Chicken Butchering Fall 2010

Two weeks ago, we had our fall butchering day. Eric's 8 week project was completed!
With our friends, the Kroekers, we took our 125 chickens to another friend's butchering cart.
It went very smoothly, no accidents or problems besides a few bile bursts-Yuck!
We had a chicken this week that Mom salt-brined and seasoned, and was it ever tasty!
Now, we can take a chicken break until Spring!!!!

Loading up!




The hard workers.







The gut bucket.


The weighters and baggers

Spring Butchering 2010

Well, it's finally over....again. Our spring butchering went very well, with around 20 people helping us butcher 296 chickens (not all ours)
We started at 7 AM and finally finishing around 5 PM.
We start by raising the chickens from cute and fluffy yellow chicks, to squawking young hens and roosters, to fat and smelly 8 week old birds. They get good care from Eric, as well as some worrying and fretting from Mom and the rest of the family.
Such as this scenario.
One night about 10 PM we heard sprinkler hitting some tin outside. After Dad goes outside with the HUGE flashlight, Mom calling Eric from the top of the stairs, and the rest of us trying to sleep with all the racket---We find out that Eric accidentally set the chicken pen over the sprinkler head. So, a huge blast of water was soaking 50 chickens while they are clucking and squawking, and the rest of us are running around like chickens with our heads cut off.......Smile!
Needless to say, we had a good year! And we are thankful that it is over until fall!
Here are some photos from our big day!

The CREW







YUCK!



AAAHHH!






Isn't Kaleb's face (yellow shirt) hilarious!



Here is the butchering process for those who have never seen it.
(Texas folks, y'all listen up now!)

We store them in crates before we butcher them.


Getting them off the truck



Then they go to "The killing cones"


Evisceration (aka gutting) table


The gizzard cleaner


The gizzards---Kind of pretty---In a gross, slimy sort of way!


Finally we weigh and bag them.


While we were working, Caroline and Katy kept Karly and Susanna occupied with lots of things to do! Thank you, girls!


Playdough!
c

Having a good chat after a long day of work!
Thanks to all who helped!

Spring Chicks/100th Post/Happy April!

First off-HAPPY APRIL FIRST (1st), Just kidding! (I'm kidding that I was kidding!)
Have you had any April Fool's played on you today?

Secondly, it's Spring Time! That means it's also time for CHICKS!!!!
We got our first batch (70) last Thursday, and 6:30 a.m. this morning our remaining 25 arrived!
They are cute, as always! But, not for long!
Susanna has already informed everyone who comes to see the chicks, that we are going to "Butcher" them!
I'm not sure she know what the big "B" word actually means! Oh, well!

Thirdly, this is our 100th blog post! Can't believe we've had so many! Lots of hours of picture uploading!

We sure are enjoying the nice weather here! It was 75+ degrees yesterday.
You could actually go outside without bracing yourself for a blast of cold wind!
Thankful for God's gift of seasons!
We would definitely get bored quickly from the lack of weather change, wouldn't we!

In closing, what do you all think of the new "blook" around here???
(Maybe you should tell what "blook" means first!!!!!)



Slurpp!







Sorry, the wire was in the way!


Have a little dirt/sawdust/other stuff, bath!

Chicken Butchering

This past Friday morning at 7:00 a.m. in the stillness of the north second street neighborhood, the loud protesting of chickens could be heard in the dim lit morning.Around 8:00 a.m., after our 71 chickens were loaded up, we drove out to our friends house, where we were butchering.

After unloading our stuff, we jumped into the action and started helping. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty chilly-around 35 degrees- so we had to take some "warm-up breaks" throughout the morning.
We worked our chickens, then started our friends-After a lunch break, we finished up, then spent a few hours cleaning up. I think we did around 225 chickens altogether.
It was a great experience and I'm glad to say we've done it! Thus our chicken escapades are ended for this fall-(Until next spring, that is!!!




We can fit 7 chickens in one crate.


Tying them down with cords-we don't want to
lose them on the way out!


Miles liked loading them up!


Once we were at our friends farm,
we got right to work-Dad gathered the
chickens and put them in the killing cones.



After their throats have been slit, blood has been pumped out,
and their heads removed, they are placed in
the "scalder" a big barrel filled with regulated hot water.
The scalding helps in the feather removal.

-In the foreground you can see the plucker-
-Behind the plucker are the chicken cones-

The plucker is an amazing invention
I was EXTREMELY grateful that we didn't have to pluck the chickens by hand!

Papa and Memaw got to come and help!
Memaw helped with the inside job of packaging and weighing.
Papa was the one who sorted the "innards"
All the yummy gizards, livers, hearts-Are you cringing yet?

The butchering table-There were always around 7-8
people doing the "evisceration" process.

After the are all finished on the table,
they chill in cold water, until they are ready to be packaged.