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Cleaning chickens?


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Capt Quirk

Tue Jun 08 2010, 08:40AM

Registered Member #1859

Joined: Fri Jul 03 2009, 08:06AM
Posts: 61

We picked up 6 RIR chicks and a Turkey poult a little while back. 4 of the chicks became roosters, ganged up and killed the turkey. My response was Moroccan Chicken for dinner.

I never had to clean and cut up chicken before, so this was an experience. Plucking went pretty easy, but gutting them turned out to be quite a chore. Was I doing something wrong, or are chicken guts normally hard to pull out? I really had to grab and tug hard to get them out. Any tips for cutting them into pieces?

judys

Wed Jun 09 2010, 09:40AM

Registered Member #323

Joined: Wed Mar 07 2007, 05:01PM
Posts: 420

I haven't had to pull too hard just steady pressure. I work my hand up in there and pull it away a little at a time. I cut them up by first cutiin the legs away from the caracss at the hip joint them spearate the leg from the thigh at the knee joint. Then I cut the wings away from the body and the make a vertical cut starting at the bottom sparating the back from the front. The I cut right below the breast bone to sparate the top breast away from the peice that has the pulley bone in it. Then divide the back in two top and bottom. That is probably as clear as mud to you LOL. I usually keep the backs and necks for souop and chicken and noodles.

judy from ks

Capt Quirk

Wed Jun 09 2010, 10:16AM

Registered Member #1859

Joined: Fri Jul 03 2009, 08:06AM
Posts: 61

The wings and legs are easy, cutting the breast is where I have trouble, that and splitting the back. I guess I don't need to split the back. When I butcher, I really butcher it

Colorado

Wed Jun 09 2010, 02:28PM

Registered Member #1736

Joined: Thu Apr 16 2009, 11:19AM
Posts: 125

I cut up chickens but can't say I am very neat any more. Like Judys says off with the legs and divide. Off with the wings and fold them to keep from spreading out. . Off with the wish bone that Judys calls the pulley bone. Then cut the front from the back down each side. . I split the breast down the center one side of the bone. Then cut the back cross ways in to two pieces. As I buy from store no neck most time. If has neck you cut off before you cut out the wish bone. You just feel for the joints. Your own you cut out the heart, gizzard and liver. Gizzard is full of crap and cut open and wash out good and remove the tough linning from inside. It just peels out. Make sure the gall in not on the liver or cut off, greenish thing and do not cut or break as very nasty taste what ever it gets on.

You cut the back cross ways not split. At end of ribs. My mother never split the breast but chickens were leghorns and not as big. I have always split. I am not neat but gets cut. For frying you can flaten down the rib part a little.

I have been using up the backs and wings lefts from the hunting meals I did. I have some steak scrap too. Yes, I can dress out the chickens and had did in the past. I HATE chicken feathers on my hands. It is not a fun job. My mother made me hold chicken while she tried to hit with the axe when dad was not there to do it. I had no choice. Chickens were food and I did want to eat. I would rather gut then pick.

DIL showed me the machete she uses to kill them and how to fix a block. Her and her mother do up a big batch for the freezer. But has a plucker that does like 6 at a time.
Good sharp knife. Main thing is get into peiece to cook and eat.

judys

Thu Jun 10 2010, 02:06PM

Registered Member #323

Joined: Wed Mar 07 2007, 05:01PM
Posts: 420

I alway use the cone method when buthering as its easier to do by myself.

judy from ks

Capt Quirk

Thu Jun 10 2010, 07:37PM

Registered Member #1859

Joined: Fri Jul 03 2009, 08:06AM
Posts: 61

I just used a hunk of oak branch as a cudgel. Held the bird upside down in my left hand, whacked their heads with the right. The didn't squirm much at all, and no real blood flying because of a convulsing carcass.

Sounds like something from Texas Chainsaw Massacre... wow!

Colorado

Fri Jun 11 2010, 10:29AM

Registered Member #1736

Joined: Thu Apr 16 2009, 11:19AM
Posts: 125

We killed rabbits with stick or what ever you call it. Hold in left hand by hind legs and hit back of the head behind the ears with the right. I have did that.

Never had a cone or saw it done. My husband would buy 6 live fryers and tell me to kill them. I could not hold the axe and them. It was woman's work and I told him in my family the men killed them. He said wring the head off and I did not know how and neither did it apparently. He chop with axe. Later on I saw a woman wring off the heads. There must a trick to it get the head off.

The point is to kill them to eat how ever. Just get the things bled after killing. As a kid I had one big rooster I had to hold for mom and she missed and he would not hold its head after that. I was about 12 and mom just stood there waiting. I had had it and I grabbed the neck and squeezed it till it was near dead I guess and put the rooster back on the block and she the hit the head off. I am hanging on the feet and trying to stay out of way. Dad worked out of town some years and so did my BIL that lived near us.

I do not own a machete like DIL showed me she uses. I have one I call that but I am sure it is not heavy enough. I found it. Too big for kitchen use. I have chinese clever. But not the biggest.

judys

Sat Jun 12 2010, 11:24PM

Registered Member #323

Joined: Wed Mar 07 2007, 05:01PM
Posts: 420

We use a traffic cone. I tie the legs together put the head through the cone tie it up and then slit its throat and it bleeds out in a buket under it

judy from ks


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