Thanks for the well wishes folks! My birthday isn't until Tuesday, but I hate partying on a week day!
The 5 CX are processed and chilling out in my big cooler with 20 pounds of ice and water. Everything went great. I did all 5 in about an hour and forty-five minutes. DW was good to her word and did not kill, pluck or gut any birds, but she did keep the scald water at 150 for me
She couldn't watch the killing or gutting, but she did watch the plucking, so there is hope for her yet
Jared77 said:
Did you do the cornish game hen sized CX? Wondering how those turned out. Did they have the percentage of meat to bone that you'd expect on a game hen?
Happy birthday by the way
I didn't get to do any game bird size. When they were the right size, I had put them on antibiotics for a few days and by the time I decided to pull them off of it, and the 4 days to clear it out, they were too big. I discovered that the window for game birds is very small! They start out slow, but once they hit 1-1/2 pounds or so, it's off to the races. The roosters I butchered today would have been 7 weeks old tomorrow and all weighed right around 7 pounds. I weighed one after processing it and it weighed 5-1/2 pounds + liver, heart and neck. I'll weigh them all when I bring them in after chilling in the ice water, but I can tell they all are pretty much the same.
I though about brinning these like you do Vfem, but since they are going to be fryers or BBQ, I decided not to bother.
BJ, there's really nothing to it. I think the worst part for a lot of people is getting past the taking of a life. Being a hunter, and having raised and butchered pigs, I don't have that problem. I knew this day was coming when I brought the chicks home. Maybe I can give you some advice that may help. First, don't get attached to them. Raise them for what they are, meat birds. Their goal in life is to end up on your dinner table. When the time comes, don't dwell on it. Turn that little emotional chip off if you can. I know it's hard, but you CAN do it. When you put the bird in the cone, or on the block, don't hesitate. Use that knife or swing that hatchet immediately. If you struggle and hesitate, your only hurting yourself and the bird. Don't think about taking a life; instead, sing a little song, look at the clouds, do anything to occupy your mind as the bird bleeds out. It will be over very quickly. Once the bird is dead and scalded, it gets easier. Once it's plucked, it's just another cooking chicken.
Trust me, it's normal to feel a little pang of hurt or guilt. You have a problem when you don't feel that anymore. You should begin to worry when taking a life no longer means anything to you. That is when you have begun to lose your humanity.
BJ, you can do this.
Can I come to the Bar-B-Que? 
you old WIND bag! 
