Minimalist Poultry Processing Equipment

[DrakeMaiden]

Alright . . . we have a few too many roos and they need to go! I have never dispatched or butchered anything and I will probably try to find someone to teach me the proper technique, but I can't keep these roos around much longer.

I know that I could rent killing cones, a plucker, and a scalder, however we only have two birds to process, so what equipment do I realistically need and what can I make do with instead of the above?

I think Pat said she has used a pizza box as an improvised killing cone . . . .

 

[miss_thenorth]

Well, all I use i a good sharp knife, and someone to help.

Get someone to hold the bird--I lay it on the ground while someone is holding the bird, and slit its throat. The other person will hold the bird while it flops around. (you can hold it upside down during this point to help drain the blood)
Then process as usual. either skin or pluck. If you need more details, let me know, or look at frugal's post which is stickied in the meat birds section on BYC.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Thank you, Miss_thenorth. I was wondering how large of a pot I need to scald, mainly. Anything that helps with plucking feathers? I will look for that stickied post.

I was overwhelmed with the idea of searching for this on BYC. I'm sure there are plenty of posts there though, but a lot of them say to keep searching for other posts. I could probably search all day for a quality post. I'm glad there are some stickied ones . . . I forgot to look for that. D'uh!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

you'll do great!

most important tool - courage. dont freak yourself out.


i love themodernhomestead site for instructions - Harvey is wonderful and explains in it non-threatening ways.

we use an axe for dispatching - and a baling twine to tie their feet. we have a 'flopping' bucket which is just a big kitty litter bucket. i have a couple of sharp knives and kitchen/poultry shears. dont forget to have a source of water (hose) and a lot of paper towels.

as for the scalding bucket - nothing too fancy. we got one of those big rubber tubs from the grocery store for $6 - the kind that have the two rope handles and are used for drinks and stuff? easy and cheap. we heat water in a couple of big pots then dump into the tub, check the temp, and voila! mostly you just need to be able to swish them around so we found even my biggest stock pot wasnt big enough.

you wont need a plucker for just a few birds - it will not be as neat as you'd like but it will go faster than you expect. make sure you have a box/bag/bucket for the feathers.

be sure to have somewhere to chill them down to 40* asap...and i make sure there is room in the fridge (turned down to extra cold) to let them set for a couple days before you use or freeze.

the meat section on BYC is really good but let us know if you have specific questions.

i always print out the steps just to have for reference. sometimes you can get flustered by everything or just want to make sure... so its good to have something to look at.

and you will be so much happier with fewer roosters... we had to get rid of a couple last year about this time and the difference in the barnyard was worth any effort on our part. and we had some tasty chicken and noodles!

congrats! most likely you will write back to us that i went really well and it wasnt as scary/icky/bad as you thought it would be. we're here for you!!!

 

[2dream]

My processing equipment is a clothes line, zip ties, a razor knife, and my sharp pocket knife.

Catch rooster, zip tie feet together, take second zip tie and run through zip tie on feet, hang on clothes line and close zip tie. Slit throat with razor knife. While that rooster is bleeding out, repeat with second rooster. I skin my chickens, so I don't need boiling water. See how easy that was.

During my last processing I discovered that a warm chicken is easy to pluck so I don't know if the boiling water would be completely necessary. Of course I did not try plucking the whole chicken. It just seemed that during the skinning process all the feathers I grabbed came out easy.

How to butcher a chicken in 20 min or less.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/grim79.html

Edited because I left out words.

 

[miss_thenorth]

We used a turkey deep fryer for scalding, worked great, but I must admit, when we do our extra roos, we usually skin them--its so much easier.

You don't need alot of equipment, you just need to be prepared. and yes, read over the post, but if you have specific questions, ask us. there are many of us here who have done it.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Thank you for the tips, OFG. You make it sound so easy! I definitely need to work on the courage part. :/

Thank you, also, 2dream. I like to hear everyone's different methods. I'm not sure I have the stomach for skinning something. Maybe some day I will try it.

Both of you gave me some good links to check out. Thank you!

 

[ducks4you]

You need to join the BYC forum (see the link at the bottom of this page) Here's a VERY useful thread, with appropriate links on the first posting that will help you.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=248648
I butchered my 3 roosters in September. We ate one immediately and froze the other two, who gave their all for us last week. The meat was tasty--very red, compared to the birds that you buy at the store.
On the BYC forum you'll find out if you'll want to grow/slaughter your own chickens on a regaular basis. (It's NOT for everyone, and that's ok!) Some breeds are better for eggs, while some breeds are better for meat. You can "Kill with Kindness" growing meat breed chicks, for instance. Good luck, and bon apetit!!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I appreciate the willingness to answer further questions. Give me a few days to mull this over and I'm sure I will have more questions!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

we found the skinning MUCH easier!! and not icky at all... in fact, someone on the BYC site got us into it by posting the FUNNIEST thread about how they did it.... with a hose. you use water to loosen the skin off the carcass... so you end up blowing them up like little water balloons! even in my deepest state of gratitude and prayer i was laughing until i snorted.

its ok to have a dark sense of humor about this whole thing - it relieves the tension.

remember too that the words used to describe the process are by their nature inflammatory...so its going to sound worse than it is. pretend you are on CSI and are one of the techs and soon you'll be so fascinated by everything... you'll be doing it!

trust The Way Of Things, be grateful, you can do it! pretty soon you'll be teaching your neighbors!



ps turkey steve is a great resource.. so is Bourbon Red - he taught me everything i know