Chicken abandons flock

Beekissed

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That wasn't mine, Red, just my favorite ones from the YT. I process mine 4-5 each day until they are done, pausing long enough to can up the ones I have killed to make room for more. It's not a race, but a process, so I don't get too worked up about going fast or anything...I just plod along real steady like.

A quick, clean kill is a good thing and something I've been practicing and researching for many a long year. Forty years ago I started out using a chopping block and axe, but I've since progressed to the hands free bleach jug killing cone setup...it's cheap, it's effective and it's quick. It makes for a more calm, cleaner kill than the block and axe of days gone by and I like it best of all.

Recently I found a skinning method I really like the most, as well, and it has shaved a little time and effort from my process, so it's of value to me to always be learning and searching for better, more ergonomic ways to accomplish an old task. Especially now that I'm older and arthritic in a lot of joints...easy is a good thing.

In my neck of the woods I AM the "professional", so there's really no one to delegate that job to. :D Everyone I know has long forgotten how to kill and butcher out a chicken, if they ever even knew in the first place.

I'm doing 4 cockerels tomorrow and will be refreshing my middle son's skill set on butchering chickens at that time. He attempted to help me on Saturday morning and it was a real hoot...he burst two bowels and two bile sacs. o_O Finally he conceded the fact that he didn't "know" how to kill chickens like he thought he did and will be learning it all over again tomorrow.
 
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thistlebloom

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I haven't watched those vids yet, but plan to. I have only butchered once and was unsure about the gutting process. I didn't burst anything, but learning from the internet is not as helpful to me as a live mentor.
A neighbors mom is going to show me how to process one on one. I'm looking forward to acquiring this skill so I can use my retired hens as I rotate my flock.
I would love to have my own home canned chicken stock.
 

Beekissed

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Well...got my chicken killin' done for the season and am just finishing up the canning. Not a bad turn out, all the cockerels had tons of fat, not something I'm used to seeing on roosters, especially free range. This cockerel band ate almost entirely off of range and lived out in the honeysuckle thicket, only came into roost...to be this fat on foraged foods speaks highly of their foraging ability and the availability and quality of our range.

A total of 37 qts of chicken from 10 roosters, packed tight, and three qts. of squirrel. I added some fat and organs to the jars of squirrel to give them some more fats in the broth. Should all be excellent eating...clean, young, flavorful meat.

The new pup looked pretty gory, with blood spattered all over his head and face...that greedy thing gulped 7 chicken legs, four heads and licked up all the blood. Now, that's what I call feeding raw! :D

The house smells of chicken stock and it feels good to have all that meat stored back for the winter. I still have plenty of jars from last year so I have a goodly amount of chicken on the shelf....12 qts from last year at current counts, 2 qts of rabbit, 12 qts. of deer, 1 qt. of squirrel. That gives me a total of 67 qts. of various meats on the shelf, taken right off this land.

Considering Mom and I aren't real big meat eaters(maybe once a week in the winter, less in the warm months), that's a full on plenty and should be enough to feed any family and company who come to call or to share with the same.

Y'all don't know what you are missing if you aren't eating your own home raised meats...there's nothing to compare with them in any store. So much flavor, so very healthy and organic and so very cheap. :weee
 
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