chicken advice please (dont read if you are squeamish!)

J

Jericho

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I know that a few HHOers have chickens and was wondering if anyone could offer some advice. For the last few years I have kept about 4 - 7 hens. Last year we hatched some fertile eggs under our broody and ended up with 2 cocks and a hen. I have kept the 2 cockerels and always said that ultimately we would cull them for the table. Unfortunately I never really got round to it as 9 mnths on they are wonderful birds, friendly and beautiful and get on really well together so I wasnt bothered about having them plus I wanted to breed some more (again, (definitely culling the cocks for the table) using one of them

However as there only 5 hens to 2 cocks the poor hens are ..well, lets put it this way, taking rather a pummelling and now have bald heads and backs where the boys are being over zealous in their attentions. I have tried keeping them apart but 1) it defeats the object of having free range chocks 2) the boys are unhappy being kept in a pen and 3) there would be no fertile eggs). Sooooo today was the day of reckoning for one of the boys. My poor OH did the deed but he wasnt particularly happy about it and when faced with the plucking etc I really couldnt do it - I basically chickened out.

However I do want to pursue providing our own chickens for our own table because I have issues with commercially produced chickens and eggs ( I like to think that the food I eat has a decent life) but need to sort out how to cull/prepare etc the chicken. I have no problem with actually eating it but just not ready for the inbetween bit (I guess its not that uncommon as people dont actually slaughter their own cows/ pigs but send them away to do it) so my question is after a long rambling post - how do I go about finding someone who will do the deed and prepare the chicken for eating ? Will a butcher on the high street do it?

NB I do know that they need to be culled earlier that 9 months to be any good for the table and please dont give me any abuse about breeding and culling surplus chickens / not being hard enough to do it myself ;-)
 
I am sure your local butcher will take in your dead chicken and return it so you 'oven ready'. I know the local butcher here does peoples pheasants.
I think I would have the same problem as you as I get too attached to pets, even if they are destined for dinner.
 
No abuse from me lol when our garden is complete we're having chuckies & culling them for tea :) not sure about who will prepare your chuckies for dinner though :rolleyes: . I'm capable at the culling and my nan is more than willing to share her plucking and gutting skills with me as we regularly bring her pheasants to pluck 'n' gut :D
 
We've a local chap called Trevor, who culls our cockerels - picks them up by their legs, turns them over and as he does so he pulls their necks, never heard a peep out of any he's culled I'm quite sure they didn't know a thing was happening. He will return any we want to eat as 'oven ready'. TBH, as they all get names, daughter won't eat them, so we've not eaten many. If you ask about you might find a 'Trevor' in your area. (He also has ferrets, shoots foxes, rabbits etc)
 
You need to find a proper 'local butcher', not a high street butcher. They will do it for you and might show you how to do it yourself if you ask nicely.
 
Grey Bay,if you get them prepared for the table just remember they could be tough as guts if you roast them- we kept some young cockerels years back for the same thing, never again!! why not take them to a poultry auction and sell them live?
 
There a courses you can go on,but you have to pay but well worth it. Must admit I'd have bought a few more hens for the deceased, but that's just me as I've gone out off hens because of the fox problem we have.:(
 
Thanks everyone! Ringing the local pest control man wasnt something I had thought of so will follow that avenue as well. And at least I know now that the butcher wont laugh me off the premises when I go in...

And thanks Dubsie, I had heard they dont make good roast dinners so good you confirmed that!

And yes I am off to buy a couple more hens tomorrow to give the other girls a rest from the remaining cock (assuming he likes them!)

Thanks again everyone - I feel a little less bad about todays event and my cowardice. Maybe one day I will be able to go full circle with my homegrown.
 
bit of a black humour story - but my aunt's neighbours had a similiar problem coupled with a pair of competing cockerels with the early alarm call. My aunt finally brought up the subject (they were/are all good friends) so they apologised and 30 mins later, brought her over one of the cockerels... "culled".

which seeing as my aunt is wife to a farmer who shoots should have been fine but apparently she was a little.. shocked!!!
 
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