| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 05:52:21 AM
So yesterday hubby and I butchered our first batch of Buff Orpingtons. Up until this point everything we've butchered have been reds. Generally we have NO problems and it doesn't take us very long but holy moly, it took forever to get those Buff feathers out! (And we were using my hubby's homemade chicken plucker.)We did everything the same way we always do...but this seriously took three times the amount of time as it normally does, for the same amount of birds. Does anyone happen to know if the stars were just misaligned for butchering, or if some breeds take longer/are more stubborn than others?
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
| 19 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| amomfly |
Posted - Nov 19 2010 : 05:13:14 AM
When we butcher our buffs, they are always older. But the do have more feathers, not to mention they are layers not really butchering birds. But we skin our older birds so we and cut off breast and big chunks of thighs, We then tenderize this meat and make canned chicken bologna! We take the rest of the bird, put it in a big pan and boil it for broth, then pick off the meat and put it in the broth. This is what I then use for soups,and chicken and noodles. Our whole chickens are always meat variety birds.
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
#1038 |
| sherrye |
Posted - Nov 18 2010 : 12:42:56 PM
i so agree with sheila, i skin all my chicken. just our way happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| SheilaC |
Posted - Nov 18 2010 : 04:00:56 AM
if you're going to can them, or cut them up into breasts, legs, it's a whole lot easier to just skin them and gut them. |
| LakeOntarioFarmgirl |
Posted - Nov 18 2010 : 03:57:14 AM
Rachael, my tip would be to make sure you have a thermometer. We heated our water inside on the stove, then moved it outside to a portable burner to keep the temp consistent. The hotter the water is not always better, you want to go between 2 certain temps. I think it is 140 and 170.
I found plucking feathers not hard at all. It wasn't even time consuming. I do wear rubber gloves to help grab the feathers and the smallest pinfeathers can be the hardest to get out.
It helped me to have hubby cut off the head before I started plucking, I have a little bit of a hard time remembering who a particular chicken was, but it works out fine. Oh- and make sure you have counter or table to lay the chicken on while plucking, or someone to hold it.
I'm sure we have other girls out there more experienced than me who will give you tips! :)
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "~ Mary Pickford
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
| rachaeltolliver |
Posted - Nov 16 2010 : 10:27:43 AM
we will be butchering our 1st chickens here in a week or so. We have done pigs, rabbits,& deer but not chickens. Are there any pointers anyone can give us? We made one of those cones that are supposed to help keep them from running around but any suggestions as to the best way to get the feathers off? |
| LakeOntarioFarmgirl |
Posted - Nov 15 2010 : 4:08:03 PM
Oh, I couldn't imagine butchering our Buffs, they are the sweetest girls! lol!
Liz- ours are just the opposite of yours, our Buffs are the best, and our Plymouth Rocks are the ones we are butchering!
We had 6 Buff Orpingtons from the start (one was a packing peanut), they have all been healthy and nice and big. Sadly, we had a fox visit us a few weeks ago, and he got one of our Buffs. We think that she may have seen him, and thought he was one of our golden retrievers, and didn't run from him. All of our Buffs love our GR's and graze right around them, aren't scared at all! They are so trusting!
So- soon, we will be butchering the Plymouth Rocks, and the New Hampshire Reds, who are sooo mean to our 5 month old chicks, and the roosters. The roosters, even though they are bigger than the hens now, are petrified of the Reds! Hubby, made the 4 roosters and their mates a separate coop and run just for them, but the Reds are still going into the pot!
Kristin- our Freedom Rangers are 4 weeks old. They are a lot more active than the Cornish Rocks ever were, and cuter too! It will probably be shortly after New Years when we butcher them, I will keep you informed!
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "~ Mary Pickford
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
| chick-chick |
Posted - Nov 15 2010 : 1:38:54 PM
I envy you ladies for being in charge of your food supply!
We have 6 chickens and I love the eggs, but I can't bring myself to eating them. My hubby says that once they stop laying, into the pot they go, but he's such a softy, I can't beleive that he would do it.Well maybe I could start with the Buff she is the brute of the group, you should see what she does to my Plymouth Rock! Picked the feathers off the back of her head. When that Buff comes around the Plymouth Rock jumps onto my sholder to get away from her.
In God We Trust |
| Wildcrafter |
Posted - Nov 07 2010 : 07:08:12 AM
In September, I taught my apprentices to butcher chickens. We butchered Buffs and a couple of Americaunas. Plunging the bird in hot water loosens the feathers. They all did so well, I was proud of them. 10 students who never butchered chickens before. It went smoothly and the feathers? Came out easily. And then we made chicken soup!
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| Moodene |
Posted - Nov 06 2010 : 07:10:11 AM
I wish people down here in southeast corner of Texas would take my roosters. I get just enough for me and still have too many from hatching my own..lol.I haven't found anybody down here to does their own plucking! I have to deskin my roosters since hubby isn't allowed to eat the skin or fat according to his type of diet to help his weight control.
Anybody in my neck of the woods want some free roosters next year?..lol..I know I will have babies by March.
Love me like I am. farmgirl #801
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| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Nov 06 2010 : 06:44:39 AM
Brenda, that's what I am going to get when I am ready to get meat birds. I have heard all kinds of good things about the Freedom Rangers. I would love to hear more of what you think of them when you butcher them. I don't think I could butcher my Buff hens. They are such good birds. The roos, yes, I could. Out of the 10 chicks from this last hatch, I think I got 4 roos. So not bad. I will have to do something with them because I already have 1 Buff roo and 3 game roos. Those will have to be butchered soon too. Not the Buff. Good for you on all those eggs. Mine are down to about 6 a day now. Unless they are laying in a new spot.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| LakeOntarioFarmgirl |
Posted - Nov 06 2010 : 03:45:53 AM
When we butchered our Cornish X's in the early summer, they all de-feathered easily....except for one stubborn one! Of course they were all the same breed, age, etc., used hot water to dunk them in, just that one took a lot longer. I wondered about that, if some chickens just might take longer.
While we won't be butchering our Buffs(they are the sweet ones) it is good to know that some chickens may take longer to de-feather.
We have 26, 3 1/2 week old Freedom Rangers growing right now, and are going to try to butcher all 5 of our Plymouth Rocks on the next nice day here. I'm looking forward to the taste, but have heard that the skin will be darker on them, anyone know if it is true?
Our hens are laying so nicely, out of 27 we get about 14-18 eggs a day, but we are becoming backlogged with eggs! :)
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "~ Mary Pickford
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
| Melina |
Posted - Nov 03 2010 : 7:13:32 PM
I know Buffs are included as winter-hardy birds, maybe because of lots of feathers to keep them warm? I've had both, and it seems to me the Buffs do have a thicker covering of feathers than the Reds. Maybe just my imagination. This time of year, especially in your neck of the woods, they are probably really feathered out for winter.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 6:04:41 PM
Jen, way to jump in head first! Sometimes that is the best way to learn. We pretty much did the same thing. That's why this forum is so great, lots of people who know what they are talking about and give great advice!
Kris, sounds a lot like what my husband made. PVC pipe, tie down or bunjee straps (not sure what you all call them down there) cut in pieces, and then all that put together and attached to a drill. Works slicker than anything I've ever seen. We could completely pluck a red rooster in 45 seconds flat. And then those Buffs came along and we were up to about four to five minutes a bird. It was INSANE!! I will post a picture if I can find one...I know we took pics when he made it. :) I'll let you know when I post about it because I'll probably have to post it to my blog. :)
And yes, they are really feathery now that I think about it. The feather pile we had when we were done was huge compared to what we normally have. So maybe that is why it took so much longer.
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 4:17:13 PM
Amy, I'll be doing 3 game roos soon. I am going to go up the road to some friends who have some to butcher also. He is going to make a plucker using PVC pipe and some rubber with a drill. Is that what yours is? Can you post a picture of it? We need all the help we can get. I will also be butchering some Buff roos later. They aren't but a few months and a few weeks old right now. But there are 4 of them. If I remember that far off about the feathers I will try to let you know about mine. They are really feathery birds. But good for ya'll. It's nice to know where all that food comes from.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| JenStewart |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 2:59:13 PM
Oh, we will be butchering our buffs cockerels and rhode island reds in January. It is the first time ever for us. I need to really read up about it. Any tips will be appreciated. We just purchased our farm this summer and I love it. Jumped in head first with cows and chickens. Hoping to add duroc pigs and shetland sheep next summer. |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 2:12:42 PM
We plunge ours into hot water as well and then run the birds through hubby's chicken plucker. We have never had issues until yesterday with the Buffs. They were all about 6 months old, but that has been the approx. age of all the chickens we have butchered up until this point. So I'm thinking it must have been the breed. :) Or maybe Lillian will confirm it was a misalignment of the stars. ;)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
| levisgrammy |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 1:53:17 PM
We always did ours plunging in a barrel of water kept over a fire. This was back some days ago and maybe that is not done anymore. We had lots of helping hands and we did many at a time. Worked well and mom singed the pin feathers.
farmgirl sister#43
O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it!
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only--how did you take it?
--Edmund C. Vance.
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| sherrye |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 07:48:45 AM
amy you are so right breed and age make a difference. i skin my birds so not as difficult. were they young? happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| Ms.Lilly |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 07:48:00 AM
I hope it was just a misalignment of the stars! We will be buturing 50 cockerals in about 3 weeks and it will be a mix of RIR, BO, Amaracauna, and Silver Laced Wyandottes. I really am hopin for it to go smoothly. There will be 6 of us doing various jobs and of corse mine is the plucking. I'll let you know if it is the bird or the stars.
Lillian |
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