Can I join the club?

[aka Rachel]

I finally processed my extra roos. I knew this day was coming because I made the deal with myself when I decided I would hatch out eggs. Some were gonna be roos and even tho I live in the country....why on earth would I feed all those extra mouths! (my philosophy)

And I was over at my neighbours accross the road and BOY could you hear all the roosters crowing, lol.

Honestly the only part of the process that bothered me was the killing. I really wanted to try slitting the neck, however it was my neighbour and her mom that were helping me this first time, and she was using the head chopping method. Frankly thats too 'hit and miss' for my liking

And If i'm doing it alone from now on, I don't think I can do that by myself. Gutting was almost anticlimactic! Very easy. Their ages varried by about a month. The oldest being about 5 months old. They are all black harco sex link over barred rock and I'm quite happy with the size. The largest was just over 4lbs and the other three just under. So I'm thinking I can easily process at 4 months.

So we processed (is butchered the right word for chickens?) four extra roos. Two I hatched out myself, and two broodie raised. Yes, most had names.

Those two were hatched out this summer and in the next pic they're the middle two, all grown up!

Finished product

I felt so good to finally have the nerve to do this. Made me feel like I had really taken responsibility for having my own flock. And as a reward I bought myself a Brinsea mini advance, LOL.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Good for you! The killing part is no fun no matter how many times you have done it. Wait until you sit down at the table with one.

Steve

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

Not a big fan of the chop and flop myself. Fewer broken bones with the kill cones.

Good job all around though. We always laugh when we see a tall, skinny rooster in the freezer next to a skinny, plump cornish cross. Nice pictures.

 

[PineappleMama]

Well done Rachel... hopefully we'll get to join that club someday as well.

Be sure and let us all know how those bad boys taste too...

 

[vmdanielsen]

good for you Rachel!! It will be me next year and I hope I'll be as brave as you!!!

 

[DianeS]

Good job! I butchered my first chickens this year, and like you I'll do a neck-slitting method next time. Live and learn, huh? Your finished product looks great!

 

[malignstar]

I'm really good with aiming and hitting the target on thefirst whack with a cleaver/hatchet/ax so I do the chop method. I would like to do cones and slitting just to compare but unfortunately I have an aversion to necks and blood (cant even watch my dogs get blood drawn from the jugular or I'll throw up) so I doubt that will ever be possible. Despite me hanging immediately after chopping, the necks still got dirt on them that I had to rinse off before I could feed it to the cats. I'd like a much cleaner way to butcher... Le sigh.

 

[BayouPoules]

Good for you!

I am so happy for you. It will be our turn in a few months,.My husband says he can do it,. and I believe him,
it's going to be harder than I thought,,.. but you sure are an encouragement for those of us that still have this ahead!
don't know how yet..


My grandmother used to wring there necks,. even when she was a young girl,. she said it was that,.. or go hungry.

How blessed we are!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

you are officially in baby!

 

[aka Rachel]

So funny Bayou, my mother said her Mom wrung their necks too.

We had some tuff grandma's!