more quickly. To scald by hand, hold the legs, plunge the bird in the water and give it kind of a twisting motion while in the water. Have it in for like a three count. Pull up, give a two or three count and plunge back in for another three count. Repeat for as long as needed to loosen the feathers. I check this by plucking off some of the large feathers in the wing. If they come of fairly easily, then the rest are ready. After plunging in holding the legs, I turn the bird around, hold the neck and scald the back side. I started doing this because sometimes the tail feathers, etc. would not get properly scalded.

For picking the feathers, just pick them. Experiment and see what kind of motion works best for you. They will come out a lot easier while they are still hot from the scalding. If they cool down they will take more work. Also, don't wipe the feathers off your hands while picking. This takes unnecessary time and the feathers on your hands will actually give your hands more stickiness to the feathers remaining to be picked and make it easier. If the skin tears, you probably scalded too long or at too high a temperature.

For eviscerating, first cut the head off. Slit the skin on the neck, loosen the windpipe and the crop. Do not pull these out. Gee, I don't know how to explain evisceration, I would have to show it. I'll attach a link to a youtube video that does a good job of showing the how-to of evisceration. If you have ever gutted a deer or some such, then you can figure out a chicken, it is pretty much the same just a whole lot smaller!

I hope this long-windedness helps out.

Good luck and happy eating.

Christopher
Evisceration Video

take a piece of 2X6 drive two spikes about inch and a half apart close to one end .. preferably toward the end that lets you use your dominate hand.

catch chicken, you can do this easily by straightening out a clothes hangar forming a long open loop on one end. Pet chicken and calm it down a bit so you can grasp it's feet and take the wings and tuck them all into your less predominate hand.

Lay chicken on board with head in between spikes.

Use good sharp Hatchet and chop off head immediatey grasping by the back keeping firm grip on the legs. gently lower it to the ground so the meat isn't bruised... Let it loose ( It won't go far.) ..let it bleed out

Then use scalding water to dip the chicken in and pluck all the feathers.. you will still have small hair looking feathers that are best burned off using brown paper bags set on fire and roll the chicken over the flames holding it just above the top of the flames. Well You ask !! that's how we did it .

4010,

The young lady in the youtube that is attached to this hotlink is a tad bit eccentric, but it is an interesting approach to killing a chicken "respectfully".

Check it out if you have a few minutes.

Tom in TN<
Killing a chicken

my mother and uncle hung them on a clothes line by the feet..cut their head off.....

I found this to be very helpful...

http://www.butcherachicken.blogspot.com/

John

the water you scald them in has to be a certain temp, too cool and the feather won't come out, too hot and the skin will tear.

When plucking I always use 150 degree water and it works like a charm. Then use a propane torch to get the pin feathers burned off.

Or you can skin them. Only hard part about skinning is getting the skin off the wings.

Once plucked or skinned you get the insides out and your golden.

If you follow the link that Hogleg posted you should have no problems.

Google butcher chicken. 2,750,000 hits. Many videos.

Love home raised chickens- we used to raise 25 at a time, my folks would come help process, we'd give them some for their help.

Kids liked white meat, Mrs. and I like dark. Worked great, until kids grew up and moved out. Now we just get a family pack of thighs, when they go on sale.