Drying Rack before wrapping

[Sally_O]

What do you use as a drying rack? Or is just patting dry with a towel ok?

 

[homestead tim]

You really need to let them dry well or you get alot of water in the bags. you can use stakes pounded into the ground and hang them on the stakes. I dont feel that patting them dry will be enough. After we clean the birds, we let them sit in ice water for 30-45 Minutes to cool down. That time is used for clean-up.

 

[Sally_O]

Thank you!

 

[Elke Beck]

I never soak mine in water, so there is very little water in the bag. I prefer to allow mine to chill in the bag on ice. Of course, I never do more than 3 at a time because I know my limits, so burying 3 birds in ice is easy to do. If I were doing 15 at a time, it might be a different story.

 

[bwmichaud]

I dry them in the sink upright with a 22oz beer bottle in the cavity. They balance quite well this way.

 

[jdywntr]

I dry them in the sink upright with a 22oz beer bottle in the cavity. They balance quite well this way.

That is a great idea! Never thought of doing it that way.

 

[drlcb]

I buy a case of bud light in the aluminum bottles for my helpers and myself. I have a large board that I drilled alternating holes about 8 inches apart just big enough to pound the aluminum bottles neck side down. Then I sanitize cover each bottle with a piece of plastic wrap and set them up 18 at a time. Shrink wrap bag loosely over top then stack them in clean boxes in my meat refrigerator for three days to age. On day 4 shrink wrap and then freezer camp. I never reuse the same bottles, just recycle them and start over on the next run.
We raise meat birds in batches so generally we can get 30-40 done in an afternoon.... Thanks to the whizbang plucker and six home made killing cones.

 

[Mikedero]

I use a PVC drying rack. I made a home made walk in cooler to age my deer. I place the chickens on the PVC pipes and in the cooler over night then bag them up and 2 days later right to freezer camp or cut up then to freezer camp. I keep about 4-5 whole and the rest 15-20 cut up into thighs, legs, wings and split breats and packaged accordingly

 

[Elke Beck]

I use a PVC drying rack. I made a home made walk in cooler to age my deer. I place the chickens on the PVC pipes and in the cooler over night then bag them up and 2 days later right to freezer camp or cut up then to freezer camp. I keep about 4-5 whole and the rest 15-20 cut up into thighs, legs, wings and split breats and packaged accordingly

How do you make a walk in cooler? Is it something that you can set up when needed and take down again when not needed, or is it a permanent structure? I would love to hear what you are willing to share.

 

[BCMaraniac]

How do you make a walk in cooler? Is it something that you can set up when needed and take down again when not needed, or is it a permanent structure? I would love to hear what you are willing to share.

Found this on the Cornerstone Farms site....don't know if this is what he used or not....

http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/equipment/poultry-accessories-chicken/kool-bot