Butchering This Week and NOT Going to Gut....

[Salt and Light]

Last time I butchered, I cut up a couple chickens without gutting them. Basically I cut the entire 1/2 of the chicken away from the carcass and then do the other side. Then I cut off the leg quarters, and wings, then de-skin the breast. I really liked this and my wife liked having the different parts vacuum bagged separately.

I don't eat guts, but my family likes the gizzards, so I will let my son pick them out if he wants. The carcasses will go to the dogs/chickens and then to the buzzards for recycling...

Just want to throw it out there....

 

[Dogfish]

I use the backs and keel bones to make stock out of, but if you are feeding your animals with the carcass, I guess there isn't any waste. My dogs doesn't get to eat any of this uncooked, as I don't want him chasing and killing my regular birds. To each their own.

 

[Cass]

I recently read someone's directions to process chickens exactly that way. I thought to myself "what a wonderful way to avoid the guts part of processing" and personally, plan to do it that way myself. Let us know how it goes, cuz I, for one, am very interested.

 

[phasianidae]

why not "gut" them?

 

[Salt and Light]

Quote:
Good question....

1. We don't eat any guts, other than the gizzard and I'll let my kids dig for them if they want
2. I don't put up whole chickens, even if I gut them. I split the chickens down the back bone and then freeze them. But, we don't eat the backbone or rib meat

 

[AlbionWood]

I can definitely see doing this with DP birds (heritage breeds). Their narrower breasts mean smaller cavities to get your hand into, making it a lot more difficult to pull the guts (lungs especially). And they are harder to roast whole anyway; the breast always cooks way faster than the thighs. If I do DP cockerels again I'll try this.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

We don't gut and don't pluck. With us being on a "healthy" diet kick, we want skinless meat anyway, and it is so much easier to just skin em and carve em, then toss the carcass in a bag in the freezer for a treat for the dogs later. I give it to them raw, and frozen. It makes a very challenging "bone" for them to chew on. My dogs don't have access to my live chickens unless I am with them. I think my lab would take down a chicken if he could, but the electric fence has a way of discouraging him. He is terrified of the chicken yard.

 

[HEChicken]

My only goal was that nothing go to waste, so I gutted and used the organs, intestines, gizzard, gonads etc in various ways. Made stock out of the feet and head and so on. But if you are using the parts you're not eating yourself, to feed other pets, sounds like a win-win to me!

 

[slc]

I did the same thing last weekend. Processed 20# worth of heritage roosters. Didn't even pluck them. No point in dressing whole when we rarely cook them that way. I just cut away the whole front side of the carcass plus legs and thighs.

 

[Salt and Light]

I'm the only one in my family not eating chicken skin. So, when I separate the breast from the thigh, I also skin it.

Gutting is really no problem, but it's just not worth it. I'm sure my dogs can't eat 20 chicken carcasses, so the rest go to the wild animals. Feral cats, coons, buzzards and who knows what else will enjoy the remains on butcher day. I'm planning on putting up a game cam at the gut dumping site just to see what exactly does visit at night...