***No chickens were killed during the making of this post. YET.
"Using What We Have" is generally code for a FRUGAL Post.
It doesn't get more frugal than raising your own meat chickens.
We got chicks back in March (THE NUGGETS as we've called them.) ...and we bought them with the good intentions of raising them for meat.
They are roughly 20 weeks old now...which I've come to understand is already old for meat chickens. Not too old to make broilers out of... but they might not be good for grilling as they may have already become tough. We'll see.
This is our first go around with this. If we're successful, hopefully, we will be; and we will do it again in the spring!
We decided if we're going to do this we need to get going on it--(probably should have done this sooner, I know.) We HAVE read up on killing chickens... it may sound bad when you say it that way-- but, it is what it is. The fastest and easiest way to get rid of the feathers (which is the tedium of killing chickens) is with a CHICKEN PLUCKER. This would NOT be a FRUGAL POST if we had bought one of these contraptions. NO.
So we are building our own; and are not out any money.
So far we've gathered, from around our place:
A pallet or skid.
A composite plastic rain barrel.
With a Sawz-All, we The Honey, cut it in 1/2 and then removed the bottom out of it.
We found a motor in the shed... that is a work still in progress.
We (and yes,besides making a MATERIALS LIST, I helped on this part) broke the pallet apart and cut and screwed the boards together for the frame of our Chicken Plucker.
We added a board for stability and two more for the shaft/rod to go through that turns the inside of the machine.
...And that's as far as we've gotten.
Not pictured we also have another pulley and an aluminum plate for the inside. We've still got to put the rubber "fingers" inside that do the plucking while the chicken is in the spin cycle.
While we worked on it today...the flock was close by. The regular flock is mixed in with 'THE NUGGETS'. They seemed to stay close by the barrel. They are clueless.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
10 comments:
I look forward to reading more about your progress. I helped a friend butcher 40 birds recently and she borrowed a plucker from another friend. It sure made things go FAST. Your poor nuggets are clueless. Lol
We took our chickens to a butcher, but in the future I may ask to watch.
So how did it turn out? Great idea, kudos for it, I've already emailed it to three of my friends, we all want to get chickens to raise for meat, but the pluckers were too expensive!
Jan @ door251
I have been wondering how well the plucker works. I process my own chickens and I find that after dipping the carcass in scalding water the feathers come off pretty easily. So I haven't worried about the plucker. But I would love to hear how it works :)
They are curious creatures, I suppose, not realizing this has to do with their eventual demise.
We raised our chickens for meat when I was a teen, the feathers came off with much pulling after being dunked in hot water. My dad obviously didn't know about chicken pluckers back then. Hopefully this will make your job much easier. If I lived close I would come by to help you kill and clean your chickens.
Hug,s Cindy
I'm totally intrigued. I am not picturing how this will do the job, but I'm trusting you're on the right path and will wait to see!
Oh gosh, everyone is raising their own chickens but me! I'm taking all ya'll's names and addresses so when the banks fail and all these ridiculous food prices continue out of sight I will have someone to train me in the fine art of raising and killing chickens. I'm gonna be hungry and my huge stash of cherry Coke and canned soup is going to grow old quick. My mom had to wring the chicken's necks back in her day to kill them so they could have a good chicken dinner, and I just don't think I could muster the mental strength. Raised in wimpier times. I'm dying to see the rest of this story. And wow, you just happened to have a motor in the shed and the know how to create such a contraption!? Such ingenuity! Tell me more! And Pat, you just crack me up with your comments at my blog. My blog bores in comparison to your endeavors!
Liz
Oh, I'm a big old whimp!!! Cripes I would be naming them and then I'd never be able to do them in. Yep, I love eating chicken, but I'm one of those people that want to think chickens just show up in grocery stores! You have a great holiday weekend!
Carol
Oh my Pat. I found myself laughing and then horrified that I was because all I could think of was the chickens watching their "plucker" being built or as I was thinking of it in my mind, their destiny. I am a wimp and am with the commenter who would name them all and celebrate their birthdays too! I find this fascinating nevertheless. You never cease to amaze me! And make me laugh! Ann
Oh my gosh and I really want to ask how do you (whisper) kill them? I feel absolutely foolish for asking, yet want to know. (I saw the Sarah Palin Turkey video!) Ann
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