I never used to like chicken... until I tasted fresh, homegrown meat!  Wow!  No way does store bought “chicken” take anything like CHICKEN!  Side note: You might have to use an incubator (if you want to use your own fresh fertilized eggs) for hatching as most hens these days have lost the instinct to set.  (We have 42 eggs-in-waiting as I write this!  FUN!)

RAISING CHICKENS (many excellent info sites on the Internet or buy Carla Emery’s Book, The Encyclopedia of Country Living.)

POINTS TO PONDER:

  1. As with all of your animals, whether pets or “worker” beasts (serving a purpose for the farmer), BE KIND and BE RESPONSIBLE!  God has given these beasts for us to wisely care for: Proverbs 12:10.  Even butchering can be done very thankfully, kindly and humanly.
  2. Farm work is labor-intensive BUT VERY REWARDING if you love country living.
    • Be kind to YOU, especially to those of you with chronic, debilitating diseases.  Take breaks OFTEN... the work will be there for you to return to!
    • Use machinery (even simple levers and such) to do the heavy stuff.
  3. Make the very best practical use of your property.  Remember that land is A LIVING THING that God has called us to be good stewards of.  NEVER TAKE IT FOR GRANTED.

Communicate with your animals: talk softly, approach them slowly, reach out a hand of friendship.

From Demise (Slaughter) to Butcher block to Table:

  1. If you are raising your chickens for good meat, butcher at about 8-10 weeks of age for the most tender, juiciest yummiest chicken you’ve ever had!
  2. If you are “culling” your old (over 3 years old) laying/brooding (setting) hens
    • Expect the meat to be tough, especially the dark meat (? more muscular?)
      • Either boil (good soup!), can or crockpot this chicken (use some good, organic spices as the meat is very bland imho.)
    • Slaughter area (you will be draining the blood from the chicken... best to do that into a plastic bag or bucket so that your other farm animals, coyotes, etc don’t come to clean it up later), butcher block, boiling pot (if saving the skin/plucking the feathers), sink/cleaning area, plenty of cold running water, containers to collect feathers, guts, cleaned meat
  1. Keep yourself and the chicken calm (best to gather the chicken from the coop towards dusk as he/she is settling down for the night.  On the other hand, you might not want to be slaughtering, scalding, plucking, butchering, cooling/freezing or cooking chicken THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT!
    • Hold the chicken in your arms... maybe pray a prayer of thanks to God for His provision in this beast you have lovingly raised for food.  Cuddle and “coo” with him/her for a few minutes.  Gradually turn him/her upside down and carry by the feet (he/she will sort of go into a trance) to the area where the head will be chopped off.  (A very sharp ax and a smooth, FAST and ACCURATE swing will insure zero trauma for the chicken.  You?  Well, you will have to get used to this procedure.  If you can’t get used to it, barter with a neighbor: maybe he’ll do the butchering in exchange for some meat!)
  2. Gently rest the chicken’s head on the chopping block and with one good swing anywhere beneath the head on the neck, cut the head off (you are still holding on to the feet)
    • As the nerve endings are cut, the headless chicken body will jerk around (keep a TIGHT hold on it by the feet and let the blood drip out by hanging the decapitated body by the feet wrapped with bailing twine and dangling by a tree brach.  CLEAN THE AREA WELL when you are finished or you could be baiting wild animals to come onto your wonderful farm.)

 

 

 

P.S.  Country living isn’t LIVING

unless you have a rooster crowing each morning!

CHICKEN

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