The Ugly Side of Chicken Dinner

Humans have been raising and slaughtering our own food for as long as we have been in existence and while we now have grocery stores available, we don’t necessarily want to have to shell out the outrageous prices they are asking just to put a meal on our table. We prefer to get our food as fresh as possible so that means that we do slaughter and butcher some of our chickens. This aspect of farming is not for everyone, and we totally respect that, but if we like knowing where our food comes from as well as learning new things in general.

There are several steps involved, and the first few times is the hardest, but before you know it, it’ll be second nature. Not saying that you have to be unfeeling, but that it is oaky and perfectly acceptable if you feel guilty or even if you don’t. We don’t use fancy equipment when it comes to slaughtering and we usually only do one or two birds at a time, though it would make sense if we slaughtered a few at once so they could be prepared and frozen for a later date. You will want to treat the chicken gently before you slaughter them as it does help ease the process for both you and the animal and remember that death is not instantaneous, but it does happen in seconds for the chicken.

Minimalist Equipment Method

You will find that the process goes much smoother when you have a set designated workspace that is clean, sanitized and well lit. If you have an outside kitchen or workshop both would be viable options. Either way, you will need access to either a stove or light a fire to heat the water needed to scald the feathers for plucking. If you are planning to butcher 15 or more chickens, you may want to invest in more modern equipment, but for those doing a smaller flock like we do, the minimalist version works just fine.

• Tools:
  • Knife: A sharp knife is vital to ensure a safe and humane butchering process.
  • Bucket(s): To drain the blood, for the giblets and/or feathers.
  • String: Rope, string or twine to help secure the bird.
  • Large pot: Filled with the heated water (around 52° C or 125° F).
  • Fresh water: For both scalding the feathers and the cleaning process.

Modern Equipment Needed

The equipment we have now makes slaughtering chickens’ way faster and easier, but the equipment costs significantly more than if you use the minimalist approach. Since we promote raising chickens on a budget, this doesn’t fit with our brand, but I will do a quick run-down and you can make your own mind up with what works best for you.

• Tools:
  • Poultry transport cage: Used to store live chickens.
  • Restraining cones: Holds the bird in place.
  • Sharp Knives
  • Pruning Shears: To cut off the head and neck.
  • Scalder: Though, again, a large pot works just fine.
  • Scalding Poker: Used to move the chicken around in the scalder.
  • Extension Cords/Power Strips: Used for the scalder and plucker.
  • Chicken Plucker: There is the drill plucker, drum style plucker and the commercial plucker.

Items For Both

Some tools are strictly considered modern while others can be either. There are some items that I recommend just to make it easier, but they are not really necessary.

• Waterproof Apon/Boots: Even if you are just raising a few chickens in a small coop in your yard, I still recommend investing in both an apron and good “farming” boots.
• Buckets: With any small farm, or farm animals, you should try to make sure you have plenty of buckets on hand. I scour Craigslist and marketplace looking for free ones, but we also regularly purchase new ones.
• Liquid Soap: Eco-friendly, of course, and used in the scalder. Helps with the removal of feathers.
• Thermometer: If you don’t use one, that’s okay.
• Hand Soap and Towels: Do I really need to explain this one?

Preparation

Organization is key to most anything you do; butchering is no different. About a week before butcher day, you will want to make sure that you have all supplies handy and either order what you may have run out of or go to the store and purchase more. I run on chaos and caffeine, but not when it comes to our flock, it’s the one thing I make lists and calendars for. bout a day before, you will want to make sure your workstation is clean and ready. I withhold feed about 12 hours before butchering because it makes the cleanup easier. We use both a coop and free-range so this means that we must separate the chosen bird(s) and place them in a small outside run. Yes, they will still be eating bugs and grass, but it still won’t be a belly full of feed. Start heating your scalder a few hours ahead as this gives the water a chance to reach ideal temps.

How to Butcher

• Step 1: Secure the chickens legs with string and hang upside down against a wall. You can also break their necks, but that is way more stressful and difficult, so it is not recommended. Remember, this animal is giving its life for you and should be dispatched respectfully.
• Step 2: Hold the head and slice hard enough to get through the skin and blood veins, but not through the neck. Slice as close to the head as you can so that you can use as much of the neck as possible. A sharp blade is vital for this step as it can minimize the pain and bring a quick death. if your blade is too dull, you will just torture your bird making the process agonizing and traumatic for both of you.
• Step 3: Quickly make a similar cut on the other side of the neck to allow for a quick bleed.
• Step 4: Bend the chicken’s neck to help the bloodletting process. If there isn’t a lot of blood flowing, you will need to quickly slice again so there is a good flow. Remember, at first there will be a lot of blood but then will slow to a trickle.
• Step 5: Place the chicken in scalding hot water. Make sure your water is NOT boiling.
• Step 6: Make sure you get a complete and even scald. For a young bird, it will take 30 to 75 seconds at 125° F. If you butchered an older bird, you will need to heat the water closer to 140° F for that same 30 to 75 seconds. You will know if the scald is good if the wing feathers easily come out.
• Step 7: Dip the scalding chicken in a pot of cool water. This step isn’t necessary, but it does stop the cooking process.
• Steps 8 – 10: Pluck the chicken, pick off any excess hair or pin feathers and pull the skin off the feet.
• Step 11: Remove toenails by bending and pulling against the curve.
• Step 12: Find the joints and cut off the legs.
• Step 13: Cut off the head. If you want the head for cooking, make sure to rub the coating off the comb and wattles and to pinch the beak to pull off the cuticle.
• Step 14: Cut the skin around the base of the neck to reveal the crop. Peel the crop downward off of the breastbone.
• Step 15: Put your thumb through the neck between the neck, crop, esophagus and windpipe. Pull the crop and skin off.
• Steps 16 – 18: Cut the tubes close to the body, cut the neck at a downward angle from the body and cut the oil gland off by slicing down and out.
• Step 19: Make a small slit as close to the vent as possible. If you accidentally cut the entrails, it could mean cutting into the intestines and spilling that material.
• Step 20 – 22: Open carcass using both hands. Reach in scraping against the rib cage to loosen the entrails, grabbing behind the entrails, pull everything out.
• Step 23: Rest the chicken on the sink counter with the entrails hanging in the sink and cut off the heart and liver. If you cut the bile duct, quickly rinse the chicken.
• Step 24 – 26: The heart, liver, gizzard, testicles, head, neck and feet are all edible. While we don’t eat them, we do add them to the food and treats we make our dogs. To clean the gizzard, cut it open long ways from one end. Remove the insides and the yellow lining and rinse. If you will be using any of these parts/organs, place all these parts into a bowl of cold ice water and set aside.
• Step 27: Cut away the entrails and attempt to save as much fat as you can.
• Step 28: Remove the lungs by reaching into the rib cage, scraping the lung with your fingernails and pry them out.

Cutting the Bird

• Wings – Turn the bird on its side, pull the wing away from the body and begin cutting. As you pull and cut, you’ll notice the wing start separating making it easy to see where you can cut below the bone.
• Skin – Lay the chicken on its back and cut between the legs and body, staying as close as possible along the leg.
• Legs: Taking the legs will reveal the area between the joints for the next cut. Separate the leg from the thigh by cutting through the fat.
• Remove the back – Cut down the fat line. Bend and pull to break and remove.
• Breastbone – Turn the breast over, revealing the bone. Score the bone at the center. Pop out the keel bone by bending the breast upward and prying out. Cut the breast in half.

Cleanup

Besides cleaning the workstation, you now have some unused chicken bits and pieces to dispose of.

The feathers can actually be fed to the other chickens, or they can be composted. Feathers are full of protein and whatever they don’t eat will decompose.

If you have a compost pile, you can take the entrails, blood and any other unused portions and bury them deep inside the pile. Remember that they must be buried deep or unwanted animals will dig.

We don’t compost so what we do is take the excess to an empty field across the road and dump them there. This helps keep the predatory animals off our property by satisfying their hunger.