Good Morning my friends! I am happy to be here with you this morning! I am looking forward to a great day ahead... today will be my bulk shopping day. I hope to finally get my stockpile going again. At least a bit...
Saturday was our first attempt at chicken butchering. We got together with some dear friends of ours and did it together so they could teach us how and what to do.
My dear husband... bless his heart, he gets a bit sickly at the sight of blood, but he did a wonderful job after the first one. He is fabulous! K explained to us the difference between using the killing cone and just chopping off their heads or wringing their necks. The killing cone is just plain easier, and the chickens are less distressed before they are killed. Using the killing cone, you slit the throat and let the blood drain for a few minutes, it makes the rest of the jobs a bit less messy. After the blood has drained you give them a spray off with the water hose and then into the scalder they go for about a minute... this makes the plucking MUCH easier! After the first couple of chickens, plucking became a breeze... After we plucked the chickens the men cut off the heads and feet and took out the innards. That is what the pots are for.
Feet in one and innards in the other... Shannon has requested that I make him some chicken livers one night. The feet and hearts and gizzards will be used to make a very rich stock. Chicken day was a success and we have 15 lovely birds in the freezer. Along with the parts to make a good bit of healthy stock. Thank you my friends for teaching us how to do this, I am very thankful to you guys!
We are looking forward to the fall when hopefully we will learn how to process a deer! My Cup Runneth Over...Chas
I've only been around chicken butchering one time....it was in a house. I'd much rather it be outside.......so I would have plenty of room to flee when I felt the need to do so........
I love chicken gizzards.......but no the livers.
Mrs. Mobunny from Rabbit Trails59 - 08:40 - Monday, June 23, 2008
I bet Marty would have
Love to have neighbors like your friends. <winks>
Great job! Love your face in taht last picture.
Challice
Anonymous - 11:47 - Monday, June 23, 2008
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You are way more woman than I am! If I had to do that for my food, I'd be a vegetarian!
Becky - 06:18 - Monday, June 23, 2008
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Have you seen the Chicken Pluckers???? You just have to do a search on You Tube for Whizbang Chicken pluckers! It is great and I must say a bit funny too. We have a video posted of us plucking chickens, I've got to post it on my blog asap.
Wow, we never used a killing cone growing up. That looks so much easier than trying to catch a dead chicken running around the yard if it gets away!!!! lol I had chickens for several years in my youth and I never could bring myself to eat one of my chickens. My dad, bless his heart, did a good job teaching me everything, but I just always thought of them as my pets (and usually named them). Funny, I never had a hard time eating HIS turkeys, though!
Thanks for sharing Chas, the whole process looks great!
Hey, that is great to hear and see you all providing for your family. I to just finished butchering my birds last week. I do it a different way and though you would like to hear about it.
Because I butcher all the bird by myself I have learned to skin them. We don't eat the skin anyways. This does away with the plucking step. I could butcher from start to finish in bags one young bird in 30 min. I did learn that after the got over 20 weeks it took me 45 min. to do this. The skin develops what I call a membrane and the work get slower. Next time I butcher they will be younger.
This post was used for the Homesteading Carnival.
Here is the link for the Carnival.
http://homesteadblogger.com/RachelsReasoning/102220/
Come take a look!
Love,
Miss Rachel
Welcome to the Journey of our lives here at our place on this Mountain, our Heritage Acres Farm. My name is Chas and here you will find my thoughts, my ideas and my accomplishments of my life as a Christian wife to my Sweetheart of many years, and as a Homeschooling Moma to my 4 beautiful blessings. We are making the most out of what God has abundantly blessed us with! Truly, My Cup Runneth Over...
I hope you enjoy your visit here and come back soon!
K explained to us the difference between using the killing cone and just chopping off their heads or wringing their necks. The killing cone is just plain easier, and the chickens are less distressed before they are killed.
Using the killing cone, you slit the throat and let the blood drain for a few minutes, it makes the rest of the jobs a bit less messy.
After the blood has drained you give them a spray off with the water hose and then into the scalder they go for about a minute... this makes the plucking MUCH easier!
After the first couple of chickens, plucking became a breeze...
After we plucked the chickens the men cut off the heads and feet and took out the innards. That is what the pots are for. 
Chicken day was a success and we have 15 lovely birds in the freezer. Along with the parts to make a good bit of healthy stock. Thank you my friends for teaching us how to do this, I am very thankful to you guys! 
My Cup Runneth Over...Chas
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