Chickens - what to do when ready for the table or old?

Recently I have a strong desire to rear some chickens even though I am sure the neighbours will complain. I have looked over and decided that I can spare an area of about 15 feet by 10 feet of fenced up area for 10 chicks.

I have one unanswered question which is stopping me from going ahead with this project, what to do with the chicken when they are ready for the table or old?

I was brought up when there is no such thing as supermart or dressed chicken and if chicken is on the table, my mum slaughter it. You can either buy the chicken or rear you own, so either way they come life!

Even though I was an accessory to putting chicken dishes on the table when I was a kid, the thought now just put me off. My wife will not do it and neither would my youngest child who is a trained chef. Give me a yummie chicken dish and I'll eat it without a second thought .... hmmm feel like having chicken rice .... yummie!!

Can anyone help me answer my unanswered question?

moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic

 

Being raised in a large city one might think slaughtering a chicken would not be one of life's experiences. Wrong! My daily trip to school if taken by street would indeed be dull, however, 'shortcuts' behind buildings presented a different world not seen from the main thoroughfare. One of these shortcuts brought me behind a local fire station where the firemen raised rabbits and chickens. I liked the rabbits, the chickens I could do without. During the course of the day the firemen would prepare their own meals. Most food was purchased from a local market but not the chickens and rabbits. Periodically I would walk by and a headless chicken or rabbit would be strung up in the process of being plucked or skinned. For chickens the preparer would have on a heavy butchers apron, it seemed like blood and plucked feathers were everywhere. I would not stay long and witness the gory task, school became more appealing as I continued my shortcut.

Jerry

 

Hi KK, last year was the first time I raised chickens for the freezer. (I do not use my old egg laying chickens as meat birds). I raised them specifically for the meat, they do not live long enough to lay eggs. they are ready to butcher at about 6 weeks of age. Egg laying chickens take 4-6 months to start laying eggs. Thats a lot of grain verses the 6 weeks for the broiler chicks. So it depends on what the purpose of the chickens is, as to what kind you are going to start with. Not all egg layers are nice and meaty like the broilers are.
When they are mature the easiest thing to do is use 2 nails set in a log or heavy plank at least 18" long, just wide enough for the neck to slide through the top, and then gently pull the chickens so the head is caught in front of the nails stretching the neck. Using a SHARP hatchet swing down and through the neck, severing it in one clean swing. Do NOT let go of the bird at this point. You need to hang it by its feet or slide it into a cone to keep it from flopping all over and bruising up the meat. Then you pluck it, then you clean the entrails out, carefully so as to not break the bile duct. Then you pack them in ice for a couple of days so the meat ages a little bit. this makes the meat tenderer. If you use it right away the muscles aren't relaxed, they are tough.
It takes me 1/2 hour just to pluck the bird.... obviously I still need a little practice to speed up the process. it is a bit of work, which I don't mind, but the meat was the best I have eaten.

OR you give the birds away or sell them and let someone else do the work. Or you could pay someone to do this for you.

10x15 seems kind of small for 10 birds. I have about 60 chickens in a pen that is 100'x60' (approximately) plus their coop which is 12x12.

My broilers do not go in this space. I keep them outside in the grass, fenced in and with a cover for them. And I move them to clean grass everyday. Broilers are very messy birds.

There are video tutorials on-line to see the process, too. Hope this helps.

 

KK, I think with the space you noted you'd better stick to about 6 chickens. Chickens raised for meat are quick turnover. Chickens raised for eggs can last three years or more, and when elderly and no longer producing very many eggs, can go into the stew pot.
There are meat markets around here that will dress out chickens and turkeys for you. You might be able to find one near you.
If you go for egg layers, be sure to get a breed that can take your heat. I recommend Black Australorps, calm hens that give lots of large brown eggs. They can withstand our Texas heat and humidity.

 

Moderator thanks for the more descriptive title, most appreciated.

No Toni, I don't think I can do that!

Jerry I can deal with all that but doing the slaughtering itself ... I think I'll have a problem!

Thanks Carolyn, butchering it after it is dead is not a problem but having to kill it ............ yikes!!!

Thanks Marlingardener, I think I'll pass on the chickens and be content with market dressed chickens and eggs.... sigh!

 

KK, If you make pets of them, you cant slaughter them. That just doesn't work. Now if you can get the mentallity of KNOWING they are for the table and you only feed them with the intention of slaughtering them, it works much better for you. I thought I could never do it either, but I wanted to have the meat in my freezer and there was no one else to do it but me.

I have 1 son who is a hunter and his first deer I had to help him with it, there was no one else to do so, and I had never butchered anything before myself. Sometimes I think it's a matter of doing what has to be done.

 

I guess you are right Carolyn, I guess if I really have to do it then it had to be done. I gues I am just taking the choice of not having to do it, I'll be having some fish to deal with soon!!

 

Yep, you are right KK, I won't clean the fish. YUCK!!! Kevin takes the kids and goes fishing, but if he brings them home he has to clean them himself. I will cook them but not clean them.He will eat the chicken but not kill it or clean them. Funny how that works, Huh?

 

My grandparents used to rear chickens and turkeys on their small holding. He used to do it all himself and every sunday we'd have a lovely roast. I did see him give a turkey the chop once and although it wasnt exactly nice, i did grow up realising that life is life and all our prepared meats in the stores have at some point been animals.