We butcher small amounts of chickens, and feathering them is a huge PITA. I have been skinning them instead, and it is soooo much better.
Cut the head, feet and wings off. Starting from the neck, slice the skin down across the breast. Position the knife so you are cutting from the inside out, so you don't cut the meat. Then you just peel the skin back and away from the breasts, towards the poopy hole. Here, you need to cut the skin free and do some cleanup of skin with the knife. Lastly, slice open the cavity and pull the innards out.
Learned this method for the quail, and it was so easy we started doing it with the chicken too.
You don’t remove the guts before scalding? Interesting. I’ve never done it but may some day. I thought it was good to gut an animal asap to cool it down.
[ - ] Belfuro 1 point 1.2 yearsFeb 21, 2023 21:13:20 ago (+1/-0)
Been there done that. Manual plucking of any bird sucks and not worth the time... Right now anyway.
But the basic premise applies for any slaughter.
If you bleed any animal the resulting pressure drop creates instant lights out and due to using a tiny slit in the neck, essentially no pain to the animal. They just go to sleep and never wake up. No need to stun or cut entire throat or shoot in head.
Also keep animals with their herds/flock.
Really does keep them calm. Animals don't really grasp death and care not for smell of blood except as something to lick.
Ive only learned of decapitating birds, and that slitting the throat brings it pain that may not be beneficial for the meat. Decapitating tricks the body in that there is no message for pain that is able to reach the rest of the body.
What is the argument against it, other than requiring a clean chop?
[ - ] Native 1 point 1.2 yearsFeb 22, 2023 12:34:43 ago (+1/-0)
Slitting throat on any animal helps it to bleed out better so you have a much better product. When you chop its head off the heart stops instantly and you have blood trapped in the body.
Slitting throat is more humane and the chicken in this case passes out within seconds.
Had to butcher 4 roosters recently and the throat cut is just a better process.
[ + ] Love240
[ - ] Love240 4 points 1.2 yearsFeb 21, 2023 17:39:05 ago (+4/-0)
[ + ] observation1
[ - ] observation1 1 point 1.2 yearsFeb 23, 2023 02:41:06 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] AugustineOfHippo2
[ - ] AugustineOfHippo2 3 points 1.2 yearsFeb 21, 2023 18:29:26 ago (+3/-0)
Cut the head, feet and wings off. Starting from the neck, slice the skin down across the breast. Position the knife so you are cutting from the inside out, so you don't cut the meat. Then you just peel the skin back and away from the breasts, towards the poopy hole. Here, you need to cut the skin free and do some cleanup of skin with the knife. Lastly, slice open the cavity and pull the innards out.
Learned this method for the quail, and it was so easy we started doing it with the chicken too.
[ + ] PotatoWhisperer2
[ - ] PotatoWhisperer2 1 point 1.2 yearsFeb 21, 2023 19:39:51 ago (+1/-0)
Look up skinning knife, you may like it.
[ + ] SteppingRazor
[ - ] SteppingRazor 2 points 1.2 yearsFeb 21, 2023 18:32:12 ago (+2/-0)
I thought it was good to gut an animal asap to cool it down.
[ + ] Sector7
[ - ] Sector7 [op] 1 point 1.2 yearsFeb 21, 2023 19:20:07 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] Belfuro
[ - ] Belfuro 1 point 1.2 yearsFeb 21, 2023 21:13:20 ago (+1/-0)
But the basic premise applies for any slaughter.
If you bleed any animal the resulting pressure drop creates instant lights out and due to using a tiny slit in the neck, essentially no pain to the animal. They just go to sleep and never wake up.
No need to stun or cut entire throat or shoot in head.
Also keep animals with their herds/flock.
Really does keep them calm. Animals don't really grasp death and care not for smell of blood except as something to lick.
[ + ] Razzoriel
[ - ] Razzoriel 0 points 1.2 yearsFeb 22, 2023 07:41:59 ago (+0/-0)
What is the argument against it, other than requiring a clean chop?
[ + ] Native
[ - ] Native 1 point 1.2 yearsFeb 22, 2023 12:34:43 ago (+1/-0)
Slitting throat is more humane and the chicken in this case passes out within seconds.
Had to butcher 4 roosters recently and the throat cut is just a better process.
[ + ] Belfuro
[ - ] Belfuro 0 points 1.2 yearsFeb 23, 2023 02:15:49 ago (+0/-0)
You'll note that industrial chicken factories just slit throats
[ + ] SkullFuckerSupreme
[ - ] SkullFuckerSupreme 0 points 1.2 yearsFeb 21, 2023 19:19:46 ago (+1/-1)