The Dogmother Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Of course you don't Clare... a woman of your experience Are you castuing nasturtiums Moo choo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I'd keep them if I had the room Tracy, but you've seen the size of my garden! I wasn't fazed by the despatchign as I use dto watch my grandparents doing it and had done the deed a couple of times myself, it was just the boning and rolling I'd not done before. Greta to know how to do itm but I'm not sure that I would bother agian in a hurry as it's so fiddly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moochoo Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 We've got our 2 week olds in the brooder now. After doing the course I feel much better about doing the deed. In fact, I would say the dispatch was the easier part of the day. It was done with thought for the bird, but quickly. I liked the fact Alison even commented on keeping the birds legs apart with your thumb to make it more comfortable. I know it would be harder with birds you've raised yourself but I know I can definitely do the deed now. I feel much more confident being shown and doing it rather than reading it in a book. I've certainly learnt better butchery skills too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poachedegg Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Lovely to see everyone - though didn't get much chance to chat as our course went over by a long way! I agree that the dispatching (the part I wasn't looking forward to) wasn't all that bad - and knowing the correct technique is quite empowering if I ever had to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I agree with all the above comments. Alison taught us so well, even that bit about how to hold their feet. They may be about to meet their maker in a few seconds time but still that is no excuse for them being in any discomfort. It was so calm and quiet, they didn't even squalk. The only noise made was from us lot, and if things went pear-shaped ie. missing heads . I now feel that if I have the time next year I can hatch some sussex like I wanted to, and I know I can deal with the boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 So how many of you now think you could keep some meat birds? Puts hand up....and I'm a vegetarian. Am happy now that any cockerels I raise won't have lived in vain, and they will have lived in the lap of luxury. The despatching is humane and over in a trice. I've done it before anyway, but I wanted to learn how to pluck and gut, and now that I know that it isn't at all dreadful, I wouldn't hesitate. I wouldn't bother with the boning as a general rule....too much faff, but I cooked the chicken last night, and the family all 'oooed' and 'aaahed' over it. Tastes like chicken used to taste according to Him Indoors, so I'll definitely do it again. Anyones hands aching this morning after the plucking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 we both thought it was a very worthwhile course. It's something we're giving serious consideration to. I'm cooking my boned chook tonight, hoping to use some sage from the garden and some left over home made bread in some home-made stuffing two sheds says he's aching all over and I've still got my kennel cough so we're having a pyjama day today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Poet, I'm still shattered too after yesterday too. I am going to gut my hen today, but since B & I got a ready gutted chook I didn't do the deed yesterday & have been worrying that I will do things in the wrong order. I seem to remember chop off head & feet & discard take out crop & discard take out neck bones chop off buffalo wing tips make a small hole & then a flap under parsons nose but above vent stick hand in, & press all insides out from the rib cage & pull out all in one now- is this where I cut around the vent to prevent any comtamination of the meat? cut off gall bladder " gherkin" very carefully & discard need I do anything else? I'll post pictures of the gutting, but with a warning One small thing we noticed on our 12 o'clock table ( from me, B & poachedegg) was that the 1 o'clockers got better instruction from Alison than we did from her husband about the correct way to pluck the hen swiftly & without damaging the skin ie which feathers we could pull out en masse, & which to do individually. Maybe we didn't understand him properly? Thanks to Egluntine for organising & we are at the area you live in . Since B very kindly volunteered to be our chauffer for the day we we led by him as to how long we stayed at the cafe. We are grateful for his lovely safe driving, & his wife for being so understanding at being left all day with 2 very smallsters. Claret told him that she eats smallsters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I can't keep meat birds because of the closeness of the neighbours but I now know that I could do it. As I said previously, the only hurdle for me is the smell and I have cracked that with the rather attractive nose plugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 i'm shattered too - my hands are aching! Poet, I'm still shattered too after yesterday too. make a small hole & then a flap under parsons nose but above vent stick hand in, & press all insides out from the rib cage & pull out all in one One small thing we noticed on our 12 o'clock table ( from me, B & poachedegg) was that the 1 o'clockers got better instruction from Alison than we did from her husband about the correct way to pluck the hen swiftly & without damaging the skin ie which feathers we could pull out en masse, & which to do individually. Maybe we didn't understand him properly? hi Jules, we were told to cut BELOW the vent to get it all the puddins out in one go - isn't that right, 12 pm naughties? and i don't think we were given much info about plucking other than start with the long wing feathers and then hold the skin taut when plucking the delicate areas. there was rather a lot of skin tearing on mine/mostin's bird. We were pleased when we got it home to show the boys, it was a better job than we remembered it being! we did have some discussion about the need for plucking at all if the intention was to casserole an older bird, for example. it would make more sense (to me anyway) to take the skin off as a whole and then joint or bone if that was the intention. Any views? (or am i just showing myself up as being the lazy moo that i am?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 have a look at this Jules, explains (with photos) better than I can http://butcherachicken.blogspot.com/2007/09/step-8-remove-viscera.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Jules, I think you have most of it there, the other bits I can add are: Plucking - leave end flight feathers on as that part of the wing will be cut off anyway pluck the other long wing and the tail feathers individually Hold the skin taunt a little to avoid tearing it (like doing your eyebrows apparently - not that I have ever torn mine but I get what they are saying) neck, top of legs, where wings join body is where you have most chance of tearing the skin Gutting - heart, kidneys can be pulled away from the guts but the liver needs to be cut away (if you want it) this is where the gallbladder comes in, the liver is attached to it, sacrifice part of the liver rather than risk piercing the gallbladder, if you pierce it its game over and everything must go in the bin so it makes sense to remove the rest of the chicken from the prep area so if the gallbladder goes then you only have to throw the guts away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poachedegg Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Poet, I'm still shattered too after yesterday too. I am going to gut my hen today, but since B & I got a ready gutted chook I didn't do the deed yesterday & have been worrying that I will do things in the wrong order. I seem to remember chop off head & feet & discard take out crop & discard take out neck bones chop off buffalo wing tips make a small hole & then a flap under parsons nose but above vent stick hand in, & press all insides out from the rib cage & pull out all in one now- is this where I cut around the vent to prevent any comtamination of the meat? cut off gall bladder " gherkin" very carefully & discard need I do anything else? I'll post pictures of the gutting, but with a warning One small thing we noticed on our 12 o'clock table ( from me, B & poachedegg) was that the 1 o'clockers got better instruction from Alison than we did from her husband about the correct way to pluck the hen swiftly & without damaging the skin ie which feathers we could pull out en masse, & which to do individually. Maybe we didn't understand him properly? Thanks to Egluntine for organising & we are at the area you live in . Since B very kindly volunteered to be our chauffer for the day we we led by him as to how long we stayed at the cafe. We are grateful for his lovely safe driving, & his wife for being so understanding at being left all day with 2 very smallsters. Claret told him that she eats smallsters I cut off the head, wings and feet last night and will attempt to gut tomorrow! I put the head in a carrier bag before detaching - find it easier not looking at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I put the head in a carrier bag before detaching - find it easier not looking at it! luckily for me, mostin already dealt with that for me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 have a look at this Jules, explains (with photos) better than I can http://butcherachicken.blogspot.com/2007/09/step-8-remove-viscera.html Thats a really interesting website Poet - thanks for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 we've just put our despatched bird in the fridge in the pink plastic bag, 2 sheds is going to gut it t'row. why does leaving the guts in for a cple of days make it taste better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I have gutted my hen The worst bit was chopping off the head & feet. She was quite fatty as well. Both my boys were really interested to watch the process. We all went at cutting around the vent. The least I can do now is enjoy eating her, & she is now roasting in the oven Hattie ate all the offal raw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 have a look at this Jules, explains (with photos) better than I can http://butcherachicken.blogspot.com/2007/09/step-8-remove-viscera.html Thats a really interesting website Poet - thanks for that! you're welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Hattie ate all the offal raw PLEASE tell me that Hattie is a dog Well done on the gutting Jules! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 we've just put our despatched bird in the fridge in the pink plastic bag, 2 sheds is going to gut it t'row. why does leaving the guts in for a cple of days make it taste better? I don't think its leaving all the organs in. From what I understand, so could be wrong, leaving it to hang makes the muscles relax, which means that the meat is more tender, and it gives it a better taste in the way that it is a stronger taste, with more flavour of the bird. Thats why people sometimes say 'it tastes how they used to taste', because it actually tastes more like chicken, and not tasteless. The reason the guts are left in, in because if you open up the meat to the inside (by removing the guts etc) it can make it go off more quickly, and dries it up a bit while it is hanging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Hattie ate all the offal raw PLEASE tell me that Hattie is a dog Well done on the gutting Jules! No! Hattie is the cat that eats everything bar cat food. She left the heart, Jethro " only three teeth" cat ate that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 At least Hattie wasn't a child Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I put the head in a carrier bag before detaching - find it easier not looking at it! luckily for me, mostin already dealt with that for me..... All part of the master plan . I agree with you Laurie. If it was an older bird that I would just be casseroling anyway, then I would prob leave the feathers on while it rested until the gutting stage. Then just skin the whole lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Ruby (puppy) went mad when I was guttign the one we'd despatched last night. Did you get one of their crib sheets Jules? Not easy to see the photos, but it's a reminder. This link is quite good **warning, graphic photos of butchering a bird on this link** Photos later when I get time to download and resize them. There will defintely be one of Alison's despatch and dress courses in the Midlands - just need to get it organised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Yes, I got a crib sheet Thanks for the link. Very handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
