The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: suziequeue on September 16, 2014, 07:46:30 am
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I am confused!!
I am in the process of gradually dispatching our "crop" of cockerels from this year's hatches. I have been plucking, gutting and jointing them immediately after despatch because if I leave them to hang then they get rigor mortis, don't do so well in the plucker and gutting them is like trying to fish something out of the inside of a violin.
I understand that if I leave them hang for long enough, the rigor mortis resolves.
Can anybody advise on this and give me some kind of timeline with regard to how long they could/should hang for?
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I kill then immediately pluck while warm. Leave to 'hang' in the fridge for 2-5 days depending on when I get time to dress. Don't know how long for rigor to wear off as one is waiting dressing from Saturday and is stiff. Hoping I'll get him done tonight. To be honest I haven't taken notice as to whether they just stay stiff or not ???
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at normal room temperatures rigor should set in within 2-3 hours and last for 24-48 hours.
the time is effected by ambient temperature so can last longer if refrigerated or hung in a nice cool outhouse etc...
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I've hung them at (autumn) room (shed) temps for 3 or so days and they are easy to draw then. The meat is far better if you hang for a while. I did experiment with scalding them which made plucking 100 times easier but then you have a warm chicken so I think if I was going to hang it back up, I would want to do so in a fridge.
I suspect my ultimate method will be to source and old but working tall fridge and then kill, bleed, scald, pluck, hang in fridge for 5 or so days then draw and dress for the freezer / eating.
This year I have managed to pick up an old Burco boiler cheap which I hope will allow me to keep the scalding temp constant rather than having to re-heat for each bird.