Processing chickens.

[Southside]

I bet you find two, white, "eggs" in each one. Won't scramble well but probably be OK fried.  :D

[Don P]

Lee, once  we were into it I would throw one in the scald, kill another and let it be draining. Grab the feet of scaldy and swish it around a time or two to get the water into the base of the feathers. Pull it out and try to pull a couple of big wing feathers out. When they slip, sling it up on the table and there would be one full time plucker and me filling in the spaces. We would hand it over to the inside crew within 5 minutes. Chickens I find easier to pluck, skin a duck or a geriatric bird, neither has any appeal to me. Then keep an eye on the inside crew, just like sawing, don't bury the tail. Usually, 2 people there maybe 10 minutes per bird, good rinse and into ice water. If you transfer any fecal matter to the icewater bath everything is contaminated with it, that is the difference with batches of small animals. The inside the house crew (usually one or if shorthanded it gets done after cleanup) then comes out and grabs a bird or two at a time from the chilling bath for a final rinse in the kitchen sink, trim, inspect and packaging.

Hose the tables down often. The rough end finishes first and begins the breakdown and cleanup, and then everyone falls in as it ends, rolling up behind them.

The pizza, sorry, no chicken for a few days, all I smell is the scald tank. Oh, if they are really groady I would hose them off before the scald and then with ~25 birds I would change water and start another heat, usually a good breaktime anyway. It's been a couple of years, Southside probably knows the scald temp.

[BandsawBen]

I do alot of cornish x chickens every year. i slacked off this year and only did 45 because we had a baby coming on july. I did try and make a plucker that used a drill as a motor with an 8 inch pvc cap and rubber bungee straps it was not worth the time i put in it. A friend came over while I was using it and just laughed and laughed because i was covered in blood guts and feathers. It still took a long time to pluck the dang thing. I eventually built a wiz bang style plucker. It was a fun build. I found the plans on the internet and went with it. It has worked flawlessly for 5 years now doing 100 plus birds a year. We can do 3 birds at a time. it takes about 20 seconds and they are real close to perfect every time. Perfect scald temperature for me is 150 to 160 dip the birds for 20 seconds or so, and toss in the plucker. I really enjoy raising chickens, i have probably 200lbs of chicken in my freezer now.

[Southside]

I have my scalder set at 145F, lot less skin tear and yellowing as a result. 30-45 seconds dipping and moving and even the fine feathers come out in the plucker.  We started with a turkey fryer, an IR temp gun and hand plucking, eventually bought a real plucker, then found a complete Featherman set up a guy had for sale and picked that up, they make really nice equipment and it speeds things up a lot.

Having the water temperature consistent is key, be it 145 or 165, have done both. 

Our pre cut up is our biggest seller. 

[barbender]

Buff orpinington, Lee? I've never heard of an orange buffington. But then, I am certainly no chicken expert!😊

[LeeB]

Yeah, ok. Buff Orpington.  :D :D :D They are orange.

[tule peak timber]

I have my scalder set at 145F, lot less skin tear and yellowing as a result. 30-45 seconds dipping and moving and even the fine feathers come out in the plucker.  We started with a turkey fryer, an IR temp gun and hand plucking, eventually bought a real plucker, then found a complete Featherman set up a guy had for sale and picked that up, they make really nice equipment and it speeds things up a lot.

Having the water temperature consistent is key, be it 145 or 165, have done both.

Our pre cut up is our biggest seller.  

very helpful! I have had a lot of trouble with skin tearing. 

[Don P]

If they get loose in the food plot are they Buck Oateypants  ???

[LeeB]

Processed two Buff Orpington roosters today, hand plucked. Wasn't that bad. Took a little while though. 20 minutes each. I remembered my neighbor that I just did some milling for has a barrel type plucker and he agreed to let me use it. He's had it for several years and only used it once that I know of. Thata should make it go way faster. Wasn't much meat on the two roosters but it was more of a practice run that trying to get good eating size birds. I was happy enough with the outcome. Can't say I'm looking forward to doing the meat chickens but at least now I'm not apprehensive about it.

Is it necessary to refrigerate the birds 24 hours before freezing to keep them from being tough due to rigor as I have heard? The two i did to day are in a fridge at the moment but could have gone straight to the freezer from the chill bath.

[Southside]

We brine them in a very light water / salt bath for 24 hours, pulls out any blood, then freeze. The texture of directly frozen birds isn't nearly as good.

Oh FWIW, The USDA slogan, "Fresh never frozen" allows meat to be kept at 0°F. So all of your store and restaurant chicken has been frozen at some point, even if they claim otherwise with the blessing of the USDA. 

[LeeB]

Thank you for that info.

[barbender]

My layer rooster meat yield was not really worth the effort, but I felt wasteful throwing them in the woods. I regretted not having done so when I was finished😁

[Southside]

Not a lot of meat but old layers done right have an amazing taste to them.

[barbender]

I apparently didn't do mine right😂

[Southside]

I meant the hens, I imagine a rooster would be like eating some big, old, swamp buck.

[kantuckid]

We brine them in a very light water / salt bath for 24 hours, pulls out any blood, then freeze. The texture of directly frozen birds isn't nearly as good.

Oh FWIW, The USDA slogan, "Fresh never frozen" allows meat to be kept at 0°F. So all of your store and restaurant chicken has been frozen at some point, even if they claim otherwise with the blessing of the USDA.

For a historical note: when I worked in a supermarket over 50 years ago, fresh chickens came to the store in large heavy waxed carboard boxes packed in crushed ice. Our Deli had one of those rotisserie things and sold them cooked for 69 cents each on sales. My own Grandfather worked for many years for what was then the largest poultry processor anywhere, Seymour's Packing Co.. He was the plant maintenance foreman at their Topeka plant. They did both eggs and meat. 

[barbender]

Gotcha. Actually the flavor was good, but the texture reminded me if my old paving boots😂

[Southside]

You should have eaten the lard sandwiches and not your old paving boots back when times were tough.   :D