Misc Potential older Chicken Cull and processing advice-Bird Flu in Ireland

[Melodi]

Hi - well, Ireland has another bird flu outbreak; thankfully not one transmitted to humans but as happened a few years ago they now have an "indoor lockup" order for birds.

At the moment, due to the Season, the weather and husband being ill; we are just keeping them locked up in their pens but that may not be enough.

With everyone having a "herd" number I'm expecting a letter in the next few days with specifics.

But if we seriously have to lock the bird totally inside; well it looks like a big chicken cull is in order and I don't have that much freezer space at the moment.

I am thinking of taking the two birds I have left in the freezer from the fall cull and doing them in the Insta pot to shred up and refreeze (or can) cooked.

I am not sure how many of our Winter Birds we may have to slaughter - I am trying to think of a place to put them. But if we can't convert the old stable or something; then we are probably looking at space for maybe 3 to 5 birds max and I think I have like 12.

I want to really avoid what happened in the Fall where husband got to tired and I ended up trying to wash 5 birds put in the fridge all stiff and horrible; then stuff them in the freezer.

So if anyone has any ideas for older stewing hens let me know; last time this happened there was a danger to people so I had husband shoot the birds while he was home and bury them wearing a masque and gloves (with old clothing that could be thrown away or put right away in a high temp wash cycle).

This time there is no need to be so wasteful; if we are really lucky just keeping them in the totally enclosed run will be enough.

But I won't know for sure until they publish official rules which due to the holiday wasn't happening in Ireland probably before next week.

Also, I thought this could be fun thread for older hen/rooster recipes...

 

[LC]

When doing older hens, what I refer to as retired hens or the accompanying redundant roos, I prefer to stew them and then can them. The meat doesn't seem overcooked and is instantly ready to use. I reduce the broth to a 1/3 or 1/4 and can it as well. Good luck. I usually kill one day, cook the next and can the third day.

 

[summerthyme]

I made a big batch (53 pints!) of chicken stew from a bunch of old laying hens (some were 3 years old) and some younger "extra" cockerels a few weeks ago. I boned out the breasts and thighs and made stew from that. The rest I cooked down thoroughly, used the broth for soup, and canned the meat and smaller bones for dog/cat food.

Older hens make fantastic stew, and can up really well- the meat holds it's shape and texture, rather than getting stringy and falling apart. If you do this, just cook the stew JUST until it's essentially heated through, and then can it up. If you want some for meals now, keep it out and continue cooking it to tenderness.

You could do them in the Insta-pot and shred the larger portions of meat for some sort of barbeque chicken.

When I make stew, I dredge the meat chunks in seasoned flour (flour, a good portion of seasoned salt, some poultry seasoning, and usually a small pinch of red pepper), saute them in butter, then add water to cover and simmer until done. When I want to can it, I add the water, simmer it until it thickens a bit (generally, the flour dredging is enough to make a thin gravy without any added fussing) and then immediately put it into jars to can.

Summerthyme

 

[Melodi]

Great ideas - should I do the meat in butter and FLOUR even if I am going to cann it? It looks like that is what you are doing - I think that would be nicer than what happened the first (and only) time I tried canning chicken. No one would eat the watery, kind of mealy results - well the cats enjoyed it but the humans not so much.

But since husband and I like chicken and dumplings, it sounds like the flour and butter trick would work - he can't eat red pepper but he can eat pink pepper (not a true pepper) and he can handle some bell pepper. So that might be the way to go - thanks

LC - I like the one a day method - that experience in the Fall almost put me off chicken, in fact a litter of sick rescue kittens ate most of what we slaughtered because even smell revolted me for a time. It was just too much, too fast and too pressed for time.

Of course if we have to do a number at once; at least this time we've got a better idea of what it takes - and to have husband just skin them all (much faster than plucking) because even the "special" one he plucked and thought was ready was still full of poo and some feathers when I washed it - not his fault he was just working too fast (and I found out later he needed new contacts lol).

One reason I'm not sure how many extra chickens we have is that my Dog walker guy is also a chicken fanatic and has pretty much taken over the flock - with my permission he gave away nearly all the really young birds (as in two months or less) to other farmers because we only wanted to over-Winter his Banties (that he couldn't keep) and a few laying hens plus a rooster. But I think it is more like between 12 and 20 (we had 40 too many); and the space in those houses locked up would suit about 5 or 6 max. And the little Bantum brothers have to be kept separated from the big hens and my older rooster; and I really do have to keep the little jocks alive to keep my chicken/Dog guy happy (he's a lovely young man, not retarded but sort of one of the world's innocents - he accepts we have to kill birds and eat them; but can't actually slaughter himself).

 

[LC]

Melodi, I have not canned young birds, only those who take HOURS of stewing to get to the point I can get the meat off the bones. That meat doesn't seem mealy to me when canned. I generally mix white and dark in a jar so if the white gets a bit mealy I don't seem to notice. Of course, different people, different taste buds. lol

Good luck. I am sorry you have having to kill laying birds. That always hurts.

 

[summerthyme]

Melodi... yes, I use the flour dredging method for canning. I use it for chicken, beef and pork... it gives a nice "meat in gravy" result, and it cans up beautifully. You can use it as it is, straight from the jar, on potatoes or biscuits, or make pot pie, or heat it in a kettle and add dumplings... very versatile.

And yes, skinning them is absolutely the way to go if you're going to be stewing them up anyway. That's how we did the bunch of surplus cockerels, and it worked really well.

Summerthyme

 

[Melodi]

Thanks guys, at the moment we have them carefully locked in their pens which are totally covered in chicken wire - however I don't know if that will be enough and it probably depends on just how bad the outbreak is considered to be.

With food and mouth; when our sheep got out and I was in the hospital having emergency surgery the police were nice enough to give us 24 hours or it would be a fine worth more than our house! I sent him home with his friend from the Deep South USA (a former cop) and they shot them and buried them. We had to let the meat go under the circumstances; since then we have not had sheep.

But that was a really bad situation; this one so far seems less so or it could simply be that for the most part no one does anything in Ireland until after January 2nd...(this year anyway because it is the legal holiday).