Today I butchered the four roosters I was given and was my first time processing a chicken. All went smoothly but did not get much meat, knew that going in because they were not meat birds. I was going to make my own killing cone but time constraints and work didn't give me the opportunity so I purchased a safety cone and used that. The modified cone worked very well. Pictures of the process so blood is visible.
Placed the chicken upside down in the cone and pulled the head through. Just above the jaw bone made a cut and held the head sideways to let the blood drain.
I didn't pluck these birds because they were small so I just skinned the birds to save some time. Don't have pictures of the gutting or skinning because I was by myself and hands were bloody.
Finished out bird.
I cut them down and go 12 oz of breast meat and 2 lbs. 10 oz. of leg and thigh pieces. Not a great amount of meat from 4 birds.
Hi @nicholasj. Good post. I've got 7 broiler birds to dispatch in the next few days.
Good luck on your butchering.
Thank you - just off to start them this afternoon.
Awesome post - Who would have thought i'd be interested in butchering Roosters.
Thanks for sharing @nicholasj
Pretty interesting process, don't think I've ever seen someone butcher a chicken before. I'd figure 4 birds would give more meat that 2lbs and 10 ounces, hopefully you'll end up with more meat the next time you do it.
Normally it would but these were poor birds for meat and there were still a little young. The crowing was waking my kids up really early in the morning so they needed to go and didn't want to waste them.
I got chickens for the first time a year ago and mail ordered 50 chicks. They were an assortment of multipurpose birds. About half of them were roosters. I butchered most of the roosters and they all seemed to be good sized. Not sure of the exact weight. I kept them all as whole chickens. For me at least it is easier to have them whole. Our family likes to cook them in the oven as a roast. We also boil them in water and get some awesome bone broth as a bonus.
I cut the meat off the bone because I was trying to save freezer space for the small amount of meat. These birds are rated poor for meat but we're given to me, didn't mix with my hens, and the crowing was waking my kids up at 4 am so something needed to be done. Didn't want to just throw the animals and waste them so I used them for practice for when I butcher the Cornish chickens I'm raising for meat and as small the amount of meat I got it will still be food for us to eat.
Not much meat, but the experience will be well worth it. It's a skill that not many have really, but isn't all that hard. Nice work mate, keep at it!