Freezing a bird before butchering??

[ReneeRose]

Hi

I bought some young hens just for the eggs, but it turned out I had a rooster in the mix. I was trying to catch it to trade it for a hen, and it was trying to escape. In the shuffle it put its head through the fence and it was immediately biten off by one of my dogs. I didn't know how to butcher it and it was too late in the day to take it anywhere, so I put it in a plastic bag (feathers and all) and put it in a freezer, hoping this would keep it fresh for processing the next day. It stayed in the freezer overnight, and I have transferred it to the refrigerator to thaw out this morning. I don't know anything about this, is it ok that it stayed in a freezer overnight before being butchered? Have I messed it up in anyway by doing this? Is there something I should have done instead?

Thanks

 

[1muttsfan]

It is not safe to eat a carcass that was not cleaned immediatey before freezing. As the bird thaws, the intestines will break down and release bacteria into the surrounding tissues. If you had cleaned the viscera and stripped the skin before freezing, you would have been OK - althought hte meat would likely have been tough.

 

[ReneeRose]

thank you for that information. why would it have been tough?

 

[AinaWGSD]

Because after death, rigor sets in causing the muscles to tighten which will result in tough meat. If placed in the freezer before rigor has passed, the meat will be tough right after thawing. To avoid this, many people wait a few days (usually 2-3) before moving processed birds from the refrigerator to the freezer. If frozen before being rested long enough for rigor to pass, you simply have to plan ahead and take the bird out of the freezer several days in advance so that it can rest once it has fully thawed. Many people will freeze birds before rigor has passed and just give them extra time to rest after they are thawed and have had good results. Although there are accounts that birds rested after thawing are still a little tougher than birds rested prior to freezing.

 

[DianeS]

If it were me, I'd still use the carcass to practice butchering (since you say you don't know how to do it), so that you'll know how for next time. Then, I'd cook the carcass very quickly with very high heat, and use it to feed the dogs. No need to waste it, I just wouldn't use any of the cooking methods that would make it "tasty" for humans since it's too easy with those to accidentally undercook and leave bacteria. But 400 degrees until completely done and dry, and fed to the dogs ought to be fine.

 

[Oregon Blues]

There is nothing wrong with eating poultry that wasn't gutted immediately. It can change the flavor, but it will not kill you.

Take the bird out of the freezer, partially thaw it, and pull all the feathers off of it.

Once the feathers are off, cut off the lower legs. As soon as the insides are thawed enough to pull the guts out, you split the vent area, stick your hand inside, grasp the guts and pull them out.

Then you rinse well and put it back into the fridge to age a bit before you cook it. (thaw completely, then about 2 more days.)

The meat might taste good, or it might have a little funky taste from not being gutted immediately. Either way, it won't harm you. But if it tastes off, you can always feed it to your dogs.

It's a good opportunity for you to practice dressing a bird. If it happens again, you will be happier with the meat if you dress the bird immediately and then properly chill and store.

 

[Tduds89]

There is nothing wrong with eating poultry that wasn't gutted immediately. It can change the flavor, but it will not kill you.

Take the bird out of the freezer, partially thaw it, and pull all the feathers off of it.

Once the feathers are off, cut off the lower legs. As soon as the insides are thawed enough to pull the guts out, you split the vent area, stick your hand inside, grasp the guts and pull them out.

Then you rinse well and put it back into the fridge to age a bit before you cook it. (thaw completely, then about 2 more days.)

The meat might taste good, or it might have a little funky taste from not being gutted immediately. Either way, it won't harm you. But if it tastes off, you can always feed it to your dogs.

It's a good opportunity for you to practice dressing a bird. If it happens again, you will be happier with the meat if you dress the bird immediately and then properly chill and store.

Question, if I have dressed grouse and froze them with neck and heads attached can I process the breasts and put them back in the freezer? As long as I'm relatively quick? Hope you're still on here to answer!

 

[Klutch]

Find your favorite tree or flower and plant it there. All the little buggies that live in the gut are moving out of there and going into the rest of the bird.