Killing, Plucking, Eviscerating, & Cutting Up Your Chicken - Graphic!

Pics
Killing, Plucking, Eviscerating and Cutting Up Your Chicken

01.jpg


First, catch yourself a chicken!

02.jpg


Next, put your chicken in your killing cone head first.
Pull the head out through the end of the cone.
And then cut the artery just below the jaw line.


03.jpg


And let your bird bleed out until...

04.jpg


it has expired.

05.jpg


Have your scalding tank between 140° F. and 150° F.

06.jpg


Dunk your bird, swishing it around to agitate the water.
Between the agitating and the dish detergent I put in the water,
the water penetrates to the feather follicle allowing for easier feather removal.


07.jpg


A quick dunk in cold water to prevent the skin from tearing when plucked.

08.jpg


For $50 a weekend, I rented this plucker.

09.jpg


However I've done hundreds of birds by hand (and thousands with a plucker!).

10.jpg


A handful of tail feathers.

12.jpg


Using the pinning knife to pluck the last few feathers.
A table knife works just as well.


13.jpg


Next, I cut the head off with a pair of shears.

14.jpg


Now, grasp the neck and pull the skin down tightly.
Slit the skin on top of the neck from the backbone to the end of the neck.


15.jpg


Separate the neck from the windpipe and crop with your fingers.

16.jpg


Pull the crop and windpipe completely away from bird.

17.jpg


And then cut and discard.

18.jpg


Now, cut the neck off at backbone.

20.jpg


Next, cut the feet off at the leg joint.
You are just pressing your knife through cartilage, not cutting bone.
If you're cutting bone, your knife is not positioned correctly.


19.jpg


Now, carefully slit the body cavity and remove the vent.
Start from the side and cut horizontally encircling the vent and reconnecting with your cut line.

or
Start from the breast and cut vertically encircling the vent and reconnecting with your cut line.

21.jpg


Remove all the innards.

22.jpg


Take the liver and pull off the bile duct.
Do not break it or your bird will be stained green.


23.jpg


Be sure to remove all the lungs.
This tool, the lung scraper, really helps and is worth the effort to make one or purchase one.


gizzard01.jpg


Now take your gizzard and butterfly it open.

gizzard02.jpg


The gizzard is a muscle the birds use to grind up their food.
The chickens eat small stones that stay in the gizzard to act as grinding stones.
Notice the different stages of grinding the corn is in.


gizzard03.jpg


These are the stones I found in this gizzard.

gizzard04.jpg


Now peel your gizzard.
Just get underneath it and it will peel off quite nicely.


gizzard05.jpg


Clean, peeled and ready to use.

gizzard06.jpg


Now, take the socks off your chickens feet.
If they're not just slipping right off, re-scald them and then you can easily remove their socks.


feet01.jpg


Sliding right off.

feet02.jpg


All clean and ready to use.

feet04.jpg


Here's all the extra pieces and a step by step pictorial to use them and make the best Chicken Stock you'll ever taste!

49.jpg


Backbones, Necks
Feet, Heads, Gizzards
Hearts.


25.jpg


Scraping the birds body cavity for any leftovers...

26.jpg


Remove the glands by slitting the tail open and cutting them away.

27.jpg


See the yellow glands, they make the bird taste bad.

28.jpg


Or you can just cut the tail off like I do.

29.jpg


This bird is ready for a final trimming and cleaning before I cut it up.


Cutting Up Your Chicken

30.jpg


My bird is cleaned and ready.

31.jpg


First, remove your wings.
Bend wing out and push knife into shoulder cartilage.
If you're cutting into bone your knife is in the wrong position.


32.jpg


Keep applying pressure with your hand as the knife slides through the shoulder joint.

33.jpg


Now, press your leg down toward the table and gently slice the skin.

34.jpg


Keep applying downward pressure, pushing your knife through the hip joint.
Then cut along the hip and remove leg.
Repeat with other leg.
Again, if you're cutting into bone your knife is in the wrong position.


35.jpg


Next, cut through shoulder area and remove backbone from breast.

36.jpg


Not much bone here.

37.jpg


To separate thigh from leg press knife through knee joint.
Once again, if you're cutting into bone your knife is in the wrong position.


38.jpg


Half Breast • Back
Leg & Thigh • Whole Breast • Leg & Thigh separated
Wings


40.jpg


To split the breast insert knife and press through bone and cartilage.

41.jpg


Fresh organic chicken breasts.

42.jpg


And the best chicken livers you've ever had!

smile.png
Thank you SO MUCH for this beautifully presented tutorial.:clap
 
Thank you for the great step by step information and the great pictures. I process deer, squirrels, rabbits, quail etc but have never done my chickens before. I hope my first batch is easy and I will be more comfortable next time!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom