Chicken Processing

We processed our first batch of birds this season! 16 chickens, and one turkey. It was my first experience with killing any sort of animal bigger than a mosquito, so needless to say I was a bit squeamish during the first few birds. By the end of the day the whole process became rather interesting. I'll spare you the more gruesome pictures, so no need to be nervous while scrolling down. There will be some blood and chicken parts in regards to the "before & after" aspect, but nothing you haven't seen in the meat section of your grocer.

We set up the processing station at the back side of the barn. In the future we will have a legit setup with a concrete slab and a roof over everything to keep the rain and sun out, but for now (since it's our first at-home processing) we needed a place with electricity and water; a.k.a. the barn. Taking a bird from the field to the table is comprised of three steps:

1) The Kill

There are different schools of thought about how to dispatch a bird. Anything from a simple chop to the neck, to electrically shocking the birds to stun them. We practice the simplest and most humane way with the use of "kill-cones" to allow the bird to bleed out as quickly and painlessly as possible. With the use of this technique, the bird is asleep in six seconds. For our setup, we used traffic cones and widened the opening at the top to accommodate the size of the bird being processed. (i.e.-different cones for chickens vs. turkeys vs. geese, et cetera.) Here is our setup pictured to the left. It's important to catch the runoff so that Aslan doesn't acquire a taste for chickens, but mostly because it is very rich in nutrients and can be put into our gardens to help fertilize.

2) Feather Plucking


Plucking the feathers by hand is a difficult, time consuming, irritating process. Luckily with a bit of ingenuity, we were able to put together a "Whiz-Bang Chicken Plucker™." The plucker comes in a kit consisting of an electric motor, reduction gear, and all the rubber fingers necessary. The rest is up to the builder to decide the design best fit for the operation. It was rather fun building the machine with Whitt and I must say it turned out beautifully. I'll be posting an entry all about how we built the plucker for those who are interested, but for now you get to see it in action! Here is a picture of the plucker.

The actual plucking process is comprised of two steps. First, we dunk the bird into hot soapy water (146˚F). The soap helps the water penetrate the feathers and reach the skin ultimately loosening the feathers. After the dunk, it's into the plucker they go! The plucker can handle up to four birds, depending on their size. The sides of the machine are stationary while the base spins, causing the plucking action to occur. The feathers all come off and head down a shoot where they are collected for compost. Check out the videos below to see the whole process in real-time!

3) Evisceration

Now, here's where things get interesting. After plucking, the heads and feet are removed. This was my job. We saved the feet to make chicken stock, the heads we composted. From there the birds go into a cool water bath to bring the temperature down. Out of the cool water bath the necks are removed as well as the internals. Mia and Martha took care of this process. We saved the necks to be added to the chicken stock, and Mia and Martha delicately located and removed the chicken livers to make paté hors d'oevures. After the bird has been completely eviscorated, into an ice bath they go for 24 hours. The ice bath cools the birds and gets them ready for packaging and freezing.

Mia and Martha at work!

Mia removing the entrails.

Martha doing the final inspection before placing the
birds in the white cooler full of ice behind her.

And there you have it! For more pictures (including the more graphic pictures) of this or any other happenings on the farm, feel free to visit our blog photo album here!

The Miracle of Powerwashing

Here are some great examples of how much a good power-washing makes dirty things come back to life!

The machine.

The difference.

The before.

And the after.

Eva Update!

A few weeks ago we came down to the barn in the evening to find little Eva with a broken leg. She was all over the barn yard that day romping around and playing with Samuel, so it was heartbreaking to see her having a hard time walking. Keeping with the Ledford tradition of animal emergencies only happening during holiday events or parties, we were celebrating Lillian's birthday. Since it was Saturday, the vet was closed. Fortunately Lillian's boyfriend Howard is an avid outdoors-man and is skilled in field dressing breaks and wounds. He was able to set Eva's leg and wrap it up with splints and athletic tape. On Monday we brought her to Dr. Hagan's office to make sure the make-shift cast will hold. With a thumbs-up from the vet we brought Eva home. Even though her leg is broken, she still keeps up with her brother!

Thanks to Howard for helping get Eva all bandaged up! She's due back at the vet in a few weeks for a new cast since she will soon outgrow the current one. We'll keep you up-to-date on her progress.

Snake Vs. Aslan

Aslan has proven to be magical in his ability to seek out anything that doesn't belong in the barnyard. At times this can be a bit annoying when the item he finds are things someone has forgotten down at the barn.

For example: I accidentally left an umbrella in the barn
after the evening lock-up and found
it the next morning in five different
pieces strewn about the field...........

Although a nuisance at times, this trait of Aslan's has proven to be invaluable when it comes to his duty as barn guardian. His most important find so far was discovered yesterday!

It's a copperhead!

This is not a "catch and release" type of situation up on the farm.
Copperheads are venomous pit vipers and pose a huge threat
to both us and our livestock. Imagine if poor little Eva accidentally
stepped on this gal. These snakes are notorious for biting first,
asking questions never whereas rattle snakes will warn you of there
presence long before it takes action.

Even long after the head is removed, the mouth still opens and closes.
The fangs and venom sacs still contain venom, so we have to dispose of
the snakes very carefully.

The best way to prevent any of our dogs finding the snake and
contracting it's venom is to bag it up and freeze it until the next
dump run.

Aslan is 100% o.k. He fought this mighty serpent valiantly for his herd and stands to ensure their safety for another day. Needless to say, he's received a lot of treats.

Meet Our Sheep!

Say hello to the new addition to our herd! (Right to left) Mikey, Noel, and Flora have come to us via a local farm.

Funny story: These sheep are proof that the world is in fact a small one. Whitt and Martha had a fairly substantial mob many years ago, however when raising four girls became the main priority the flock was considerably downsized. Now, years later, it turns out that these three sheep are descendants of the original flock that was parceled out! Their parents and grandparents used to live here! How wild is that?

We'll be using these sheep for their wool. Martha spins the wool and has a couple different sized looms for weaving rugs, blankets, things of that nature. We will also use the lambs for meat.

Stay tuned for updates on these guys! They have had a very warm welcoming so far!

Aslan seems pleased after the first "meet'n greet."