Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
ing on the bottom and the large opening on the top. Your bird will be upside down with its
head through the small hole at the bottom. Pull to stretch its neck and make a quick cut right
below its jaw. If you do not have a kill cone, tie the birds together and hang them from a nail
or hook that is at least 3 feet from the ground. Kill the bird within seconds of putting it in the
cone or hanging it from the nail. It is not humane to let it just hang there; plus, it may escape.
Once the bird is hanging, stretch its neck a little and then slit the throat with a sharp knife.
You can either perform one clean, quick cut to remove the chicken's head, or you can make a
slit to only drain the blood — if taking this approach, be sure to only cut the jugular and not
the windpipe. Cutting the windpipe will cause the bird anguish. If you do not immediately
take the head off, the bird may feel some distress for a few moments until it bleeds out. Once
the blood is drained, then you can cut the head off. Have buckets beneath the cones to catch
the blood. Let the chickens hang until all of the blood runs out of their bodies.
Whichever method you chose to use, your priority should be to provide a fast, painless death
for the chicken. The first time you butcher an animal, it may be difficult for you. This is natur-
al, especially if you raise the chickens and become attached to them. A humane death is an
honorable ending for any bird. Aside from the emotions, butchering is a messy task. This is
why some owners prefer to do a group slaughter, which entails killing more than one bird in
your flock at the same time. The process is still the same; however, you need more kill cones
to hang the birds upside down. Gather your birds one at a time. After you slit the throat or re-
move the head, hang your bird in the kill cone then get another bird and do the same. After
you have your desired amount of birds slaughtered, proceed with the butchering.
Processing the Carcass
The next step is to pluck the chickens. To do this, put on your rubber gloves if you have not
already. Have a large pot with scalding hot water ready to soak the chickens to kill germs and
clean them. The water should be about 140 degrees F, which you can test with a candy ther-
mometer or deep-fryer thermometer. Hold the chicken carcass by the feet and dip it into the
pot for about ten to 15 seconds. Pull the bird out, and try pulling one of the feathers. If it
comes out easily, the chicken is ready to be plucked. If the feathers do not come out easily, dip
the chicken again. Keeping the bird in the water for too long or having the temperature too
high will cook the skin, so monitor the process. If the chicken is partially cooked, cool it im-
mediately, or discard it so bacteria do not grow in the meat. Warm temperatures are the perfect
breeding ground for bacteria.
