by J R B.
Member since:
June 15, 2007

Rooster Killing Day

April 16, 2009 04:57 PM EDT
views: 148 | comments: 33

Yesterday was rooster killing day. I had help. We took turns catching them. In the meantime I heated water. Dan chopped their heads off. Dave, Tina and I plucked the feathers. We killed 15 roosters. After they were all plucked, we started cleaning them. Eastern chickens are easier to clean, then Desert chickens. You can pull the insides out all at once back East. Not so with Desert chickens. The insides cling to the bones. As soon as we got them cleaned. I placed them in freezer bags and placed them in the refrigerator.

Today I am cutting the chickens up. The breasts go in one bag, wings in another, legs and thighs in another. The backs are in the soup bag.This fills up my one freezer. As soon as the garden comes in , we will fill up the deep freezer again.

Eastern chickens are also easier to kill. You just wring their necks. Can't do that with Desert chickens, Their necks are stronger.

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Comments: 33

Um, don't know what to say really. Sounds like you had a busy day.
Mooch -. Apr 16, 2009, 5:04pm EDT
better you than me, i don't think I could catch and kill a chicken.
Jo N. Apr 16, 2009, 5:10pm EDT
Sounds like a busy day.
Tabitha M. Apr 16, 2009, 5:15pm EDT
We had chickens when I was growing up. I hated having to clip their wings, but kill day never really bothered me. Perhaps because I was too young to really have to help process them afterwards.
Desiree T. Apr 16, 2009, 5:22pm EDT
Ugh I have never been able to kill anything, I grew up on a farm too.
Ginger C. Apr 16, 2009, 5:27pm EDT
Cool! Not the killing part, but having your freezer full is very cool!
Steph-in-NE ..... Apr 16, 2009, 5:31pm EDT
ewe,, did you know I have the old fashion chicken pot in my back yard our neighbor gave the history of it ewwwww
Elaine S. Apr 16, 2009, 5:33pm EDT
Good way to fill a freezer.
Sophie S. Apr 16, 2009, 5:37pm EDT
umm....uh
sheila ~the hapless housewife~ j. Apr 16, 2009, 5:37pm EDT
Y'all sound very self reliant. Good job!
J W. Apr 16, 2009, 5:39pm EDT
poor chickens.......lol sorry
Donald Hawley Apr 16, 2009, 5:43pm EDT
JRB: I take it you have something against roosters. Or is just chickens in general?
Beryl Singleton Bissell Apr 16, 2009, 5:46pm EDT
What hard work, but satisfying. How do you manage not to stab yourself with those sharp bones. Perhaps you also know how to wield a knife with skill. Sorry about those desert chickens but without them, I might never have known that eastern roosters are easier to clean. I like these shorter but substantial posts.
Abby N. Apr 16, 2009, 5:50pm EDT
I was wondering, do the chickens have different accents? Just being silly, lol! I didn't know that before about chickens being different like that.
When staying out on relatives farms in the summer, they'd have a chicken killing day, well we didn't call it that. They broke their necks to make it quick and we were kids and actually thought it was funny watching them run around after they chopped off the heads. It's odd how some things I was/am squeamish about and others not. I didn't enjoy the singeing and plucking though. :) Not sure I could handle it now, I have a weaker stomach.
Elizabeth B. Apr 16, 2009, 6:19pm EDT
I must take your word on the eastern vs desert ones....I have never been able to bring myself to do it! I know the animals are raised for food not pet but I usually end up attached anyway...
rainne chandler Apr 16, 2009, 7:13pm EDT
awesome and and wonderful you dont have to go and buy them at the store the only thing i hate about cleaning chickens is the smell of dunking them in hot water but other then that it dont mind this chore at all enjoy your wonderful bounty
tammie p. Apr 16, 2009, 7:31pm EDT
very interesting . never knew that
Debby O. Apr 16, 2009, 9:24pm EDT
Yuckie! Maybe it is because the desert chickens were roadrunners! LOL!
DesertDarlene L. Apr 16, 2009, 9:42pm EDT
It makes you appreciate your food, doesn't it?
Beth - Doing God's work Daily J. Apr 16, 2009, 9:55pm EDT
Thanks for sharing on Helping out one Another
debra g. Apr 17, 2009, 12:13am EDT
A lot of work but you will have it easy when you got to cook it.This way you know what it was fed.
Have a great gather day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for posting to sparealine.gather.com
Janet "Jax" B. Apr 17, 2009, 12:20am EDT
sounds like a lot of work....I've never had to pluck a chicken...only ducks.
Thomas Millington Apr 17, 2009, 9:13am EDT
Interesting, but you never said why. Is it a hobby or something?
Kimber L. Apr 17, 2009, 3:00pm EDT
I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two types of chickens looking at them. LMAO at Thomas's comment!
Marsha S. Apr 17, 2009, 4:48pm EDT
Just letting you know your content has reached 25 comments and has therefore been removed from ~3,000 Here We Come!~
tammy b. Apr 19, 2009, 10:54am EDT
How big do you let your chickens get before you kill them? How can you tell the difference between a desert chicken and an eastern chicken?
Thomas Millington Apr 20, 2009, 8:40am EDT
Tammy: Desert chickens tend to be blond and well tanned.
Ghostly Ghoul Apr 27, 2009, 4:03pm EDT
Ok no offense but not something i want to hear about, makes me sad. :0(
Charles Temm JR Apr 28, 2009, 6:34pm EDT
We have to give ours away. My wife runs an animal protection preserve on our land to include chickens but excluding snakes! LOL
Winona Morris May 20, 2009, 12:09pm EDT
I remember my dad killing chickens. I was always asking him, "Whats the water for? Are you going to boil them? I like fried chicken better."
Beth G. May 20, 2009, 5:25pm EDT
wow sounds like you are going to have plenty of chicken to eat for a long time!
Netty B. May 23, 2009, 4:14pm EDT

Right before we got married, I helped my "soon to be MIL" kill and clean chickens. Hubby is lucky I married him after that experience!

Congrats on being MOTD in Comment As You Please Group!

 
Beth - Doing God's work Daily J. Jul 22, 2009, 10:40pm EDT
That sound interesting. Don't think that I would be doing that.

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