We're having Chicken tonight dear! - Not for the squeamish :)

[Cobweb]

Last year I got 7 chicks from my flock, two chicks had to be slaughtered as one broke it's leg and the other got mauled by a cot (you may remember the thread)

Anyway, they have been growing nicely all over the autumn and winter and out of the five that were left, I only had one Cockerel! I was very happy about that

We Slaughtered him last night - complete ninja mission into the coop with a paraffin lantern and then around the side of the house to have his head off.

After he had drained for an hour, we plucked him in a bin bag because of the mess and here is a pic of him hanging up to drain some more and to tenderise the meat for a week

 

[DavidJT]

Good to see people so in touch with where there food comes from. How are you going to cook him?

 

[Toddy]

Is there a reason you're going to hang him for a week ? He's not that old ? Normally I'd get him into the pot and never mind hanging around tbh.

What are you going to do with the feathers ?

cheers,
M

 

[Cobweb]

Oh, ok! the people I lived with who had chickens left them for a week before hanging, but you're right, they tended to be ex layers

I've dumped the body feathers. they were too muddy to be of much use, the other tail feathers are now part of a costume and the wing feathers - I might use them for flights.

I might do Sunday dinner but looking at him, he's not that big so I might make a stew or something instead, or just quarter and freeze as portions...

 

[Toddy]

Folks don't do this much now, but when I was little male chicks were turned into Capons.
When it was time to cook it the bird was simmered for about an hour in a stockpot and then lifted out and put into a big ashet and stuffed then roasted.
The simmering water became the stock for soup. The bird was cooked and roasted quickly but not dried out.
The next day the skin and bones were simmered up again for adding to any left over soup to make a meal the next day too, with the little bits of meat from the wings and ribs and the jelly added in to it. Usually that was a kind of chicken stew with herby doughballs. Tasty and filling.

Waste not want not Folks really did like meat 'cooked' back then though.
Just an idea.

Good on you though, from egg to a roast chicken dinner, nice one

atb,
M

 

[Melonfish]

Folks don't do this much now, but when I was little male chicks were turned into Capons.
When it was time to cook it the bird was simmered for about an hour in a stockpot and then lifted out and put into a big ashet and stuffed then roasted.
The simmering water became the stock for soup. The bird was cooked and roasted quickly but not dried out.
The next day the skin and bones were simmered up again for adding to any left over soup to make a meal the next day too, with the little bits of meat from the wings and ribs and the jelly added in to it. Usually that was a kind of chicken stew with herby doughballs. Tasty and filling.

Waste not want not Folks really did like meat 'cooked' back then though.
Just an idea.

Good on you though, from egg to a roast chicken dinner, nice one

atb,
M

my keyboard just shorted out because of all the drool....
i do fancy chucks but its so urban here they wouldn't have the room and the neighbours would always complain.

 

[Toddy]

Went looking for a how to capon a cockeral chick........maybe no' such a good idea

http://www.afn.org/~poultry/capon.htm



cheers,
Toddy

 

[dave k]

Lol - that's not cooking, that's amateur surgery!

 

[BushEd]

Went looking for a how to capon a cockeral chick........maybe no' such a good idea

http://www.afn.org/~poultry/capon.htm



cheers,
Toddy

Is it me or was that a link for how Castrate a cockrel?!

Is that the same thing...doesn't sound like your meal, that sounded tasty...this sounds...horrifying lol!!!

 

[Toddy]

It is how to turn a cockeral into a capon.
By doing so what would have been a stringy non egg laying, extra, bird in the hen run, weighing in at most around 3kgs, grows into a fat healthy, meaty capon of about 6kgs.

Savage surgery to do though I'd have thought it illegal nowadays.
I did wonder why we didn't see capons in the shops anymore.
I didn't realise that the testes were up near it's back. I suppose I thought like a lamb or the like that a wee elastic band could take care of the issue.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[phill_ue]

Looks like it will produce a fine sized tasty bird, but the thought of removing an animals' jacobs sets me on edge! I suppose I can sympathise, my wife had mine off years ago!

And DIY surgery? Whatever next?! That cannot be legal t practise these days, I wonder how much it'd cost to get it done professionally? It'd probably not be cost effective in the long run!

 

[Toddy]

Might be a good time for an organic farmer to look into it though.
Capons were really popular (and relatively expensive but considered well worth it) before factory farmed tasteless turkey became the thing to have for Christmas dinner. A good capon was better meat, a good size without being ridiculous and less greasy than goose.

Still quite taken aback that that's how it's done. Trust the Romans

cheers,
Toddy

 

[phill_ue]

I seem to remember Capons being mentioned in James Clavells' book Shogun which I read many years ago, but I never knew what a capon was back then! They do sound pretty tasty!

 

[FGYT]

Capons are illegal now

think the latest method whas a chemical pill inserted to do the same job still not allowed

ATB

Duncan

 

[phill_ue]

I had to google that Duncan, it seems it isn't illegal to import them and there are places in UK that do, it's just illegal to remove its' conkers!

 

[susi]

my keyboard just shorted out because of all the drool....

I think Toddy's link has stopped the juices flowing?

 

[Toddy]

Thanks for the info FGYT I must admit I did wonder about it's legality nowadays.

I found an American smallholding type site that says professional capon making folks can do one bird a minute. No hanging around getting traumatised for long at that rate.

cheers,
Toddy