Lisa butchered several of our own roosters last year and put them in the freezer, and they served us well. We have been meaning to do some more for quite a while now, so we decided to begin with two of the biggest ones. We let them get to be full-grown roosters, so they were pretty large.
Last year Lisa did them while I was at work, so I wanted to have a part in doing the butchering this time. I had never done anything like this before, so it was a learning experience for me. I fixed up a chopping stump and had a sharp hatchet:
The milk jug was an interesting tip that Lisa just learned about at the last homeschool support group meeting. Someone suggested that it made it easier to use a milk jug with the bottom cut out and the mouth cut a bit wider, to hold the chicken still. I nailed the handle of the jug to the stump and it worked perfectly!
We decided to do only two, even though we have three more the same size, plus several more smaller ones. Lisa found last year that it was too time consuming to do more than just a couple at one time.
We dipped the birds into boiling water to help the feathers come off easily and I helped pluck them. We then used fire to singe off the remaining “fuzz”. Then the birds were ready to “gut”.
During the gutting procedure, Lisa taught us all a very good anatomy lesson. She went through all the organs and told the children what they did and how it all worked. It was a better learning experience than most public school children get by dissecting a frog in high school! Christina and Simon were especially fascinated by it and I tried to learn all I could. It did not sicken me at all, the way I remember those frogs doing back in high school. One big difference, I think, was that there was an obvious and practical purpose for doing this. (Why cut up frogs?)
I decided that most people would not want to see pictures of the anatomy lesson, but here is the finished product, all ready for the freezer:
One weighed 3.5 pounds and the other weighed 4.5 pounds, all gutted and ready to fix for dinner. So we have 8 pounds of meat for just the cost of some feed corn and a couple of hours of work.
It was a very rewarding experience for me, and we haven't even had them yet for supper!
7 comments
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Lisa on January 18, 2007 at 12:11 pm
I always find your blog so interesting. I had to laugh though when you mentioned frogs. As a little girl I remember going frogging with my "pappy" and he would catch the frogs and my "Mammy" would fix a batch of fried frogs legs.. YUM they were so good to me. Now I am not so sure. Keep up the intersting blog, it is wonderful
Lisa
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blessed mom on January 18, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I enjoyed reading about your adventures in butchering! I hope to follow suit soon! We just moved to our homestead and we hope to have boiler chickens! I have never butchered…. so it should be interesting!
Gloria
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Ashley on January 18, 2007 at 12:47 pm
My parents have always butchered chickens … and we've learned alot through trial and error!
For a long time, we used an upright piece of wood with two nails close together to hold the chicken's heads for the hatchet. Then, some fellow farmers buit what we call the "cones". They are pieces of galvanized tin in a cone shape, attached to a piece of wood. This piece of wood is attached to two trees, and the six cones hand downward – rather like an upside down milk carton would.
Anyways, with this method, you put the chicken in, the head hangs downward, and you cut the head off with a very sharp knife. Being upside down aids draining….very sorry if this is too much info.
Ashley
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Mrs. Joseph Wood on January 18, 2007 at 6:45 pm
We butchered 17 chickens before Winter but used a "killing cone" it was nice because there was no mess and the blood was able to just drain into a 5 gal bucket. I will try and take some photos for you so that you can see another way of doing it. It is nice to always be gleaning ideas from others and taking what works for you personally. We are always learning!
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Jessica on January 18, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Hello Uncle Eric and Family! Those were really neat pictures of how you prepared your soon to be dinner! I am sure they will taste great! Looking forword to seeing what is new at Purewater Hollow!
Love,
Jessica
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Chris on January 18, 2007 at 9:11 pm
I just read a blog about someone hoping to sell some laying hens, was that yours? You have certainly been busy with your flock! I've never done anything like this. Thanks for sharing… -Chris
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Lynn on January 23, 2007 at 1:27 am
Thank you for the tip on the milk jug, I hadn't thought of that. We kill lots of chicken throughout the year. My kids always love for me to tell them all about those inners. My son says the next time we butcher chickens and rabbits he wants to measure how long and wide everything is. Nice Science project, don't you think? LOL It's so nice to have country kids who aren't afraid of all that. I was raised on a farm so I have always been around it.
Thanks for sharing about the milk jug, I will differently try it.
Blessings,
Lynn
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