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Chickens

Big_Holla

Big_Holla

Senior Member
27,354
247
S.E. MI to reside & S.E. OH to LIVE!
Aw crap I didn't realize this was from last year! Well good to hear they are doing well and producing OK then. This is something I've mentioned to the wife a few times now but my mom's horror stories of having to take care of them and the chicken poop mess have her saying no way. Sure would like to get our own eggs though for what effort is really into them.
 
hickslawns

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
40,496
288
Ohio
Hahaha. No worries Chuck. I think it is a pretty good thread to bring back up to the top. Lot of people getting into homesteading. Chickens are becoming pretty prevalent.
 
Diane

Diane

*Supporting Member*
4,715
66
Newark
I was just looking it up. Interesting.

I haven't bought or priced a chicken in years, but one lady broke down her costs and has them costing her $12.16 per chicken. She does pay to have them butchered, but that seems high. (Not counting "healthy" anything)

Surely a chicken doesn't cost that much at the store...? I will be checking! lol
 
Joel

Joel

Senior Member
3,050
124
Centerburg, Ohio
image.jpg

Here is the ugly little guys today at around 6 weeks old in the 8x8 pen. It has a set of wheels on the back so it gets moved to fresh grass before they tear it up.
 
Joel

Joel

Senior Member
3,050
124
Centerburg, Ohio
We butcher them ourselves and probably spend $8/bird. The organic free range chickens at Kroger are around $12 but ours are bigger and taste better. Nice knowing exactly where your food came from and I'm not eating something that was doped up and half dead when they butchered it in a nasty factory lol. Well worth it IMO.
 
Diane

Diane

*Supporting Member*
4,715
66
Newark
What about the feathers? Do you have some kind of equipment to get them off? Xbowguy has a cousin that rigged something up, but I don't think he raises them anymore.
 
Diane

Diane

*Supporting Member*
4,715
66
Newark
Wow, that's quick.

Thanks for the info. I might look in to this, but I'll just buy a couple from Rural King and see if I can do it all, from start to finish, before I'd consider going further with it!

Thank you.
 
angelzd28

angelzd28

Junior Member
935
85
Tuscarawas County
Just got my first flock of chickens this year, 6 americaunas and 6 ISA browns, oh yeah and two ducks. Next year my 2 1/2 year old daughter will not be going to Rural King, she "influenced" the duck decision.......... Cant wait till ive got some fresh eggs!
 
Big_Holla

Big_Holla

Senior Member
27,354
247
S.E. MI to reside & S.E. OH to LIVE!
We had chickens we raised for meat years ago and back then had no idea what we were doing with them. Think we butchered them at around the 1 year old mark which I remember my dad saying that we let them go too long. Was labor intensive that's for sure. I got to do the chopping and picking them up after they bounced around the yard a little. We started off with boiling water and dipping them to get the feathers off, what a mess. By the end my parents were skinning them back, cutting out the breasts and anything else.
 
Joel

Joel

Senior Member
3,050
124
Centerburg, Ohio
Our friends have it set up in different stations. The first is 2 traffic cones upside down over a plastic bucket. The ends of the traffic cones are cut off and then chickens go in there upside down. You kind of grab their head and pull it through the hole and cut their throat. They kick a little and drain out into the bucket.

Once they stop moving, you take them over to a big metal container full of hot water that's controlled by a heating element. I think it's set around 140 degrees but I could be wrong. They get dipped in the water 5 or 6 times and over to the next station.

That station is basically a 50 gallon drum with an electric motor and belt that makes the drum spin when you push a switch. The inside has rubber fingers so the bucket spins and the rubber fingers take all the feathers off. It only has to spin for 10 seconds or so and the feathers are gone.

Then the chicken goes over to a stainless steel sink they have with cold water hooked up to it. Head and feet come off, guts come out, and the bird gets rinsed one more time. Then you toss it into the big plastic drum with ice water and it's ready to bag up and stick in the freezer.

I would say last year we spent maybe 2-3 minutes on each bird but everyone had their own job so it worked like an assembly line.

I've also tried plucking one by hand after cutting the head off and all that. That sucks and takes way longer lol.
 
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