Post by solargeek1 on May 30, 2012 10:46:42 GMT -7
DINK ON LIVESTOCK
I got 3 miniature Irish Dexter Bull calves today. Was only going to get 1, but decided why not take all 3? I can keep the best for my herd bull, since I want a few head of miniature cattle as I posted about on SHTF. And it won't take much feed, just grass out the other 2 over summer, grain into winter and butcher them after deer season.
At the biggest, the one I want to keep as a breeder will hit about 700#, I don't want him overly fat or he won't be an aggressive breeder. The other 2 I will bulk out to a maximum of about 900#... IF I AM LUCKY!! They all 3 range between 9 and 12 months. My pics aren't the best, but Calves aren't known for cooperating when they are upset and nervous! LOL!!
I am going to start looking for a couple of good heifers right away. Probably go with a miniature Angus, miniature polled Hereford and maybe a miniature Holstein cross. Want to keep it mixed up and also keeps from the inbreeding problem a lot of mini's have. After all, my calves will be for eating!!!
The darker red/chocolaty colored one is the bull I plan to keep. Now he needs a good name! Suggestions anyone?
From CelticWarrior:
Yeah, Dexter’s are great little animals. At some point, when I don't want to travel anymore and just settle in at home permanently (since getting a cat- or even a chicken-sitter is WAY easier than a COW sitter!) I am debating whether to get these or the Miniature Highlands cattle (36-42" full grown), since the Highland breed is more cold-hardy for weather up here in Michigan. Either way, a heck of a lot easier to deal with than full grown Jerseys or Longhorns. Milking 'em should yield a 'family sized' amount rather than gallons of unused milk too. Meat should be just right for a full grown steer too. A couple of those a year should fill the freezer for a small family with no problem, especially if you already have chickens and rabbits, and hunt in season for a deer or two.
Maybe I'll get a few of each and mix 'em like these folks did?
Miniature Cattle and Miniature Horses at Toyland Farms
Dink: Depending on the breed, you can keep 2-3 head of minis to 1 average large cow. And they are a lot gentler, easier to handle, and if you can't afford to go to a slaughterhouse for processing, they can easily be done at home. Kind of like getting 3 or 4 deer during season at the same time, and having to get them all done ASAP! Almost ALL breeds of cattle have a miniature.
Just watch out. If it has an upturned nose and large feet, and large knobby knee joints, it’s NOT a miniature, it’s a dwarf...BIG difference! Don't waste your money and time.
Regular Cows.
As a general rule, we leave the calf to suck until it’s about 6-8 months old, and then separate them. Wait a couple months and turn the bull back in. Gives momma a little break so she can put some weight back on, calves really pull the cows weight down fast. All our calves generally drop between January and May, but we try to keep them dropping in March and April. It’s a SMALL herd, only about a dozen head.
After they leave momma, we just pasture them for about 3 months, kind of a cooling time to get the milk outa the system & get em settled into a growing stage, then at about 10-12 months, start pushing the feed for a few months...we grind our own...corn, salt, mineral, and hay mixed in a mixer grinder. NO chemicals or growth hormones around this place!!! ALL NATURAL. So generally speaking a calf will be butchered between a year to a year and a half.
Depending on how the calf grows out, we usually wait until it hits about 1000# and send it off to be butchered. If for some reason it just won't put on weight, we just want burger, or money is tight...well, we will run it in a stock trailer, one shot to the head, move it to the shed where we hang and butcher our deer, and take care of things right here. This works great to, if all we want is burger. And as soon as I can get a post about my grinder I will....I promise!!!
And the backhoe comes in handy for helping to hang them up...a 1000# of dead weight is a bitch on a come along! But without fail I ALWAYS save the tenderloin, filet mignon, and a few porterhouse steaks.....rare cooked home grown beef is my fave!!!
GOATS
Pygmy is best.
Ask these VERY important questions when choosing...do I want it just for the family or to sell milk, cheese, etc. How disease and parasite resistant, & heat and cold resistant are they, how many times a year do they have young, and how many young do they have. How long can I milk them before they have to be dried out. Do I have a way to get rid of the babies, or do I want to bottle feed them or share the nannies milk with them. I just bottle fed my babies or found homes for them after they were a week old. You DO NOT want the milk from the first week...It's full of antibodies and colostrums, and that makes it taste funky! LOL!!
Pygmies are a true breed, they stay small, and the young they produce stay small. A dwarf may be small, but will produce young that grow out to full size. Like if a Nubian has a dwarf, then that dwarf can have young that grow out to full size. Pygmies are a naturally small breed I have had some pygmies and they weighed about 10# full grown and some have gotten up to 40#. Pygmies are not the same as a dwarf.
The biggest give away for a dwarf, like I said is overly large feet, huge knee joints and a large head that is way out of proportion to its body, and they usually will have a turned up nose that is VERY obvious.
DINK’S CHICKEN BUTCHERING:
If the weather holds out like it has been, I plan to butcher about 20 birds one day this coming week. I will try to take picks as I go and post them later for reference on certain parts. If you choose this way....
YOU WILL NEED:
1) some way to heat water to just below boiling point for scald & plucking
2) gloves to protect your hands from heat & feather cuts if plucking
3) Hand held torch for burning off pin feathers you can't pluck
4) body cone or head chopping block (I prefer a cone)
5) sharp knives, an ax if you use a chopping block
6) table to work on with plenty of rags for wiping your hands on
7) a water proof apron of some sort or plastic bag tied around your waist
8) zipper freezer bags, freezer paper, Wal-Mart freezer paper bags & tape
9) a good sharpie marker
10) Nylon string or hanging wire and somewhere clean to hang bird from
11) water hose with a pressure adjustable control, pointed nozzle
12) 5 gallon buckets and trash bags for remains disposal
13) LARGE cooler or metal wash type bucket filled 2/3 with ice water
14) extra bag or 2 of ice to keep meat cold until bagged up
15) a strong stomach and NO distractions...Get done as fast as possible!!
I will do some the old fashioned way, scald and pluck...SSSTTTTIIINNNKKK!!!
But others I have a different methods, it’s for skinning, and it’s VERY fast and easy. I'll give you a quick rundown and when I butcher, I'll post some pics...Not for those with a weak stomach!
Place them head down in a killing cone... a funnel type cone their body is held inside so they don't flop all around and their head sticks out the bottom. Use a VERY sharp knife and pulling the head down, stretch the neck good and from the front of the bird’s throat, with one good STRONG slice and pull, cut the head off. WATCH OUT FOR BLOOD SPRAY!! Let the bird stay in the cone until it stops twitching, generally a minute or 2 at the most. If you just cut his head off, he will flop everywhere and bruise the meat up making the meat VERY tough, no matter how young and tender it SHOULD be.
Run a piece of nylon string around a tree or pole of some sorts if you don't have a metal leg hanger, I have hangers but rarely use them. Take the water hose and insert it in the neck BETWEEN the skin and meat. VERY SLOWLY turn the water on KEEP IT ON LOW pressure. The skin will start making a popping sound and the bird will swell starting at the breast area, this is normal and will not damage the meat in any way. The skin is separating from the meat. If the bird ruptures it will be at the stomach or vent area, and this is no big deal...just make darn sure you are BETWEEN the skin and meat of the neck, NOT in the esophagus!!!!
Turn the water off...STAND TO THE SIDE, and remove the hose. You can then use a nice sharp knife. I use a regular paring knife for most of it, and start a slit from the neck to the vent (butthole), go up the inside of each leg and the same with the wings. Discard the last section of the wings with the skin, they will not come loose from the skin and are of no meat value anyways.
It will be VERY slimy and slippery!!! BUT the hide, feathers and all will come right off with just a couple of places like along the back needing to have a few small tendons cut that won't break free with the water. The birds innards and lower legs are still intact, they comes next.
Remove the bird from where it is hanging, place it on the table, counter, whatever...I do it ALL outside on a glass top patio type table I keep JUST for butcher jobs like this. Cut off the lower section of the legs...My dog LOVES chicken feet, or you can keep them and pickle them, not bad just not much to them. Kind of like pickled pig’s feet! Then CAREFULLY open the stomach cavity, remove everything. Keep what you want. I keep liver, heart, gizzard and pitch the rest...NOT to the dog, some innards can make your pet sick. I pack everything to the back of the property and let the wildlife have a nice meal.
Cut up the bird as you want it divided, rinse it completely and place it in the cooler of ice water to cool the meat fast and keep it from drying out or spoiling while you do more birds. DON'T forget, cut the gizzard open along 1side, clean out the grains & gravel, and PEAL off the green layer of flesh inside, this layer will make you VERY ill, and then your gizzard is ready also.
After all your birds are done and in the ice water, and you want MAKE SURE it remains in ICE WATER through the entire ordeal, let them set for at least 1/2 an hour like this to make sure even the last bird is completely cooled.
Then I use a combination for wrapping, and birds will keep in the freezer for a year or more at a time without freezer burn!!!! Place them in a Ziploc freezer bag or something you can remove ALL air from. Double wrap it in Reynolds freezer paper sealing it up very well. Then use the paper bags you get from Wal-Mart for your ice cream to keep it cold, place the wrapped bird in it, wrap up and tape nicely with freezer tape & label with a sharpie, contents and date.
You have a skinless bird. I know a LOT of you are like me and say...but that’s part of the best thing of eating fried chicken...I'll give you a good recipe to make up for the lack of skin, plus it’s a little more healthy for you this way!
I hope I covered everything, If I missed something or you have any questions, ask...As far as I am concerned it is faster, cleaner, and a lot less messy than scalding and plucking, but I do it both ways because some people just think it looks wrong to see the bird like that with no skin! LOL!!
Scalding and plucking it takes all day to do 30 birds or so IF I go n on stop, uninterrupted. Skinning I can do a complete bird in about 10 minutes uninterrupted...BIG difference in time saving!!
ANOTHER POST ON CHICKENS FROM DINK:
I got 17 birds done this afternoon. Going to do the last 20 tomorrow if the weather holds and my back isn't hurting to bad. I took oodles of pics. I will try to post them in order and explain the whole mess! Hope it’s not too long! Bear with me, please!
Apparently I have to do this in 3 different posts. Otherwise I can't show all the pics as I went, and I know there are a few of you that want to know ALL the details!! Let’s start with the tools and how I get started! FIRST...GO TO THE BATHROOM!!! It’s going to be a long day!!!
I'm not sure if these will be in order or not, so I will just do my best and if I screw up some Explanation...just look for a matching picture...sorry in advance!
1) Glass top yard table, cleaned thoroughly with a chair to work in at least a little comfort. Includes paper towels, bucket of clean water and sponge to keep my hands semi clean...change water frequently. EXTRA LARGE cold ice water for drinking.
2) Assorted knives I use for butchering, I only use the hatchet for removing the spinal column from the thighs when I split them, and to split the breast bone. Not the best assortment, but it’s what I have. Some are from a butcher house; others are what I carry when I hunt.
3) Extra large cooler with trash bag liner duct taped in place for cooling out meat in between butchering birds. I will split them into thirds...cool off...and then finish dividing when I am done with all killing. FILL with ice first, and then fill with water. By the time you have a bird ready, the ice water will be perfect.
4) My killing cone on plywood has vanished...I think my ex took it. I'll make another for the next batch! To make do...Duct tape a 30 gallon trash bag to a tree, make it long enough that the bird will not touch the bark ANYWHERE after the head is removed. This will keep the meat clean and make skinning and dividing later much easier...no dirty ick to remove!! Dirt and such is VERY hard to remove from a skinned chicken...by the way, I skin them, and I do not scald & pluck them...at least not very often. This way there is no smell and it is healthier for you.
5) Regular baling twine..Recycle & reuse... tied around tree just ABOVE plastic bag. If it is on top of the bag, then the chicken moving and you working will tear the bag to pieces and defeat the purpose of keeping bird away from bark. Use a slip knot. Bailing twine will mess up after a few uses, so use whatever you want. Waste not, want not!!
6) My cutting board is actually a piece of an old counter top from a trailer that was being scrapped out. Clean non-porous, easy to disinfect surface that can take a beating from a hatchet and knives!! Melamine top is TOUGH stuff!! A good coating of polyurethane on bottom and sides keeps it from warping and has stood the test of over 20 years of use and is still good as new!! I only use it towards the end when I am doing the final dividing and packaging.
7) This is the first of many to come. He is the biggest and the meanest! THIS IS BIG RED. He is going to help me show you how I do this. He will be supper Friday night, homemade chicken & dumplings...MMMMM!!
8) Since I no longer have a killing cone...I use a plastic bag wrapped SECURELY around the body and wings and tied into place AROUND the tree to keep him from beating himself all over the place and bruising the meat. This will take a little practice! They will get out of a lot of ties the first few times!! Just keep butchering your own meat and that makes for practice...practice makes perfect. I've been doing this for years and STILL screw up once in a while!! Otherwise, get or make a killing cone and attach it to a piece of plywood...it makes things a LOT easier!!
9) Put on a leather palm & finger glove to hold his head in place, neck stretched out, and fingers placed along the head as I show gives plenty of room to work and less chance of removing a finger or two when removing his head. This is also good for protecting you from the chicken. Some will panic and latch on to a piece of pinky or other tender flesh of the hand and NOT let go. This keeps them from doing so....no personal bruising from chicken bite! To remove his head, I place the knife about 2" from the head, move gently against the feathers to get against the flesh without panicking the bird, sounds stupid, but you need the bird calm until you cut his head off or you may get cut BAD! Make sure his body is pointed breast towards the tree or away from you however you decide to do it, this keeps you getting sprayed to a minimum. I hold his head stretched out as much as possible and VERY tightly and with one STRONG FAST motion slice his head off pulling the knife towards me. I AM standing as far back from the bird as possible to keep from hitting myself with the knife when the head comes off, and back away VERY quickly.
Now it’s time to get down to business. I don't know how to do this on video, and don't have someone else to take pics. This is one of the things that the guys REFUSE to help me with. They will watch...but THATS IT!!
10) The head has been removed. I am pointing at a spot on the BACK of the neck. Place the hose nozzle (pointed nozzle with pressure control) into this area. You may need to insert your finger first to open up a small cavity for the nozzle.
11)Hold the skin AND the neck bone VERY VERY tightly with the breast pointed AWAY from you. SLOWLY turn on the water add pressure slowly. You will hear and feel small pops going on inside the bird. BUT if you over fill or use too much pressure...Mt. Saint Chicken!!!! And there is NO telling WHERE the eruption will occur from! SERIOUSLY!!! ADD PRESSURE SLOWLY. When you hear a hollow pop around the stomach cavity, turn water off IMMEDIATELY. Keep squeezing on neck as you remove nozzle, point neck away from you and slowly let go. Generally it will not burst water, but sometimes it does! Be prepared to get wet and or dirty!!!
12) When you open the bird, slice straight up the breast bone from the neck; stand slightly to the side as there WILL be bouts of spraying water!! There will be a thick clear slime inside the bird between the skin & meat. This is normal and will go away as you process the bird. I find it much easier to clean 1/2 of the bird at a time. Chickens do not skin out like most animals, I remove the skin a piece at a time. The water just makes it faster, cleaner and easier.
13) After finishing one side completely, simply turn the bird slightly and repeat the process on the second side. The hardest parts of the skinning will be along the back towards the tail, at the leg joint, and the wing joint. I have started removing the wing at the first joint since the rest is very hard to skin and little to no meat just doesn't make it worth the time it takes. I also remove the rump fat under the tail feathers when I am skinning the bird and squeeze out any poop washing my hands off IMMEDIATELY!
14) NO PICTURE...SORRY...Carefully slide a knife up the sides below the breast meat, but do not go very deep. Go all the way back on both sides to open the stomach cavity. Using a smallish knife carefully reach in and slice the tendons connecting the stomach cavity to the breast and sides...DO NOT cut the organs!!!! BE CAREFUL!! Reach in and GENTLY pull out the innards. You will remove everything except the lungs...they come later and are a bitch to remove!
15) Inside you will see 2 large organs, creamy in color, with tiny veins. These are Chicken nuts. I LOVE to eat deep fried mountain oysters, (bulls, pig, lamb, deer, etc) but chicken nuts are INEDIBLE!!!
16) This is what they look like removed...very large, and you MUST be gentle with them or they will squish VERY easily and get all over the inside meat of the bird. ICK!!!
17) After you remove the innards, do what you want with them. I like to keep the liver, heart and gizzard. My next post will show you how to deal with the gizzard, it takes a little time. Cut the top off the heart and remove the sack it is covered in. You will see I am pointing at a TINY organ. This is the gall. Just like deer or ANY other animal...DO NOT rupture this organ! If you do, you will see a dark green fluid get all over the liver. If this happens, throw it away. It’s not poison, but tastes so nasty, a hungry dog will refuse to eat liver with even a small amount on it! BE CAREFUL. Cut around it and sacrifice a small portion of the liver to be safe.
18) Next I remove the thighs and legs all as 1 large portion, then separate the breast/wing piece from the neck/back piece. Inside the breast you will see the lungs. This is the HARDEST part...in my opinion. Try to peel them gently away from the ribs, GOOD LUCK!! You may have to spend a little time picking lung pieces out...SORRY!!
19) I will place these larger sections along with any innards I choose to keep in the lined cooler of ice water.
There only step not covered here is the gizzard...I will get to it first thing in the next post. This sounds long and drawn out, but I feel details cut down on questions, and it tends to be less confusing for someone who has never done this before. It can be tricky!!! Just take your time and you will do fine! ________________________________________
CHICKEN FEED: I feed a combination mix. They get a feed from the MFA called chicken scratch (basically corn chops & millo), and they get a bit of the feed we mix up for the cows in a mixer ginder...corn, green hay, multipurpose mneral and stock salt. I amke sur ethey get plenty of grass clippings from spring to fall and alfalfa pellets in teh winter (not a lot, but some). My layers also get a 16% protein laying pellet....all they can eat!!! Makes for good flavored meart.
I do scald and pluck, but when I'm trying to do a bunch of birds ina short period and have no help...this is my other option, and a LOT of people have never even heard of it like this. I gotta get these guys in the freezer NOW. I'm trying to get moved, I need to worry about my laying hens, not a bunch of roosters ready to be eaten. Its just a different way to do this timeless chore. Tonight its FRESH chicken & dumplings with homemade biscuts, and for desert the choice of homemade chocolate cream or banana cream pie (a la mode optional).
DEER
I'm sure MANY of you have other methods, & better methods. But I was asked how I do things, so I thought this was the place to post it.
FIRST shoot the deer and kill it! LOL!! I don't bleed them out or field dress them, since I may want to hunt that spot in the next few days and the excess smell of blood and guts may drive off remaining deer or make the VERY leery of coming out into the open, thus ruining my hunting spot.
SECOND take the deer home! LOL! Just throw it in until you get there. Then I use nylon bailing twine and tie a front leg to each corner of the bed of my truck up towards the cab so the deer’s butt JUST hangs over the tailgate. Tie it up tight so it doesn't slip off the truck! I use 1/2 of a plastic 50 gallon barrel to set directly under the deer’s backend to catch whatever falls, except what I throw to the barn cats. I use 2 knives and a bone saw. One knife is thicker from point to back, I use it when gutting. The thinner knife I use when skinning (we'll get to that later).
Carefully pull a spot on the stomach about midway and slip the TIP of the knife in making a hole just large enough to insert 2 fingers (index and middle) to guide the knife. I move up the deer being very careful not to puncture the gut bag. Keeping only the tip of the knife between my fingers...be careful not to remove fingers in this process please!!. Once I reach the rib cage, I then go back down and work towards the anus. ALWAYS using my 2 fingers on either side to make sure I don't puncture the gall or the bladder bag. I know, I know...there are knives special for this, but I have tried DOZENS of them and still prefer this method.
As you get lower, the innards will naturally want to fall out, let them. They will go into the bucket. I personally like to keep the liver and the heart. If you keep the kidneys, that’s fine, just be sure to wash the pi$$ out of them!! LOL!! I have tried deer eyes, If I were VERY hungry, I would eat them again, but if I have a deer lying there, I want the meat, never mind with the eyes!! By the way, you simply hold them with one end in your mouth (the pupil), bite a little and suck the juice out; you don't actually eat the entire eyeball. If you get a big buck, cut off his nuts, soak them in icy salt water over night, remove the outer slimy case, and slice in half long ways, bread and deep fry....MMMMMM good eating!! Just not much there, like on a bull!
After the guts fall out, CAREFULLY reach up and WITH YOUR HANDS not a knife and work around the liver to free it from the cavity, if you bust the gall, anything it gets on can be ruined. Pull the liver out and CAREFULLY cut around the gall and dispose of it in the barrel. Slice the liver open in a couple of places to let it bleed out and drop it into a cold tub of clean water for processing later.
Reach in again, use the knife if you must, and remove the heart and lungs. I dispose of the lungs and keep the heart, opening it up and putting it with the liver to soak. Now at this point many people will have opened the chest, I prefer to wait until all innards are out, BONES ARE SHARP! But I have small hands, so I have that option.
At this point using the bone saw, hacksaw, hatchet, or whatever you prefer, find the midsection of the thighs, and split them right in the center. Then you can remove the remainder of the anus and any leftover gifts!! LOL!! Return to the top and with the thick knife start up the center of the chest until you get to the top, if you have to use a saw, do so, some deer are a LOT tougher than others. Try to keep it split up the center with as little splintering as possible. Deer slivers will tear your hands up FAST!
At the top you will find the esophagus (we call it a guzzler), or what’s left of it. simply grab a hold with one hand and a knife with the other hand and slicing straight up the throat get as close to the jaw as possible while pulling the esophagus along the cut path. Cut it off as close to the head as possible.
Your deer is now gutted completely and neatly in one place with all entrains in one large tub which can be disposed of somewhere on the back of your property for the local wildlife to enjoy...It doesn't get wasted I can promise that!! Now take a water hose with a spray attachment and starting at the head, which is up towards the front of the truck, I find it easier to get in the truck, but I am a short gal...pick your path. Start on a low flow and slowly increase pressure to wash out the inside cavity COMPLETELY. Go all the way down to the tail. Repeat this process 3 times making sure to do extra cleansing on any entry or exit wounds.
I then pull the truck down to the shed and we use hoist and attach them to the back legs through holes such as where the tags are to be placed. This spreads the back legs apart. We hoist the deer up to the rafters to keep critters from getting at them and if needed place a CLEAN steel bar or such between the ribs to spread it apart. If the weather is below 40*F, we will let them hang for a day or 2 before skinning them out. This lets the meat cool well and makes it MUCH easier to work with. I will make a separate post on how I actually process the meat and directions on how to make your own home grinder to save a LOT of time and money.
I hope this has been of help to SOMEONE out there. Calves can also be done like this, just make sure where you are going to hang them is strong enough to hold the weight!! I have seen a LARGE barn collapse because of an oversized hanging steer!! Until part 2, have a great time I hope this helped!
WoodsCustom
Backstraps is the MEAT (Tenderloins) that are along side the spine and the best eating on a deer critter. Now, there are some "catfish Tenderloins" on the inside of the gut cavity right alongside the spine, They are a lot smaller.
This is a picture of what Tenderloins look like as God intended.
I got 3 miniature Irish Dexter Bull calves today. Was only going to get 1, but decided why not take all 3? I can keep the best for my herd bull, since I want a few head of miniature cattle as I posted about on SHTF. And it won't take much feed, just grass out the other 2 over summer, grain into winter and butcher them after deer season.
At the biggest, the one I want to keep as a breeder will hit about 700#, I don't want him overly fat or he won't be an aggressive breeder. The other 2 I will bulk out to a maximum of about 900#... IF I AM LUCKY!! They all 3 range between 9 and 12 months. My pics aren't the best, but Calves aren't known for cooperating when they are upset and nervous! LOL!!
I am going to start looking for a couple of good heifers right away. Probably go with a miniature Angus, miniature polled Hereford and maybe a miniature Holstein cross. Want to keep it mixed up and also keeps from the inbreeding problem a lot of mini's have. After all, my calves will be for eating!!!
The darker red/chocolaty colored one is the bull I plan to keep. Now he needs a good name! Suggestions anyone?
From CelticWarrior:
Yeah, Dexter’s are great little animals. At some point, when I don't want to travel anymore and just settle in at home permanently (since getting a cat- or even a chicken-sitter is WAY easier than a COW sitter!) I am debating whether to get these or the Miniature Highlands cattle (36-42" full grown), since the Highland breed is more cold-hardy for weather up here in Michigan. Either way, a heck of a lot easier to deal with than full grown Jerseys or Longhorns. Milking 'em should yield a 'family sized' amount rather than gallons of unused milk too. Meat should be just right for a full grown steer too. A couple of those a year should fill the freezer for a small family with no problem, especially if you already have chickens and rabbits, and hunt in season for a deer or two.
Maybe I'll get a few of each and mix 'em like these folks did?
Miniature Cattle and Miniature Horses at Toyland Farms
Dink: Depending on the breed, you can keep 2-3 head of minis to 1 average large cow. And they are a lot gentler, easier to handle, and if you can't afford to go to a slaughterhouse for processing, they can easily be done at home. Kind of like getting 3 or 4 deer during season at the same time, and having to get them all done ASAP! Almost ALL breeds of cattle have a miniature.
Just watch out. If it has an upturned nose and large feet, and large knobby knee joints, it’s NOT a miniature, it’s a dwarf...BIG difference! Don't waste your money and time.
Regular Cows.
As a general rule, we leave the calf to suck until it’s about 6-8 months old, and then separate them. Wait a couple months and turn the bull back in. Gives momma a little break so she can put some weight back on, calves really pull the cows weight down fast. All our calves generally drop between January and May, but we try to keep them dropping in March and April. It’s a SMALL herd, only about a dozen head.
After they leave momma, we just pasture them for about 3 months, kind of a cooling time to get the milk outa the system & get em settled into a growing stage, then at about 10-12 months, start pushing the feed for a few months...we grind our own...corn, salt, mineral, and hay mixed in a mixer grinder. NO chemicals or growth hormones around this place!!! ALL NATURAL. So generally speaking a calf will be butchered between a year to a year and a half.
Depending on how the calf grows out, we usually wait until it hits about 1000# and send it off to be butchered. If for some reason it just won't put on weight, we just want burger, or money is tight...well, we will run it in a stock trailer, one shot to the head, move it to the shed where we hang and butcher our deer, and take care of things right here. This works great to, if all we want is burger. And as soon as I can get a post about my grinder I will....I promise!!!
And the backhoe comes in handy for helping to hang them up...a 1000# of dead weight is a bitch on a come along! But without fail I ALWAYS save the tenderloin, filet mignon, and a few porterhouse steaks.....rare cooked home grown beef is my fave!!!
GOATS
Pygmy is best.
Ask these VERY important questions when choosing...do I want it just for the family or to sell milk, cheese, etc. How disease and parasite resistant, & heat and cold resistant are they, how many times a year do they have young, and how many young do they have. How long can I milk them before they have to be dried out. Do I have a way to get rid of the babies, or do I want to bottle feed them or share the nannies milk with them. I just bottle fed my babies or found homes for them after they were a week old. You DO NOT want the milk from the first week...It's full of antibodies and colostrums, and that makes it taste funky! LOL!!
Pygmies are a true breed, they stay small, and the young they produce stay small. A dwarf may be small, but will produce young that grow out to full size. Like if a Nubian has a dwarf, then that dwarf can have young that grow out to full size. Pygmies are a naturally small breed I have had some pygmies and they weighed about 10# full grown and some have gotten up to 40#. Pygmies are not the same as a dwarf.
The biggest give away for a dwarf, like I said is overly large feet, huge knee joints and a large head that is way out of proportion to its body, and they usually will have a turned up nose that is VERY obvious.
DINK’S CHICKEN BUTCHERING:
If the weather holds out like it has been, I plan to butcher about 20 birds one day this coming week. I will try to take picks as I go and post them later for reference on certain parts. If you choose this way....
YOU WILL NEED:
1) some way to heat water to just below boiling point for scald & plucking
2) gloves to protect your hands from heat & feather cuts if plucking
3) Hand held torch for burning off pin feathers you can't pluck
4) body cone or head chopping block (I prefer a cone)
5) sharp knives, an ax if you use a chopping block
6) table to work on with plenty of rags for wiping your hands on
7) a water proof apron of some sort or plastic bag tied around your waist
8) zipper freezer bags, freezer paper, Wal-Mart freezer paper bags & tape
9) a good sharpie marker
10) Nylon string or hanging wire and somewhere clean to hang bird from
11) water hose with a pressure adjustable control, pointed nozzle
12) 5 gallon buckets and trash bags for remains disposal
13) LARGE cooler or metal wash type bucket filled 2/3 with ice water
14) extra bag or 2 of ice to keep meat cold until bagged up
15) a strong stomach and NO distractions...Get done as fast as possible!!
I will do some the old fashioned way, scald and pluck...SSSTTTTIIINNNKKK!!!
But others I have a different methods, it’s for skinning, and it’s VERY fast and easy. I'll give you a quick rundown and when I butcher, I'll post some pics...Not for those with a weak stomach!
Place them head down in a killing cone... a funnel type cone their body is held inside so they don't flop all around and their head sticks out the bottom. Use a VERY sharp knife and pulling the head down, stretch the neck good and from the front of the bird’s throat, with one good STRONG slice and pull, cut the head off. WATCH OUT FOR BLOOD SPRAY!! Let the bird stay in the cone until it stops twitching, generally a minute or 2 at the most. If you just cut his head off, he will flop everywhere and bruise the meat up making the meat VERY tough, no matter how young and tender it SHOULD be.
Run a piece of nylon string around a tree or pole of some sorts if you don't have a metal leg hanger, I have hangers but rarely use them. Take the water hose and insert it in the neck BETWEEN the skin and meat. VERY SLOWLY turn the water on KEEP IT ON LOW pressure. The skin will start making a popping sound and the bird will swell starting at the breast area, this is normal and will not damage the meat in any way. The skin is separating from the meat. If the bird ruptures it will be at the stomach or vent area, and this is no big deal...just make darn sure you are BETWEEN the skin and meat of the neck, NOT in the esophagus!!!!
Turn the water off...STAND TO THE SIDE, and remove the hose. You can then use a nice sharp knife. I use a regular paring knife for most of it, and start a slit from the neck to the vent (butthole), go up the inside of each leg and the same with the wings. Discard the last section of the wings with the skin, they will not come loose from the skin and are of no meat value anyways.
It will be VERY slimy and slippery!!! BUT the hide, feathers and all will come right off with just a couple of places like along the back needing to have a few small tendons cut that won't break free with the water. The birds innards and lower legs are still intact, they comes next.
Remove the bird from where it is hanging, place it on the table, counter, whatever...I do it ALL outside on a glass top patio type table I keep JUST for butcher jobs like this. Cut off the lower section of the legs...My dog LOVES chicken feet, or you can keep them and pickle them, not bad just not much to them. Kind of like pickled pig’s feet! Then CAREFULLY open the stomach cavity, remove everything. Keep what you want. I keep liver, heart, gizzard and pitch the rest...NOT to the dog, some innards can make your pet sick. I pack everything to the back of the property and let the wildlife have a nice meal.
Cut up the bird as you want it divided, rinse it completely and place it in the cooler of ice water to cool the meat fast and keep it from drying out or spoiling while you do more birds. DON'T forget, cut the gizzard open along 1side, clean out the grains & gravel, and PEAL off the green layer of flesh inside, this layer will make you VERY ill, and then your gizzard is ready also.
After all your birds are done and in the ice water, and you want MAKE SURE it remains in ICE WATER through the entire ordeal, let them set for at least 1/2 an hour like this to make sure even the last bird is completely cooled.
Then I use a combination for wrapping, and birds will keep in the freezer for a year or more at a time without freezer burn!!!! Place them in a Ziploc freezer bag or something you can remove ALL air from. Double wrap it in Reynolds freezer paper sealing it up very well. Then use the paper bags you get from Wal-Mart for your ice cream to keep it cold, place the wrapped bird in it, wrap up and tape nicely with freezer tape & label with a sharpie, contents and date.
You have a skinless bird. I know a LOT of you are like me and say...but that’s part of the best thing of eating fried chicken...I'll give you a good recipe to make up for the lack of skin, plus it’s a little more healthy for you this way!
I hope I covered everything, If I missed something or you have any questions, ask...As far as I am concerned it is faster, cleaner, and a lot less messy than scalding and plucking, but I do it both ways because some people just think it looks wrong to see the bird like that with no skin! LOL!!
Scalding and plucking it takes all day to do 30 birds or so IF I go n on stop, uninterrupted. Skinning I can do a complete bird in about 10 minutes uninterrupted...BIG difference in time saving!!
ANOTHER POST ON CHICKENS FROM DINK:
I got 17 birds done this afternoon. Going to do the last 20 tomorrow if the weather holds and my back isn't hurting to bad. I took oodles of pics. I will try to post them in order and explain the whole mess! Hope it’s not too long! Bear with me, please!
Apparently I have to do this in 3 different posts. Otherwise I can't show all the pics as I went, and I know there are a few of you that want to know ALL the details!! Let’s start with the tools and how I get started! FIRST...GO TO THE BATHROOM!!! It’s going to be a long day!!!
I'm not sure if these will be in order or not, so I will just do my best and if I screw up some Explanation...just look for a matching picture...sorry in advance!
1) Glass top yard table, cleaned thoroughly with a chair to work in at least a little comfort. Includes paper towels, bucket of clean water and sponge to keep my hands semi clean...change water frequently. EXTRA LARGE cold ice water for drinking.
2) Assorted knives I use for butchering, I only use the hatchet for removing the spinal column from the thighs when I split them, and to split the breast bone. Not the best assortment, but it’s what I have. Some are from a butcher house; others are what I carry when I hunt.
3) Extra large cooler with trash bag liner duct taped in place for cooling out meat in between butchering birds. I will split them into thirds...cool off...and then finish dividing when I am done with all killing. FILL with ice first, and then fill with water. By the time you have a bird ready, the ice water will be perfect.
4) My killing cone on plywood has vanished...I think my ex took it. I'll make another for the next batch! To make do...Duct tape a 30 gallon trash bag to a tree, make it long enough that the bird will not touch the bark ANYWHERE after the head is removed. This will keep the meat clean and make skinning and dividing later much easier...no dirty ick to remove!! Dirt and such is VERY hard to remove from a skinned chicken...by the way, I skin them, and I do not scald & pluck them...at least not very often. This way there is no smell and it is healthier for you.
5) Regular baling twine..Recycle & reuse... tied around tree just ABOVE plastic bag. If it is on top of the bag, then the chicken moving and you working will tear the bag to pieces and defeat the purpose of keeping bird away from bark. Use a slip knot. Bailing twine will mess up after a few uses, so use whatever you want. Waste not, want not!!
6) My cutting board is actually a piece of an old counter top from a trailer that was being scrapped out. Clean non-porous, easy to disinfect surface that can take a beating from a hatchet and knives!! Melamine top is TOUGH stuff!! A good coating of polyurethane on bottom and sides keeps it from warping and has stood the test of over 20 years of use and is still good as new!! I only use it towards the end when I am doing the final dividing and packaging.
7) This is the first of many to come. He is the biggest and the meanest! THIS IS BIG RED. He is going to help me show you how I do this. He will be supper Friday night, homemade chicken & dumplings...MMMMM!!
8) Since I no longer have a killing cone...I use a plastic bag wrapped SECURELY around the body and wings and tied into place AROUND the tree to keep him from beating himself all over the place and bruising the meat. This will take a little practice! They will get out of a lot of ties the first few times!! Just keep butchering your own meat and that makes for practice...practice makes perfect. I've been doing this for years and STILL screw up once in a while!! Otherwise, get or make a killing cone and attach it to a piece of plywood...it makes things a LOT easier!!
9) Put on a leather palm & finger glove to hold his head in place, neck stretched out, and fingers placed along the head as I show gives plenty of room to work and less chance of removing a finger or two when removing his head. This is also good for protecting you from the chicken. Some will panic and latch on to a piece of pinky or other tender flesh of the hand and NOT let go. This keeps them from doing so....no personal bruising from chicken bite! To remove his head, I place the knife about 2" from the head, move gently against the feathers to get against the flesh without panicking the bird, sounds stupid, but you need the bird calm until you cut his head off or you may get cut BAD! Make sure his body is pointed breast towards the tree or away from you however you decide to do it, this keeps you getting sprayed to a minimum. I hold his head stretched out as much as possible and VERY tightly and with one STRONG FAST motion slice his head off pulling the knife towards me. I AM standing as far back from the bird as possible to keep from hitting myself with the knife when the head comes off, and back away VERY quickly.
Now it’s time to get down to business. I don't know how to do this on video, and don't have someone else to take pics. This is one of the things that the guys REFUSE to help me with. They will watch...but THATS IT!!
10) The head has been removed. I am pointing at a spot on the BACK of the neck. Place the hose nozzle (pointed nozzle with pressure control) into this area. You may need to insert your finger first to open up a small cavity for the nozzle.
11)Hold the skin AND the neck bone VERY VERY tightly with the breast pointed AWAY from you. SLOWLY turn on the water add pressure slowly. You will hear and feel small pops going on inside the bird. BUT if you over fill or use too much pressure...Mt. Saint Chicken!!!! And there is NO telling WHERE the eruption will occur from! SERIOUSLY!!! ADD PRESSURE SLOWLY. When you hear a hollow pop around the stomach cavity, turn water off IMMEDIATELY. Keep squeezing on neck as you remove nozzle, point neck away from you and slowly let go. Generally it will not burst water, but sometimes it does! Be prepared to get wet and or dirty!!!
12) When you open the bird, slice straight up the breast bone from the neck; stand slightly to the side as there WILL be bouts of spraying water!! There will be a thick clear slime inside the bird between the skin & meat. This is normal and will go away as you process the bird. I find it much easier to clean 1/2 of the bird at a time. Chickens do not skin out like most animals, I remove the skin a piece at a time. The water just makes it faster, cleaner and easier.
13) After finishing one side completely, simply turn the bird slightly and repeat the process on the second side. The hardest parts of the skinning will be along the back towards the tail, at the leg joint, and the wing joint. I have started removing the wing at the first joint since the rest is very hard to skin and little to no meat just doesn't make it worth the time it takes. I also remove the rump fat under the tail feathers when I am skinning the bird and squeeze out any poop washing my hands off IMMEDIATELY!
14) NO PICTURE...SORRY...Carefully slide a knife up the sides below the breast meat, but do not go very deep. Go all the way back on both sides to open the stomach cavity. Using a smallish knife carefully reach in and slice the tendons connecting the stomach cavity to the breast and sides...DO NOT cut the organs!!!! BE CAREFUL!! Reach in and GENTLY pull out the innards. You will remove everything except the lungs...they come later and are a bitch to remove!
15) Inside you will see 2 large organs, creamy in color, with tiny veins. These are Chicken nuts. I LOVE to eat deep fried mountain oysters, (bulls, pig, lamb, deer, etc) but chicken nuts are INEDIBLE!!!
16) This is what they look like removed...very large, and you MUST be gentle with them or they will squish VERY easily and get all over the inside meat of the bird. ICK!!!
17) After you remove the innards, do what you want with them. I like to keep the liver, heart and gizzard. My next post will show you how to deal with the gizzard, it takes a little time. Cut the top off the heart and remove the sack it is covered in. You will see I am pointing at a TINY organ. This is the gall. Just like deer or ANY other animal...DO NOT rupture this organ! If you do, you will see a dark green fluid get all over the liver. If this happens, throw it away. It’s not poison, but tastes so nasty, a hungry dog will refuse to eat liver with even a small amount on it! BE CAREFUL. Cut around it and sacrifice a small portion of the liver to be safe.
18) Next I remove the thighs and legs all as 1 large portion, then separate the breast/wing piece from the neck/back piece. Inside the breast you will see the lungs. This is the HARDEST part...in my opinion. Try to peel them gently away from the ribs, GOOD LUCK!! You may have to spend a little time picking lung pieces out...SORRY!!
19) I will place these larger sections along with any innards I choose to keep in the lined cooler of ice water.
There only step not covered here is the gizzard...I will get to it first thing in the next post. This sounds long and drawn out, but I feel details cut down on questions, and it tends to be less confusing for someone who has never done this before. It can be tricky!!! Just take your time and you will do fine! ________________________________________
CHICKEN FEED: I feed a combination mix. They get a feed from the MFA called chicken scratch (basically corn chops & millo), and they get a bit of the feed we mix up for the cows in a mixer ginder...corn, green hay, multipurpose mneral and stock salt. I amke sur ethey get plenty of grass clippings from spring to fall and alfalfa pellets in teh winter (not a lot, but some). My layers also get a 16% protein laying pellet....all they can eat!!! Makes for good flavored meart.
I do scald and pluck, but when I'm trying to do a bunch of birds ina short period and have no help...this is my other option, and a LOT of people have never even heard of it like this. I gotta get these guys in the freezer NOW. I'm trying to get moved, I need to worry about my laying hens, not a bunch of roosters ready to be eaten. Its just a different way to do this timeless chore. Tonight its FRESH chicken & dumplings with homemade biscuts, and for desert the choice of homemade chocolate cream or banana cream pie (a la mode optional).
DEER
I'm sure MANY of you have other methods, & better methods. But I was asked how I do things, so I thought this was the place to post it.
FIRST shoot the deer and kill it! LOL!! I don't bleed them out or field dress them, since I may want to hunt that spot in the next few days and the excess smell of blood and guts may drive off remaining deer or make the VERY leery of coming out into the open, thus ruining my hunting spot.
SECOND take the deer home! LOL! Just throw it in until you get there. Then I use nylon bailing twine and tie a front leg to each corner of the bed of my truck up towards the cab so the deer’s butt JUST hangs over the tailgate. Tie it up tight so it doesn't slip off the truck! I use 1/2 of a plastic 50 gallon barrel to set directly under the deer’s backend to catch whatever falls, except what I throw to the barn cats. I use 2 knives and a bone saw. One knife is thicker from point to back, I use it when gutting. The thinner knife I use when skinning (we'll get to that later).
Carefully pull a spot on the stomach about midway and slip the TIP of the knife in making a hole just large enough to insert 2 fingers (index and middle) to guide the knife. I move up the deer being very careful not to puncture the gut bag. Keeping only the tip of the knife between my fingers...be careful not to remove fingers in this process please!!. Once I reach the rib cage, I then go back down and work towards the anus. ALWAYS using my 2 fingers on either side to make sure I don't puncture the gall or the bladder bag. I know, I know...there are knives special for this, but I have tried DOZENS of them and still prefer this method.
As you get lower, the innards will naturally want to fall out, let them. They will go into the bucket. I personally like to keep the liver and the heart. If you keep the kidneys, that’s fine, just be sure to wash the pi$$ out of them!! LOL!! I have tried deer eyes, If I were VERY hungry, I would eat them again, but if I have a deer lying there, I want the meat, never mind with the eyes!! By the way, you simply hold them with one end in your mouth (the pupil), bite a little and suck the juice out; you don't actually eat the entire eyeball. If you get a big buck, cut off his nuts, soak them in icy salt water over night, remove the outer slimy case, and slice in half long ways, bread and deep fry....MMMMMM good eating!! Just not much there, like on a bull!
After the guts fall out, CAREFULLY reach up and WITH YOUR HANDS not a knife and work around the liver to free it from the cavity, if you bust the gall, anything it gets on can be ruined. Pull the liver out and CAREFULLY cut around the gall and dispose of it in the barrel. Slice the liver open in a couple of places to let it bleed out and drop it into a cold tub of clean water for processing later.
Reach in again, use the knife if you must, and remove the heart and lungs. I dispose of the lungs and keep the heart, opening it up and putting it with the liver to soak. Now at this point many people will have opened the chest, I prefer to wait until all innards are out, BONES ARE SHARP! But I have small hands, so I have that option.
At this point using the bone saw, hacksaw, hatchet, or whatever you prefer, find the midsection of the thighs, and split them right in the center. Then you can remove the remainder of the anus and any leftover gifts!! LOL!! Return to the top and with the thick knife start up the center of the chest until you get to the top, if you have to use a saw, do so, some deer are a LOT tougher than others. Try to keep it split up the center with as little splintering as possible. Deer slivers will tear your hands up FAST!
At the top you will find the esophagus (we call it a guzzler), or what’s left of it. simply grab a hold with one hand and a knife with the other hand and slicing straight up the throat get as close to the jaw as possible while pulling the esophagus along the cut path. Cut it off as close to the head as possible.
Your deer is now gutted completely and neatly in one place with all entrains in one large tub which can be disposed of somewhere on the back of your property for the local wildlife to enjoy...It doesn't get wasted I can promise that!! Now take a water hose with a spray attachment and starting at the head, which is up towards the front of the truck, I find it easier to get in the truck, but I am a short gal...pick your path. Start on a low flow and slowly increase pressure to wash out the inside cavity COMPLETELY. Go all the way down to the tail. Repeat this process 3 times making sure to do extra cleansing on any entry or exit wounds.
I then pull the truck down to the shed and we use hoist and attach them to the back legs through holes such as where the tags are to be placed. This spreads the back legs apart. We hoist the deer up to the rafters to keep critters from getting at them and if needed place a CLEAN steel bar or such between the ribs to spread it apart. If the weather is below 40*F, we will let them hang for a day or 2 before skinning them out. This lets the meat cool well and makes it MUCH easier to work with. I will make a separate post on how I actually process the meat and directions on how to make your own home grinder to save a LOT of time and money.
I hope this has been of help to SOMEONE out there. Calves can also be done like this, just make sure where you are going to hang them is strong enough to hold the weight!! I have seen a LARGE barn collapse because of an oversized hanging steer!! Until part 2, have a great time I hope this helped!
WoodsCustom
Backstraps is the MEAT (Tenderloins) that are along side the spine and the best eating on a deer critter. Now, there are some "catfish Tenderloins" on the inside of the gut cavity right alongside the spine, They are a lot smaller.
This is a picture of what Tenderloins look like as God intended.
