Chicken Processing is a valuable skill, and while it may seem a little intimidating, with this simple how to guide, you’ll be feeling confident in no time.
Whether you are concerned about food shortages and want to be more in control, or the drive to process your chickens is too far away, or you want to save money on processing fees for the future, this guide will help you each step of the way!
With the start of so many homesteads, it’s the perfect time to learn a new skill to benefit your family and community.
Which Type Of Chicken Should I Choose?
There is some debate about which types of chickens are best for processing. I compiled a list of pros and cons for each, but basically it boils down to what is right for your particular situation.
Whether you’ve chosen a rooster or a meat bird the process is the same. Let’s get started!
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How To Dispatch A Chicken
There is much debate about the best way to dispatch. When you dispatch a chicken, the goal is to make the process as quick as possible. You don’t want your bird to be really stressed out during the process. And you don’t want the bird to suffer unnecessarily. Here are a few options we’ve tried.
Killing Cones
Insert the chicken head down into the killing cone. Using a sharp knife cut the throat. Allow the chicken to bleed out. Remove the head completely.
Killing cones can be made out of buckets or similar type objects or you can purchase them.
An Axe
Using a sharpened axe, hold the chicken down by the head and remove the head with the axe and allow the chicken to bleed out.
Wringing The Chicken’s Neck
This method involved holding the chicken by the neck and forcefully slinging it around until the neck breaks. Then remove the head and allow the chicken to bleed out. I am not strong enough to successfully do this.
Chicken Processing – Plucking vs Skinning
As with all of life, there are pros and cons to everything.
Using a plucker:
Pros
- Can process many birds quickly
- Removes all feathers so birds are cleaner and don’t have tiny feathers sticking to them.
- Easier to see and remove insides
- Less risk of puncturing intestines
- Easier to see joints if you want to part out your bird
- Leaves the skin on which is best for some recipes (i.e. fried chicken)
Cons
- Cost of a plucker
- Storage of large equipment may be an issue
- Time to set up equipment
*If the pros of plucking outweigh the cons, but you’re not ready to purchase one for yourself, remember you can check to see if someone nearby has a plucker for rent!
Skinning
Pros
- Can process a few birds relatively quickly
- Only equipment needed is a sharp knife
Cons
- Very time consuming to process large quantity of birds
- Tiny feather stick to the bird
- Harder to see joints for removing feet and parting out chicken
- Difficult to get feathers off of wings
How To Use The Chicken Plucker
- Scald the bird – feet and feathers included. This process will loosen the feathers.
- Quickly put the bird in the plucker. Don’t let the bird cool off. The plucker will remove all the feathers in 30 seconds or less. You can fit 3 -4 birds in the plucker together.
*You can also pluck the feathers by hand if you don’t have a plucker. This is a much more time consuming process.
Remove the organs
- Carefully make a triangle cut around the chicken’s vent. Be sure not to puncture the intestines. Puncturing the intestines will be very smelly, difficult to clean, and can contaminate the meat.
- Once the triangle has been cut, you should be able to pull on the vent area and remove the intestines.
- Next stick your hand inside the chest cavity of the chicken to remove the rest of the organs. Most organs will come out easily. To remove the lungs, scrape your fingernails in between the ribs. The lungs will feel spongy.
- Remove any neck parts (including wind pipe!)
Remove the feet
Using a sharp knife remove the feet at the joint. Keep them for making bone broth!
Prepare chicken for storage
If you plan on cooking your chicken this week, just put it in a glass container or ziplock bag. Let the chicken sit for at least 24 hours (ideally 2 – 3 days) in the refrigerator before cooking.
If you plan on freezing your chicken for later use, a vacuum sealed bag is the best option. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer use an air tight bag. As a last resort, you can use saran wrap and freezer paper (thicker than wax paper and can be found at the grocery store).
This might surprise you!
If you’re brand new to processing chickens, here’s a short list of things to be prepared for.
* Meat birds are warm. Surprisingly warm. Much warmer than a regular chicken. When handling your meat bird before and after dispatching it will feel very warm to the touch.
*After a chicken is dispatched, it will flop around. Even though the head has been severed, nerve endings in the neck will still send signals to the muscles to move. This typically only lasts a few minutes.
* After dispatching, the chicken’s voice box may still be intact. So while processing your bird there is the potential you may force air into the voice box causing your chicken to cluck. This can be alarming, but don’t worry it is very common.
Chicken Processing – Know Before You Start
The best time to process chickens is in the cool of the day. Morning or evenings, whatever is more convenient. It is best to avoid processing on hot days, because keeping the chicken meat cool is a priority.
You can choose to process either a meat bird or a rooster.
You do not want to process a chicken that has already died, because you cannot be certain of the time of death or cause of death.
Chickens can be plucked or skinned
Having a freezer full of chickens you raised and processed is very satisfying. Whenever you’re ready for chicken soups or chicken casseroles you’ll know exactly where your chicken came from.
Knowing that your meat chickens lived happy lives full of sunshine, grass and bugs in a great feeling too. Caring well for your meat birds is a great way to honor the birds that will give their lives to feed you and your family.
Have You Tried Chicken Processing Yet?
Let me know how it goes!
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