[Debbieta]

Hi guys (and girls!)
My daughter is 21 years old, and she is fab.  Luckily she is a chefs assistant so is hand with sharp implements! She is also very matter of fact with the whole process.  So far we (royal of course!) have culled, plucked then hung birds upside down (on the bike handles) with throat slit over a garden tub for an hour or so, to bleed, before gutting.  After we have put the carcass in the fridge to go through the meat relaxing process for a couple of days.
Have I read correctly, that if we 'skin' the carcass rather than pluck, all the feathers come away with the skin?  Have to say this would be alot quick and just as easy to cook afterwards
Amazing what you can learn 

[pepsi100]

it may seem a daft question, but where could anyone go to learn how to kill, pluck and dress any birds ?

Its not the sort of thing you just go to night school or a local farm to learn about

I couldnt walk in to a butchers shop, we dont have any near me any more and Tesco definately wont show me, same as farms, few and far between

[Spana]

it may seem a daft question, but where could anyone go to learn how to kill, pluck and dress any birds ?
Its not the sort of thing you just go to night school or a local farm to learn about

You can find places that do that sort of thing but it might mean that you have to have a night or two in a B&B.  Or if you are having a holiday in this country see if there are any coarses going on while you are in your holiday area. Its a skill worth having
Down here you can go to night school to learn about that sort of thing

Debbieta, I'm doing some pheasants this afternoon I'll get a couple of photos for you, but yes the feathers come off with the skin. The only down side is for roasting you really need the skin on. Skinned breast meat can be wrapped in bacon if you want to cook them whole in the oven.

I only pluck and roast cockerels who are 24-30weeks old. Before that they dont carry enough fat to make a good roaster but are excellent for quicker or wetter cooking.

Edited to add, all mine are traditional breeds so need to be 24weeks , if you have a proper meat bird they will roast at anything from 10weeks.

[ANHBUC]

it may seem a daft question, but where could anyone go to learn how to kill, pluck and dress any birds ?

A quick search online brought this one up.  You may find somewhere closer that does the same.

www.chickenkeeper.co.uk/courses/learn-humane-chicken-killing-technique.php

[Debbieta]

Hi pepsi100
Luckily a chap from one of the chicken suppliers dispatched our first chicken due to ill health and showed my daughter 'how' and why to use different methods, talking her through various ways depending if an ill chicken had particular problems ie broken leg etc.  He offered to show her in the future if whe was interested.  However, my brother keeps chickens and quail (yep that's how we became hooked) and when we were there he showed my daughter how to dispatch quail. She also want to know how to catch and dispatch/gut trout, but that's a whole different story.
As our first cockerel was young'ish  (18/19 weeks) and fairly light in weight at point of dispatch and not long after instruction, she felt confident and managed very well (considering I'm a little squeamish!).  I think half the battle is confidence and also be prepared that if it didn't quite work first time that you would still have the bottle to finish the job off if necessary.  We were told to have broom to hand 'just in case' as back up, not to worry and just get on with the task calmly.
Even at this age he had a good amount of meat on him, and it was good to know he had had a very happy life.
Spana ...  photos would be great,  hmm.. now pheasant that will get my daughter thinking on a whole different tangent.  I'm just thinking .. tasty

[pepsi100]

it may seem a daft question, but where could anyone go to learn how to kill, pluck and dress any birds ?

A quick search online brought this one up.  You may find somewhere closer that does the same.

www.chickenkeeper.co.uk/courses/learn-humane-chicken-killing-technique.php

Thanks for that link, I reckon I will be needing those skills at some point, I know I wont always have hens, even with the 'hens' I have just bought, I think some of them will be cocks, and as much as I like them, I only really need one

[Craigx]

This has been a interesting read, but if possible, would anyone be able put a detailed description (and videos) from start to finish, (including the things you think not important?)

Id love to do my own birds, but so worried of messing up and ruining it and putting my self off chicken!

Craig

[joyfull]

Craig it is best to be shown by a competent person (my uncle was a game keeper so I was often around watching him cull rabbits, partridges, pheasants etc) so try and go on a course where you will be shown and then get a hands on try.

[Craigx]

Hey joyful,

Hope you are well? I can cull a bird, very quick and painless, but its the actual gutting/de-feathering that im worried about,

Finding a course is quite hard and the ones that i do find, are miles away, which until im driving is quite difficult, sadly.

Plus I have to admit,  watching and reading is sometimes better for me, as i can repeat it as many times i need to for it to sink in.. (this is how i learnt how to do stuff after i failed school)

Craig

[joyfull]

I did once put a video of plucking and gutting on here - will try and find it again for you 

[Craigx]

Thank you

Craig

[JaK]

Have I read correctly, that if we 'skin' the carcass rather than pluck, all the feathers come away with the skin?  Have to say this would be alot quick and just as easy to cook afterwards

 Yes, I skin ours and is is much faster and less of a fiddle. If you want to roast it's better to pluck though.

[pepsi100]

I have gutted and skinned rabbits (there was a time you could buy them in the local pub, dont see that any more, in fact dont see rabbit anywhere much these days, they are all Chinese)

But even though I have had chickens for years, I have never had to kill one, the local petting farm used to take my cockerals, they had a petting farm at my last job (just to keep the locals happy and so everyone would think they were 'green' (as if an airport could ever be seen as 'green'

The course at Hook farm seems ideal, so as soon as they get their course dates online, I'll go along, I am surprised that there arent more courses like this in other parts of the country (but maybe a local farm would bve able to show anyone)

It would also be handy for any game birds, I think, or pigeons (i get offered them quite a few times) but I think that only the breat is taken on them

[Craigx]

pepsi, some poultry auctions allow dead rabbits , i know penkridge and bridgnorth does.

Craig

[pepsi100]

pepsi, some poultry auctions allow dead rabbits , i know penkridge and bridgnorth does.

Craig

Probably do, but no car at the moment, when I get back from all my travelling, I can start getting out to all these places, markets, auctions

I'm off again soon