[Amy262]

Hi there!

We keep chickens, what was a few hens and a couple of eggs have led to a few hens and numerous cocks!

In our wisdom we decided to keep the cocks, fed them up with the intention of eating them ourselves, be self suffient and all that. Only i cannot find anyone anywhere that will deal with them for us (paid obviously) the butchers all won't because of the time it would take due to the quantiy of them (10) and we don't have the time or knowledge ourselves.

Anyone know some professionals somewhere near the Bury St Edmunds area?

[Sassy]

The alternative is to skin once dead and cut the breast and legs off, you then don't need to gut or pluck. It would be up to you wheter you decided to hang them or not, people have different ideas on this. This should take a couple of minutes per bird. I know it might be considered to be  little wasteful but it depends how precious your time is. For a butcher to pluck and gut for you they would need to charge you a small fortune. Also depending on the breed there may not be that much meat on them especially if they are egg layers rather than dual purpose or meat birds. 

[cornishgirl]

Do try and ask your local farmers - or ask at your local farm feed store if anyone can do this or show you how it is done. If not, their is plenty of advice and graphic information on this and other sites how to dispatch the birds yourself. Dispatching a bird is not difficult, but you need to have the right mind set to do it. I always do mine (if not an emergency) on a Sunday morning early while the world sleeps. I know my birds have had a good life so am more concerned that the method is quick.  A local farmer friend of mine told me to stun them first (a wack to the back of the head with a lump of wood) so that they go limp before you pull thier necks. This also makes them easier to pluck. Dressing birds is very easy, and should only take a few minutes, and is no worse than dealing with any offal based recipe. Again loads of advice available. It is one of those things that sounds and feels daunting until you actually do it - but actually you have to do it to become experienced. Good eating!

[orchardlady]

You could also try asking a local game keeper. If you don't feel up to the challenge he might let you practice on pheasants from his shoot...they are dead so you can't kill them twice and you might get the feet of how it's done.

As for the plucking it might be worth asking a local (good) restauranteur. They often pluck their pheasants and Guinea fowl. They could certainly show you how.

[SnooziSuzi]

I realise that this isn't near to where you live but Alison at Hook Farm runs an excellent kill, pluck and gut course.  I went on it 2 years ago and learned so much and it was very reasonably priced too  :happy:

http://www.chickenkeeper.co.uk/courses/