Did you catch my last post? If you didn’t, I’ll give you a moment to run and check it out…..
It was truly epic! And, hands down a very first for every person in our family. I think it’s safe to say this city girl is now a bona-fide country chick!
Just in case you missed the video, or don’t have time to watch it, let me back track a little…. We bought a variety of chickens back in June. My hubs wasn’t sure the names of the cuties, but after a return trip to Tractor Supply he figured out at least some were “Cornish Rock” chicks. You know what that means, don’t ya?!
Well, I was a bit concerned once we figured out that 4 of these chickens were meant for the table. Not for egg production. Because of their breed, this variety of chicken will grow incredibly fast (and may not be the most humane option, but we won’t get into that now..)
As the weeks flew by we could just tell it was “time” for these chickens to leave this world. They had gotten so big that walking seemed uncomfortable. We picked a date, made a plan, and went to work!
Now that we have had a few days to process what we did on butcher day, we have come up with a few tips and tricks for next time.
- Cone Head– We were shooting for a minimalistic style of butchering, so we opted to tie some string between two trees and hang the chicken from another piece of string tied around it’s ankles (I guess, that’s what they would be called?!) This worked, BUT when it came time to drain the blood, the chicken’s muscles went crazy…. Which meant, a lot of the blood splattered on the person nearby.
Before we butcher again, we will get a cone.
2. Another Plucker– Again, because we were going for a minimalistic style of butchering, we scalded the chicken in the kitchen and then took it back outside to be plucked. By hand! (Ew!!!) Of course, this option worked as well as it could, and it was free! But, it would have been much better to have a camping stove set-up outside to heat a pot of water. If I’m being picky (sorry! haha!!) I would also prefer to have an appropriate chicken-sized pot to heat water in, so we don’t waste extra time in heating too large of a pot. And, if money weren’t an option or we did this regularly to feed our family, I’d definitely invest in an electric plucker.
Before we butcher again, we will at least get a camping stove and a deep, narrow pot.
3. Small Hands– This one really has nothing to do with much of anything minimalist, but just practicality. My hands are smaller than my husbands which makes it easier for me to do the gutting of the chicken. As long as he takes off the head, I will gladly remove the innards (we make a great team!) It felt very similar to working with store-bought chicken.
Many hands make light work.
4. Preparation is Golden– We watched a great Youtube video on how to do this process with as minimal tool as possible. (I.E. as cheap as possible!) We did make a few purchases though which I am so thankful for. First up, we bought an outdoor table to have plenty of work space. Second, we bought a camping sink that hooks up to a hose! Fabulous idea for hand washing!! Finally, we bought the proper knives for the job.
Be well prepared!
I am sure over a 100 years ago, butcher day looked a lot different than it does today, but I will gladly take the improvements! Once we finished up outside, I took each chicken in the house to clean off, cut in half and put in freezer bags. We saved one chicken in the fridge to use the next day for dinner. (We will each take a turn picking the meal for our 4 chickens!!)
Nathan picked fried chicken!!
