# Poultry Processing



## kenny chaos (Jan 5, 2011)

Here's a very nice 22 minute video I thought some of you wood enjoy.
Peace-
Kenny
http://www.folkstreams.net/film,144


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## Highbeam (Jan 5, 2011)

Just watched the whole thing. Not bad at all. I can almost smell it, it's a very distinct smell the inside of a bird.

Since this thread will likely wander into poultry raising I want to tell my story. Last year I bought a minimum oreder of meat chicks, 25, and raised them up in my small barn. The total cost for the chicks plus feed was 10$ per bird. That does not include any labor costs for feeding, housing, cleaning, or processing these things. The taste of the meat was no different than the taste of store birds. What you get is a bird that you know was treated well, raised and processed sanitarily, and a bird with no chemicals, sterroids, or hormones. 

I processed by hand so rather than use that fancy plucking machine I hooked a foot in a choke chain and hand plucked. No big deal. My girls 4 and 7 YO helped a bit but mostly watched. 

Due to the money issue and lack of a very superior product I will probably not do it again. Chicken eggs, on the other hand, have superior taste and quality when grown at home vs. store eggs so I continue to keep 7 egg birds.


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## woodchip (Jan 11, 2011)

I helped a mate despatch his birds a few weeks back, he did the killing, and I did the butchering.

I always skin the birds without removing the feathers, it's quicker and easier if you are going to joint them for the freezer.

It was a freezing cold morning, and there was one bit the videos never seem to show. 

Now and again pop your hands under the skin to warm them up, standing still for a while outside gets you really cold


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## kenny chaos (Jan 11, 2011)

woodchip said:
			
		

> Now and again pop your hands under the skin to warm them up, standing still for a while outside gets you really cold





That's why you use a scalder (hand warmer) and leave the best part of the chicken, the skin.


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## Highbeam (Jan 12, 2011)

The scalder is at 150 degrees. Hence the scald. Don't put your hands in there. Yes, you can warm your hands near the scalder. Reminds me of deer hunting in the snow and then going in up to your elbows to cut the windpipe. Nice and warm but at some point you need to come out to finish the job and then its pretty cold again. 

I never eat chicken skin but I do desire to cook the chicken with the skin on. Hand plucking is pretty dang easy and the bird looks like a store bird when you're done. 

Hardest part for me is getting that dang crop out without destroying the breast skin.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 13, 2011)

Highbeam said:
			
		

> Due to the money issue and lack of a very superior product I will probably not do it again.


  Thanks for this info.  I've been pondering raising a round of meat chickens this spring.


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## kenny chaos (Jan 13, 2011)

~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
			
		

> Highbeam said:
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Why was it not very superior?
Not saying you, but many people get hung up on the factory stuff and can't appreciate good stuff.


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## woodchip (Jan 13, 2011)

One just has to ask one question about factory raised animals.......

If they taste so good, what has been shoved into them to get the taste, and the size, so cheaply and quickly..............

The average chicken is despatched at 39 days old. 

That's barely more than a chick. Below is a link to one of mine at 39 days, plenty more running around the garden to do yet!!


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## Highbeam (Jan 13, 2011)

kenny chaos said:
			
		

> ~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
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What I found was that there is pretty much no difference in taste between home grown and store bought poultry. There were slight variations in cooked color of the fat and perhaps texture but certainly nothing as extreme as the difference in flavor and quality between store bought and home grown eggs. By "not very superior" I meant it was not very different. It just tasted like chicken. I cook and eat all of my chicken with no seasoning, just straight onto the BBQ. Perhaps our store chicken is relatively good. 

One factor in my experience is that I didn't free range the meat birds in an open field. Mine were raised in a coop and fed bagged grain with no chemicals. Raising the birds in the wild where they eat grass and bugs will likely give you a different meat flavor. 

I chose the ultra popular cornish cross meat chicken which is bred to grow fast, 8 weeks to slaughter, without any chemicals and also has a much larger breast meat portion than other meat birds. Plus it is white so the skin looks nice. The cornish cross is the commercial breed that you will find at the store and at restaraunts. These guys will not free range and eat grass and bugs, they will lay there and eat non-stop from a feeder. It's in their genes to be eaters and get so heavy that it is hard to walk. Pretty amazing really that the birds grow so fast. This means that your decision to grow a batch of meat birds is only an 8 week commitment vs. 6 months for pigs and a couple of years for beef. Highly educational 2 months and with 25 identical birds to a batch you don't get a chance to name them.


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## Highbeam (Jan 13, 2011)

woodchip said:
			
		

> One just has to ask one question about factory raised animals.......
> 
> If they taste so good, what has been shoved into them to get the taste, and the size, so cheaply and quickly..............
> 
> ...



At 39 days, a commercial meat bird breed will be very large and really putting on the pounds. Spending most of its day laying down except for when it is eating. Seriously, these things are past 10 lbs live weight at 56 days. That guy on your shoulder looks to be about 2 lbs.


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## kenny chaos (Jan 13, 2011)

We did a simple comparison test once between a store bought and one of ours.  
The first thing we found was that the store bought was a surprisingly amount lighter weight than what the label said.
Laying them side by side you could easily see how the store bought chicken was kinda limp and flat compared to
ours which was plump and firm.
After cooking, we got twice the juice out of the store bird left in the pan and it was nasty in color, smell, and taste, compared to the juice from the farm raised.
The farm raised actually held more and better juices.  The texture of the meat was more like meat.  The store bought was mushy.
The taste was much better but not in comparison to the difference between a store bought turkey and a farm raised turkey.  Big
difference in flavor there.
The wife still buys chicken now and then but it's always mushy and I remember all the nasty things I learned about the factory birds.
Being an uninformed consumer has its merits at times, I guess.


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## JDC1 (Jan 13, 2011)

We raised 25 freedom rangers (slower growing meat bird) last summer in a movable pen.  I moved the pen 1-2 times a day around the yard and raised them to 10 weeks.  To offset cost, I bought my feed from a mill ahead of time.  The birds went through 500lbs that I paid $110 for.  I do not do my own processing and had about $8/ bird.  It was well worth it as I know exactly what we are eating.  For anyone that is interested check out www.backyardchickens.com as they have a section devoted to meat birds.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 13, 2011)

Mine free range around the yard and woodlot.  For this year I am thinking about purchasing this type called freedom rangers because they are bred as meat birds and can free range, unlike the others that can barely walk.


http://www.jmhatchery.com/free-range-broiler/colored-range-chicks/prod_5.html


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## woodchip (Jan 13, 2011)

I like the look of the company, the chickens look really healthy.

We breed our own, Light Sussex and Marans. Marans are great because the hens lay good eggs, and the cockerels grow well as meat birds. 
Light Sussex hens make good broody hens for sitting on eggs. 

Raising your own chicks is great, just make sure you don't name them if you plan eating them............


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## JDC1 (Jan 13, 2011)

~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
			
		

> Mine free range around the yard and woodlot.  For this year I am thinking about purchasing this type called freedom rangers because they are bred as meat birds and can free range, unlike the others that can barely walk.
> 
> 
> http://www.jmhatchery.com/free-range-broiler/colored-range-chicks/prod_5.html




Great Hatchery.  We didnt lose any birds.  The rangers were all about 5-6lbs dressed at 10 weeks.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 13, 2011)

JDC I was posting before I read yours.    Great information.     I am also planning on getting some Marans in the spring.

FWIW the owner of backyard chickens was posting here for a spell.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/cost/23537/

I thought he was kind of an ass, but I love his site!


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## JDC1 (Jan 14, 2011)

We have Marans as well.  The hens are friendly and calm and lay a dark egg.  

I will be ordering 50 Freedom rangers this spring.  Last year was the first year that we did meat chickens and I thought the Cornish X looked pathetic at the fair so i found the rangers as an alternative.  The Rangers stayed clean, bright eyed and healthy.  The carcass is a little longer and less busty than the cornish but tastes great.  They eat clover and grass as well as the regular feed.  They started crowing the morning  before we took them to the processor.  With the prices of groceries supposedly climbing we will be growing most of our food this year.  Good Luck.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 14, 2011)

JDC said:
			
		

> e.  The birds went through 500lbs that I paid $110 for.  I do not do my own processing and had about $8/ bird.



We have a fairly local mill.  How did you store it?   How much was the processing per bird?   What was/is your time frame?   I could conceivably raise them twice from early spring through late fall if I'm ambitious.  50 is a lot!  I was thinking of trying to split the 25 minimum with someone local.  There's just two of us.


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## JDC1 (Jan 14, 2011)

I read Joel Salatin's Pastured Poultry for Profits and raised them with his method on his feed recipe.  Processing is around $2/bird.  The feed was stored in my garage in the plastic mesh feed bags.  Supposedly you are not supposed to keep milled feed for 10 weeks but they had a 500 lb minimum and I didnt notice any adverse effects or bugs.  For the 25 birds, I spent at most 20 minutes a day moving the pen, feeding and watering.  When they are in the pen (8'x10') it doesnt seem like that many birds.  They are only out on pasture for 7 weeks and are small until about week 6.


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## Highbeam (Jan 14, 2011)

2$ per bird is a good deal. Unless you have an automatic plucker, you will spend a whole day doing 25. That whole day will be full of stink, blood, guts, chances to cut yourself, and generally hard work. 

I paid 20$ per 50lb sack so about double what JDC paid for feed. Feed is the most expensive part and if I could find a local bulk supplier then I might just do another batch. It was pretty fun. With the cornish X you take away their feed at night as a way to slow down their growth, when you bring it back in the morning they are very happy to see you. 

Our local store birds are actually a somewhat good company, Foster Farms. They advertise pretty hard about their refusal to "plump" with water and how they supposedly are better birds. Perhaps not all factory chickens are the same?


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## guy01 (Jan 15, 2011)

~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
			
		

> JDC I was posting before I read yours.    Great information.     I am also planning on getting some Marans in the spring.
> 
> FWIW the owner of backyard chickens was posting here for a spell.
> https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/cost/23537/
> ...




Have you seen the mother earth site
http://www.communitychickens.com/


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## JDC1 (Jan 15, 2011)

Highbeam said:
			
		

> 2$ per bird is a good deal. Unless you have an automatic plucker, you will spend a whole day doing 25. That whole day will be full of stink, blood, guts, chances to cut yourself, and generally hard work.
> 
> I paid 20$ per 50lb sack so about double what JDC paid for feed. Feed is the most expensive part and if I could find a local bulk supplier then I might just do another batch. It was pretty fun. With the cornish X you take away their feed at night as a way to slow down their growth, when you bring it back in the morning they are very happy to see you.
> 
> Our local store birds are actually a somewhat good company, Foster Farms. They advertise pretty hard about their refusal to "plump" with water and how they supposedly are better birds. Perhaps not all factory chickens are the same?




We are located in NE Ohio near several Amish communities.  There are actually 2 mills that will do a custom blend.  The processor is great, we drop off in the AM go eat breakfast and come back to pick up the coolers.

I think that alot of the stores will be offering consumers the choice to eat a better product.  Our Walmart is even offering produce from local farms.  I know after I watched Food Inc.  it really opened my eyes to the fact that we need to educate ourselves about where the our food comes from.


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## ihookem (Jan 15, 2011)

If you want a better tasting bird you have to let it get some food on it's own. This is why I wait till August to grow birds. It's hot when they are young and after 2 weeks they go into the 6x10 pen just when the crickets, grass hopper and ant  numbers explode. Move it twice a day and watch them eat clover, dandelion leaves and bugs like crazy. It makes a healthier  ( omega 3 ) and better tasting bird. You don't need to feed them quite as much neither. In bulk I got feed for 15 cents a pound. (20% protein). I pay 2.75 a bird to get butchered. It came to 1.65  LB.  this year, the most it ever cost me cause I held back on the feed  a little too much but then they  eat natural stuff. They didn't grow as much as I hoped, but a very good lean healthy bird. Get them girds on the grass!


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 15, 2011)

Guy said:
			
		

> Have you seen the mother earth site
> http://www.communitychickens.com/



checking it out..


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## JustWood (Jan 15, 2011)

Once a year when I was a kid my parents and friends wood buy a whole semi load of crated chickens and we wood butcher/freeze them in a night. Maybe 10 or 15 people. I hunted,fished and  trapped at an early age and it was no big deal. Even got some undeveloped eggs for coon/fox bait.


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## Highbeam (Jan 15, 2011)

ihookem said:
			
		

> It came to 1.65  LB.  this year, the most it ever cost me cause I held back on the feed  a little too much but then they  eat natural stuff.



So that 1.65 a lb does not include your labor, risk, and coop costs. See, we can buy good store birds for 79 cents a lb right now. Whole fryers of course. Now I don't mind paying double if I get a better product but it just isn't better. I've actually done it.


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## PAJerry (Jan 15, 2011)

I've been raising hens for eggs for 3 years. The girls are getting old now and production has dropped pretty low, so in the spring I will replace them.  I plan to butcher the 4 Orpingtons I have, since they are very meaty birds, but the Production Reds are just about worthless -very thin, egglaying machines only. I'm going to Rhode Island Reds for the next flock because they are a dual purpose bird.

  What and how you feed makes a tremendous difference. My eggs are very flavorful and look bright and firm.  The people who bought from me were all very pleased. I trust that the meat from my old hens will make superior soup next winter.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 15, 2011)

ihookem said:
			
		

> This is why I wait till August to grow birds. It's hot when they are young and after 2 weeks they go into the 6x10 pen just when the crickets, grass hopper and ant  numbers explode.



I really don't want to hatch and brood chicks again, though I did it in my classroom and the kids loved it.  I'm hoping I can bamboozle my broody mille fleur into doing that part.   That would be pretty entertaining to see a little bantam with those big chicks.


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## woodchip (Jan 15, 2011)

If you know broody bantams well, you will love what happened when my mate hatched some  duck eggs under his bantam.......

Everything was going great until the ducklings were a few days old, and they spotted a small pond in the garden. 
They rushed over as happy as anything, and jumped in. 
The bantam was rushing back and forth on the side going mad thinking her chicks were trying to drown themselves.........


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 15, 2011)

[quote author="woodchip" date="1295128923"
The bantam was rushing back and forth on the side going mad thinking her chicks were trying to drown themselves.........  [/quote] :lol:!


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## ihookem (Jan 16, 2011)

Highbeam, everyone I ever sold my chickens to said they are way  better tasting than store bought. You may be buying from a store that deals with a very good poultry supplier.  I have not seen whole fryers for .79 a lb. for 5 years. When it comes to turkeys, we can't tell any difference in taste.


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## jjames (Jan 18, 2011)

ihookem said:
			
		

> When it comes to turkeys, we can't tell any difference in taste.



lol when reading this thread I thought to myself" I should post about how awesome "free-range heritage" turkeys are vs store bought.

And then to see this comment as the last one, almost brings a tear to my eye, to think that there are folks who feel that way!

We bought 7 pullets this spring, and had one for thanksgiving and one for Christmas, with another one going in the pot any day now.

They are not comparable. It would be like comparing my T6's heat to candlelight.

Of course they primarily foraged for themself and ate mostly grass.

Now my mouth is watering just remembering!


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## ihookem (Jan 19, 2011)

Double J i will try your way then. Make them free range more. A lot has to do with how they are raised and what they eat.


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## Wood Duck (Jan 19, 2011)

I processed nine roosters this fall, and although it was my first time processing chickens, I found it surprisingly quick and easy. I was particularly surprised how easy it was to hand pluck. After a dunk in hot water the feathers just pulled right out. You don't need a mechanical plucker for a small number of chickens.


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## Stephen in SoKY (Jan 19, 2011)

A very efficient plucker can be made for about $10 that really speeds processing. A 6" PVC end cap, a long carriage bolt and a few rubber tarp straps. Chuck it in a drill, clamp the drill down and pluck away!

I often hatch and sell 3-400 chicks each spring. Pays the feed bill for the working girls most of the year. I didn't like the looks of the GQF cabinet incubators so I made one out of solid cherry:


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