Slaughtering a chicken
Slaughtering a Chicken in 3 easy Steps
Once you’ve killed the chicken, you are left with a feathery ball with legs on it. The problem now is how to slaughter the chicken without leaving too much of a mess. For slaughtering a chicken you need the following utensils.
- A bucket
- A large pan/bucket with hot water
- working gloves/rubber gloves
- a scalpel or a sharp knife
- preferably a garden, cause things will get messy
Slaughter chicken step one
Take the chicken by the legs and dip it in the hot water long enough to loosen up the feathers. Start plucking at one of the legs and upwards until you’re left with only skin and fine hairs.Put all the feathers in the bucket. (try to keep it clean!)
To get rid of the hairs there is a trick. Take a gas torch and burn them away. Or just ignore the hairs, they’ll burn off in the oven anyway.
Step two: the intestines
This is where it gets a bit messy. Take your scalpel or sharp knife and make an incision around the anus of the chicken. Open up the cavity until you can see the intestines. Press out the last poo and put your fingers inside. Try to make the opening larger until your whole hand fits in.
Now pull out the intestines. Carefully at first, don’t rupture the bowls. Mostly eggs will come out too . Empty the chicken out until your fingers reach the top of the chicken’s breast. Push your fingers down on the Spine and scrape the last of the intestines out. Put everything in the bucket.
You can clean it all out with a water hose.
Slaughtering a chicken step three: Make it look nice
Cut the head off. 
Break the joints of the chicken’s legs and cut off the feet at the achilles heel.
Pack the skin at the back end together into the cavity.
Now you have successfully slaughtered the chicken and made it ready for roasting!
Chicken Nesting Boxes
Happy Chickens need comfy Nesting Boxes
Keeping happy chickens increases egg count and egg quality. This does not only mean the right feed , a large chicken coop and run. A happy chicken must feel secure and comfortable. The nesting boxes area is an important feature of a successful chicken coop.
How to achieve this?
Build separate Chicken Nesting Boxes
Chickens are social animals and social animals need privacy. This is no joke! Studies proves that chickens in separate nest boxes lay more and cleaner eggs. Communal nesting areas bring a certain degree off stress, some chickens ‘seek shelter’ and build a nest in a corner on the floor. Result: dirty eggs, straw all over the place and in some cases the chickens eat their own eggs. This we do not want.
Suggestions for building nesting boxes
- The lazy box: A cardboard box does the trick. Make sure you have the bottom side covered so the straw and the eggs stay inside the box. Weak spot: They get ruined easily.
- The paid solution: A farm store sells nesting boxes for 10-15 bucks a piece. As I am a DIY kind of guy, this is not an option for me. Weak spot: They cost too much.
- Plastic crates: Milk crates or beer crates make great nesting boxes. Cut out the inside of the crates and put straw in them. Easy fix. Good feature: A plastic crate can be easily hung to a wall.
- The proper DIY nesting box: Takes a bit of work and wood, but in my opinion this is the best solution. For plans click here
Placement of the nesting boxes
This is more of a practical thing. Make sure they are easily accessed. A hatch behind the boxes for easy egg collecting is a good idea.
Also see to it that the boxes are not in a draughty place in the coop. Of course ventilation is vital. An elevated nesting box can be a good plan. This way the airflow in the coop is optimal.
Finally, always see that the boxes are filled with plenty of straw and that they have a rim to keep the eggs inside the box. Clean regularly.
Tip: put a plastic tray at the bottom of the box for easy cleaning.
For more of the best chicken advice Click here
For those who want to ‘go pro’ I’ve listed some chicken nest products below:
Build your own Poultry Feeder
How to build a Poultry Feeder (cheapo style)
Going in and out of the chicken run every day to feed my girls was fun in the beginning, but as the days grow shorter and mornings are colder, it was no longer my idea of fun. What to do, what to do?
A poultry feeder was the only solution. But the proud cheapskate I am, it had to come free or much cheaper than in the local animal store.
So here we go:
Build a Bucket Feeder
- Get a bucket, a used standard five gallon (20 liter) plastic bucket will do. Empty it, clean it. Make one inch (or 2 cm) holes at the bottom of the bucket, every hole set 2,5 inches apart.
- Get a pot plant dish (plastic) attach it it to the bottom of the bucket. You can glue it or fix it with bolts and nuts.
- Put the feed in and you’re done.
Chicken feeders must stay dry and clean
An elevated chicken feeder keeps the feed a bit cleaner. Attach the poultry feeder with some string on the hinges to the ceiling of your chicken coop. Don’t hang it up too high though.
The feeder can be used inside and outside, just put a lid on the bucket for protecting you poultry feed from getting wet or contaminated.
NOTE: You will want to keep pests out and the feed dry. If you only have a small amount of chickens, I advise you to not fill the feeder to the rim.
If you are not the DIY kind of person, not to worry. Below I have listed some affordable alternatives.
