4 Easy Steps to Humanely Harvest Meat Birds

Looking for an easy way to humanely harvest meat birds?

Humanely reap meat birds in just four well-fixed peasy steps . Why ? Because having your own unused home raise volaille in your freezer is so deserving it . Each yr , we feed about 25 chickens for eight weeks and then reap them ourselves . Here ’s a week by hebdomad outline of the chick ’ growth and development.–1–2–3–4–5 & 6–7–8 – translate On , Friend ! This post is week 8.–9

The Breed of Chicks

The breed of meat shuttlecock I always put to feed out is called Jumbo Cornish Cross . I love these meat bird because they are efficient and easy to deal for . Their meat is also very tender , juicy and yummy . Also , I feel like we are stimulate the most meat we can for the monetary value of the chicks plus provender cost . Because the sizing of the slice and amount of meat on them is deserving it . I can pull two chicken chest out of the freezer and use them for two or three chicken meals . This is hopefully saving me time and money . Finally , I feed these birds for only eight calendar week . This is a very quick elbow room to feed out an creature to harvest .

Why Only 8 Weeks?

Because of their immobile growing capableness , it really does only take eight weeks for the chickens to be ready for crop . Eight week is the mellifluous spot . From then , the birds start out to have moreleg issuesand heart attacks . So , they die anyway … sometimes before we can detect them to slaughter . So , it ’s much good to see to it a way to humanely harvest meat birds . By controlling the harvest , we are ensuring safe meat for our family line to bask for month ahead . vocalize good ? Here ’s how to get Cornish Cross chicks .

How to Order Quality Cornish Cross Chicks

I govern them forrader of time online throughCackle Hatcherydue to our location . It ’s significant to me that the chicks have as limited transportation time as potential . Because that will lower the amount of emphasis they will face through the transition when they arrive at the Wiley Post federal agency . Then , I get a phone call when they arrive . Usually around 6 a.m. because they ’ve been traveling during the night and are athirst . By the end of 8 weeks , the hoot are quick to harvest and keep . Hooray for farm wise chicken!Again , you may follow the quick translation of the meat razz chicksHERE .

Chicken Supplies List To Raise Chicks for 8 Weeks

Your chicks will postulate ample pen space . If too fiddling , they might blame on one and down it . I keep my birds in a large pen to protect them fromdogsand other potential predators . After I first get them , I keep them inside a tax shelter for a yoke of week . Then , I move them to a big pen , either indoors or outdoors . I ’ve put mine in one of my gardens before and it act attractively for them and my garden the next year . Also , you ’ll require afeed troughandwater vat . These hombre pledge and wipe out a lot more than they search like they can . And yes , you ’ll need to pass on feed those chicken a good protein dietYou’ll also want to have your harvest supplies ready to go because the eight weeks will go so fast .

Chicken Supplies List for Humanely Harvesting Meat Birds

Supplies we ca n’t hold up without when we reap gist skirt chicks include :

We have buy a basic slaughter kit fromMcMurray Hatchery . It include a tumid cone , de - boning knife , and lung puller . Now , here are the 4 easy footmark to humanely harvest meat birds :

Killing the Chicken

First of all , we cautiously position wimp head into the large cone , pull its head through , and make a nice sportsmanlike snub . This is the most humane path to harvest a poulet . Because the bird is not accent as we handle it mildly . It is comfortable inside the strobilus and the cone allows us more ascendance during the cleanup process . And with one light slicing , the promontory add up off and it ’s over in second . This is why you take a very sharp tongue for the killing process when you humanely harvest meat birds . It only get a moment for the bird to bleed out and we can enchant the blood in a pail right underneath the cone for easy cleanup after you humanely harvest nub birds .

Scalding & Plucking the Chicken

Next , the poulet is quick to be taken to the hot water to scald . drown the chicken altogether in the hot water for about five irksome endorsement . The temperature of pick for us is around 150 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter . Scalding the chicken correctly facilitate staggeringly in the plucking physical process . We used to know in the olden days with hand plucking . But recently , we moved into the Modern age and get anelectric plucker like thisto help in the process . Plucking the chicken ’s feathers is next . If the chicken is scalded at the correct temperature and amount of clock time , the feathers should come off easy . We have a self-aggrandising trash can uncommitted to catch the feathers .

Gutting & Trimming the Chicken

The final stone’s throw to humanely glean meat birds is splitting the chicken to reveal the innards . It is one of the most expert persona of the butchering cognitive operation . Here ’s how I do it : The wing lead are cut off with the de - boning tongue as well as the feet at the knee break junction . The bottom of the chicken is slice candid revealing the intestines . It is very important to CAREFULLY and SLOWLY polish off the intestine from the inside . Otherwise , you will have a real jam . As you bump off the residuum of the organs from inside the chicken , you’re able to use the lung tugger to get all the means indoors to snag the lung . They can be difficult to draw out so use your muscles .

Clean Chicken Inside & Out

Finally , clean out the inside thoroughly . The goal is to remove any blood line you may be consuming . Because that is just distasteful ! The chicken has to be unobjectionable and lineage free . So , I wish to employ agarden hosewith aspray nozzleto completely wash out the interior . Then , I let them soak in a cooler of clean water . This avail to remove the line of descent from both end so you wo nt have to do much scrubbing later . And then , come the chore of rank the chicken intoZiplock deep freezer bags . Or , you and your team can partake in in one more step .

One Extra Step

From this point , there are two decisions to make . The chicken could be freeze or cook whole . Or the chicken could be swerve into its special delicious part ( titty , thighs , drumsticks , etc ) that are quick to throw into any formula . understand here for to seehow I stop dead my poulet and why I opt to do it this way . Our choice is quite an undertaking on butcher sidereal day . Separating all the chickens into freezable pieces takes a caboodle of clip and effort . fortunately , we have many helpful manpower to assist us get it all done . Plus , they get chickens for their freezer , too . So , it ’s a win for them as well . help to humanely reap heart and soul birds is n’t so bad . It ’s really kind of a sport unconscious process and add everyone together .

Why We Do All Of This

So , why do we take the time to raise and humanely harvest marrow hoot ? Should we just go to the grocery store to buy chicken?And do we really save anything at all by doing all of this work ? The answer is : Just a little flake . Expenses include feed , cost of the chickens and my fourth dimension to care for them by rights . And it can all add up if you let it . But a petty scrap genuinely goes a long agency . The truth is , I ’m not against conventionally raised chicken . I ’m not against grocery store stores . But , I would much rather not make a trip to a grocery depot if I can uprise it and keep it in the freezer . It ’s a matter of convenience for me . If I can course down to the Deepfreeze to pull out chicken breast , I ’m about 20 minutes in the lead of push to town to the store . This does write on petrol , fourth dimension and peck of exertion after butchering 24-hour interval is over . And this is at long last why I humanely glean center razzing . Plus , the piece of mind knowing on the button what your volaille has eat on . If you could raise and humanely harvest meat birds yourself , would you ?