[Azzdodd]

Earlier in the year I bought 3 embden goslings turned out 2 ganders and a goose but the goose has pretty bad angel wing so there all for the table I plan on doing them on sat (my bum can't take no more bites) how is the best way to attack the 3 things in the heading

[Hevxxx99]

I find the best way is the "broomstick method". This is easiest done with two people but possible with one.

Catch up the goose, take it somewhere the others can't see (or you'll never catch the others: they aren't stupid!)turn it upside down holding the legs and supporting the weight with one hand on the breast. Have the legs and belly towards your body.  Lower the bird so the head and top of neck are on the ground with the chin,as it were, on the ground and put a broomstick or similar over the neck just behind the skull. Tread down on one end as you do this to keep it in place and then stand on the other once the neck is in position, so you have one foot either side of the goose's head.  Then swiftly and forcefully pull upwards.  You should feel the neckbone give quite distinctly and it is unlikely you'll pull the head off! It'll flap a fair bit, but should bleed into the neck cavity.  To be sure, though, I usually cut the throat right down to the bone and let it bleed freely.  Messy, but 100% sure.  Another method is simply hold the goose down, hit it hard on the head with the back of an axe, turn the axe over and lop the head off. I don't like that method much myself though.

Plucking: best to get as much out as you can while it is still warm.  I have some great "rosin" stuff from France which pulls them all out in clumps which is a godsend as geese have so MANY feathers and tonnes of down and it takes forever!  Finish off by running a blowtorch over the skin quickly and carefully to get rid of hairs and any remaining bits of down and then wiping over with an oiled cloth for a nice sheen and to remove the soot.  I hang mine for around a week at Christmas: I think a little less this time of year as it is much warmer.  Goes without saying, leave the innards in until you're ready to use or freeze.

Good luck!

[MAK]

I kill our large muscovies as above ( mind you don't pull too hard as I pulled the head off once - very messy ( I needed a shower)).
Ensure wings have crossed as a mature bird will have less new feathers emerging from the skin.
 Chop off the wing tips and head and remove the feet at the knee joint.
Dip the bird in scalding hot water and use a stick to pull the feathers upwards to ensure the water gets on the skin. A glove may make life easier.
Pull the long tail and wing feathers first then start at the tail of the bird and "peel" the feathers upwards against the grain. Keep some down feathers on your fingers to get a good grip and to rub any residual small feathers.a dry rub should remove all.

[harry]

i use an air rifle or pistol..... get a road cone cut a bit off the tip to make about a 3" hole.... tie it to a fence upside down about 2 feet from the SOFT GROUND have the rifle ready loaded....lower gooses neck though the road cone so its head is chin upwards on the soft ground fire the rifle point blank though its chin towards the top of it head though the brain area..... reload and fire again ...... cone stops bruising meat by wing flapping.... soft groung takes the pellet to safety........ ime using my 410 shotgun this year for extra instant kill.... any good gun will do an instant kill............. if you are doing this every year in future this is easy clean and instant... the pellet hole in the head allows bleeding .............. if doing several yearly look up waxing...youll need a baby burco boiler .... a large lump of raw bees wax from a bee keeper...... i got a boiler from a car boot and an old tall fridge for £5 to hang them in when its warm or to many flies about.this killing method is good for most birds.... turkeys ducks hens etc