Chicken Butchering (not for the faint of heart)

We butchered our Cornish Cross Broilers in 3 batches, aiming for a live weight of 4 and a half pounds to get a dressed chicken of 3 pounds.  Here's how it went:

The Condemned.















The Killing Cones.










 

 

Plucking feathers using a "Duck Naked Plucker."

  

Gutting.

 On ice and ready for the freezer.  These were just the first four.  Yes, you are observant dear blog reader.  Hubby did most of the work, and certainly all of the nasty work.  I received a relatively clean little naked, headless, gutless body for a final rinse and pin feather removal.  I weighed and recorded each bird and labeled and packaged them for the freezer.  And, of course, I'm in charge of cooking them!

We would do this again.  We know that we have way healthier chicken then we could buy anywhere.  They are organic, pastured, and soy-free.  These first ones were six weeks old at butchering.  We did a second batch a few days later, and the final four at few days after that at seven and a half weeks old.  We did well at our goal of a three pound bird. 

We now have 26 Freedom Ranger Broiler chicks in the brooder.  They will be one week old on Wednesday.  We plan to butcher them in about 8-9 weeks, aiming again for a live weight of 4 and a half pounds.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast:  Apple Gouda Sausage, Pumpkin Breakfast Bake, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal:  Chicken Casserole, Green Beans
Evening Snack:  Assorted Cheeses, Salami, Dark Chocolate and Wine

Ingredients from today's menu courtesy of Sweet Garden Farm:  Eggs and Chevre in Pumpkin Breakfast Bake, Gogurt, Chicken, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Basil, and Mozzarella in Chicken Casserole, Green Beans, and assorted cheeses.