The Joy of Keeping Chickens by Megyesi Jennifer Hansen Geoff

Author:Megyesi, Jennifer, Hansen, Geoff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2015-03-23T04:00:00+00:00

As helper Bev O’Neill, left, cuts off the chickens’ heads while they are in one of three killing cones, butcher Ralph Persons guts the birds after their feathers have been removed in the plucker. Persons and his wife, Cindy, travel across the state with his portable slaughterhouse, butchering animals and birds on the farm.

Place the bird head-first in the cone by dropping the bird in while securing its feet. Grasp the head by your least-dominant hand (right hand for lefties, left hand for righties). Fingers should be holding the head on either cheekbone, just below the bird’s eye; I use my thumb and ring finger to do this.

The second step is deciding what to use to actually kill the bird. Some experts advocate using a .22. I’m a pretty good shot, but a chicken’s head is a pretty small target, especially if it’s moving around. There is also the added worry of where the bullet goes after it exits the chicken’s head. Snapping the bird’s neck by placing its head underneath the handle of a broom or rake and pulling up firmly will also work. However, the bird will flap vigorously, potentially bruising the meat in the wings and breast. They still need to be cut across the neck to bleed out. Axes are also popular, but again, the bird will flap about, and blood spatter can’t be contained well.

For this reason, I am more comfortable using a knife to sever the jugular veins and bleed out the bird. Taking a knife with a long, thin blade, such as a boning knife, insert the tip close to where you are grasping the bird with your thumb, push it all the way to the other side, and swiftly pull the blade out away from your fingers. You should see two prominent streams of blood spurting forth, where you have severed the jugular veins. If you don’t, swipe deeper in the area that you are grasping. You should continue to hold the bird throughout this process until the wings grow limp. Some people prefer to cut the head cleanly off. I find it harder to control the bird from flapping without being able to grasp its head.

When a free flow of blood is observed, release the bird’s head. At this point, it may shudder or flap in the cone. The bird is ready to continue processing after it has grown limp, and the head droops freely.

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