How soon do I need to process a despatched bird

Hope someone can help.

I remember as a kid, my Dad coming home with a freshly despatched rooster each Christmas - we lived in the City - that he'd hang in his workshop until he got around to processing.

I'm crazy busy with work, but I need to despatch 3-roosters but I'm not going to be able to get on and process them straight away.

How long can I leave it between despatch day and processing day ?

Thanks in advance!

Mart

I feel your dilemma, as I have four roosters that need to go ASAP.. but I leave them alive until I’m ready to do the rest of the job. I’m sure you could get away with some delay, especially in the cooler months, but the fresher the better in my mind..

Martin Clarke wrote: - that he'd hang in his workshop until he got around to processing.

If your dad's workshop was cool like a fridge then it is okay to leave for several days.

We hang our meat to let the blood drain.

This is usually overnight and then we move to a fridge.

In the olden days, meat markets would have meat hanging on display during the day at room temp.

So I would say this is all a personal choice.

The powers that be might disapprove and say something like "Meat always needs to be kept in the refrigerator".

I guess the problem that I've got Ted is that they have reached the point where they've become rather protective of certain hens but aggressive towards others, and I don't want to lose any of those.

I'm sure this is all 'nature' but it's the first time I've had roosters so it's all new to me...  

Anne Miller wrote:

Martin Clarke wrote: - that he'd hang in his workshop until he got around to processing.

If your dad's workshop was cool like a fridge then it is okay to leave for several days.

We hang our meat to let the blood drain.

This is usually overnight and then we move to a fridge.

In the olden days, meat markets would have meat hanging on display during the day at room temp.

So I would say this is all a personal choice.

The powers that be might disapprove and say something like "Meat always needs to be kept in the refrigerator".

    If it’s cool enough, I would leave the meat out.. but not with the guts in?!? And I usually scald and pluck before I do that so.. that’s my take.

Martin Clarke wrote:I guess the problem that I've got Ted is that they have reached the point where they've become rather protective of certain hens but aggressive towards others, and I don't want to lose any of those.

I'm sure this is all 'nature' but it's the first time I've had roosters so it's all new to me...  

I get it. Mine are hogging food and squabbling.. and worst of all flying right at my face when I open the chicken tractor. Both hands are occupied, and it would probably be a very funny scene to anyone watching. Probably should clip their wings.. here’s a pic of my wind proof chick tractor.

Thanks, Ted for mentioning that.

We would never hang meat without gutting, skinning, and cleaning the carcass with water.  

Without hanging the meat is much too bloody.

Our hunters sometimes do not leave the meat hanging long enough and when I thaw the meat I then have to drain it to get the rest of the blood out.

Edit to say that we don't pluck our chickens.  We "jerk their shirts off" aka skinning.

A chicken dispatched by a cut to the neck without prior stunning will bleed it out very thoroughly.  There is no need to hang a chicken to drain the blood after it's dead.

I have always plucked and gutted right away, but after that I like to leave my birds in the fridge for a few days at least.  1-1.5 days is needed to let rigor mortis relax.  The rest can be considered dry aging.  I've left them for 2 weeks and they've been totally fine.  The key is to keep them in circulating air, so don't cover them, especially in plastic.

If birds hang with the guts in, the meat tastes like shit.

Thanks for all the feedback.

I'm still pushed for time, so have moved 'the boys' into a separate run until I can get around to despatching them - hopefully next weekend...

Ted Abbey wrote:here’s a pic of my wind proof chick tractor.

Love it!

Hopefully you have either taken care of the birds, or otherwise dealt with the problem.
I have learned that you can kill, bleed, and skin pretty easily and quickly. (Gutting is included in there.) The birds can then be stored in the fridge until you can otherwise deal with them.

If you don't have enough time to do all of that, kill, bleed, and gut - then shove the feathered carcass into a bag and into a cold storage space (fridge, garage, whatever depending on your location).
I have had to toss a carcass because the roo was a killer (killed my other two roos and was going after a hen) and didn't have the time, space, or energy to otherwise deal. It saddened me about the waste, but you deal and move on.

In my experience, skinning is much *much* easier than plucking, unless you have the autopluckers, and I don't. Birds keep really well alive, as long as they don't kill themselves or each other.
Best thoughts about your Holiday Roosters.