Impromptu butchering

Well, a few days ago I went out to take care of the chickens, and one of the meat birds was dead (most likely of congestive heart failure). Determined I needed to start taking their food away for 12 hours a day so they don't keep eating themselves to death. The next day I went back out again and one was nearly dead. So I got my husband and we quick chopped the guy's head off. Then I got the pleasure of plucking and gutting it. Which was, you know, the first time I've ever done that. Considering it was my first time and it was on the fly, I don't think I did too bad!


(Did you notice he has no wings? Yeah. That's because I tired plucking the wing feathers and I was like FORGET THIS). I was worried I didn't get him bled enough, so I salted him inside and out before I wrapped him up in foil (to draw out any remaining blood). Then he sat in my fridge for a couple days so his meat would be nice and tender. Today I turned him into chicken and noodles!



It was delicious! There's homemade mashed potatoes under there. It's the ONLY way to eat chicken and noodles, I swear.



So good. I ate two big bowls. I would eaten more if I could have fit it in my stomach. My 8 year old cautiously took a bite of chicken and then declared it was delicious and devoured it. She said it was "like store chicken, only probably a little better." It did taste pretty similar to store bought chicken, but lighter? Cleaner? Different, but hard to pinpoint. Pretty cool, though. I raised that chicken from one day old to my table.

Monday I'm going to see about having the pullets processed next week. I eagerly await their frying.