chicken dressing tips

[homemade_mamma]

We will be butchering chickens for the first time in a couple of weeks. My mother in law is going to show us how. I was wondering if you chicken pros could share any tips and tricks you have learned. Thanks!
Debbie

[Thyme]

We use an outdoor propane turkey deep fryer to scald our birds before plucking. Replace the oil with water & have a thermometer to check water temp. Properly scalded birds pluck very easy.

[jonvee]

I butcher with a friend and we have things set up in an assembly line so it goes faster. We are usually doing 50 birds at a time.

We have more than one killing cone so birds are bleeding out while one is being scalded and plucked. You can use a plastic gallon milk jugs for the extra cone.

If you're using a plucker you may want to get a face cover so you don't get splatted on. I don't know what the proper term is, but it's a hat with a clear plastic shield that comes over your face.

Also, I found that having the water hose (for rinsing) hanging over head with a nozzle that you can turn on and off works well.

Extra scissors or knives are also handy. As are plastic or metal bowls for the organs you want to save.

If you're doing lots of birds you'll need a good amount of ice and something to put it in, but if you're doing just a few, the kitchen sink will work fine if it's close.

One thing I always seem to forget is to double check my supply of freezer paper or bags. Nothing worse than setting up to package only to find out you don't have enough paper or bags.

Lastly, keep the necks so you can use them for soup base. Or, you can freeze them too and use later for soup.

Let us know how things go. Good Luck.

[bookwormom]

we use a galvanized trashcan over a fire to heat the water, it is big enough to dip whole turkeys. How do you all kill the birds? I wish I had learned how from my MIL whenn I had the opportunity., she had a quick twist of the wrist and the chicken's neck was broke. It really went fast. we now chop off the heads and it is slow and messy, compared to MIL 's method.

[goodwifefarm]

Hi! We use my boiling water canner full of water over the old BBQ grill to scald our birds. To kill them hubby lays them on the ground, puts a broomstick over their neck and pulls up.........that seperates them from their heads quite nicely! (Make absolutley sure that they are done "flopping" before you scald them. If you don't they can flop when they hit the boiling water and give you a nasty burn!) Then we scald them, and begin furiously plucking! The faster you pluck the better off you are. I'm a pretty darn speedy plucker if I do say so myself. Then after you get all the feathers out, take a little propane torch and singe all those little hairs off. Then gut it, wash it, cut it, and wrap it, and you are done! We bone out the breasts, cut the wings into drummies (party wings) and split the thighs as we go so that when I thaw them out they are ready to fry. Good luck and happy butchering! Also if you put them in the fridge over night before you freeze them, it helps to make them a bit more tender. ;D

sarah

[Anon001]

Homemade Momma,

I don't do many at one time anymore. But, I do a few. I have two big boiling pots. One is cast iron and holds.... I don't know how many gallons... probably close to 30. I stack cinder blocks 2 high and make 4 of the pedestals. Then I put 2 rods through to set the boiling pot on. I never have used a thermometer. Then I build a fire under the pot to heat the water.

The trick to scalding is how long you scald. You don't want to overscald. Also, I never cut up a chicken unless it is going to be canned or cooked right away.

Another thing is to keep the chickens away from food and penned up the day before. It is a little "nicer" to have them cleaned out, including the gizzard, before you dress them.

I never used any cones or anything. I do have some wire that is bent in an "S" shape. I have a stump that is my butcher block. I hold both feet of the chicken in one hand and the hatchet in the other. I make one quick chop. Then I hang the feet in the "S" hook on the gate (or cattle panel or fence or....). I do that until they have stopped dripping and flopping. I usually hang 2 or 3 at a time and then dress those and then chop 2 or 3 more.

When my 80 year old mother was a kid, they had to wring the necks.. but they were too young and little. So, the two older kids had the two younger ones stand on a wagon turned upside down. The two older kids would place a chicken head under the wagon and give the body a hard yank..... thus separating the neck and head. I've always just found it easiest to chop the heads off.

Also, be sure that your knives are very sharp and either have extra knives or a sharpening stone handy.

Oh... the reason I don't cut the chicken up until time to cook it is because I sometimes like to cook a whole chicken like a turkey. You can't put the parts back together if they are cut up but you can cut it up to fry it or keep it whole to bake it... I guess that comes from remembering when chickens were bought whole and/or dressed and frozen whole.

Good luck. Have fun! LOL

[goodwifefarm]

Another thing is to keep the chickens away from food and penned up the day before. *It is a little "nicer" to have them cleaned out, including the gizzard, before you dress them.


Good point Paul........I forgot to mention that! Butchering "full" chickens isn't very fun at all! ;D

sarah

[AlchemyAcres]

Here's a thread from last year with lots of good info....
We used to butcher up to 1,300 pastured chickens each summer. :-X

http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/yabb/forum.pl?board=fau-livestock;action=display;num=1200172749;start=2#2

~Martin