I know this is old but you should make sure your hose is made for drinking water, many hoses use lead lining and that will cause health problems over time and its a easy fix.
Hi, I'm a retired USDA inspector and I want to commend you on your processing! You are doing good and minimizing waste! You can compost the guts , heads and feathers (high nitrogen) and you can use the bloody water to fertilize your next garden. Keep going!
Thanks for your video. We butchered for the 1st time today. (A total of 69 chickens) My wife watched your video and wrote your instructions step by step, as a reference. You're a huge help and a great instructor!
69 birds for two first-timers in one day is a pretty damn impressive accomplishment! Our family of 4 does 50 in an afternoon, and we've been at it for awhile. Kudos to you two on your determination!
Enjoyed this video very much! I retired from probably the largest poultry producer in the USA. Our processing of plant processed in access of 140,000 birds per 8 hour shift. I noticed your picker,. they actually work just like those used in large scale production. I'm happy their are folks like y'all that treat the animals you use for food with so much respect! Congratulations on making such an informative video! God Bless You and Your Family, keep up with the good work, stay safe!👍
25 years ago when i did this it was an axe, a block of wood to hold the chicken's head onto, a boiling pot of water, hand pulling every feather, then innards removal. That plucking machine is awesome!. We then supplied the chickens to a local chicken store a few minutes down the road. I never realised why the chicken is so good at the shop until I went to a friends farm and helped them for a day. I guess having the freshest ingredients is a good start!.
Musicguitar: thanks to you-tubers like Stoney Ridge, Arms Family, Keeping it Dutch, and Hidden Heights, we bought our farm in November! It has been an adventure
lol...don't worry they lost comment privilege on the channel....not sure why folks that believe in natural selection, science and or Darwinism rip into these kind of videos...like eating GMO plant based protein isn't sprayed by chemicals, killing mice, insects and birds in the fields and providing a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico...kinda hard to understand isn't it. Always remember...when someone posts something negative...don't let it feed more negativity my friend....just let them go...they're looking for a response from us to spread the hate...give em' sugar instead of vinegar lol
I'm not Vegan, but after seeing the torture, of what the poor pigs, cattle, all birds go through, I can't eat any store bought meats. If I can't find humanely raised animals I go without. Most of my camping friends are Vegan or Vegetarian, making it easier for me to go without meat. I highly respect people who choose a Vegan lifestyle, to help stop animal cruelty. Thank you
Chickens and roosters r wonderful pets, they cuddle in our lap. Freezing live chickens is cruelty,. I feel very sad for these lovely chickens. I wish the population goes vegan.
I found myself watching how big food industry culls chicks and processes chickens… I felt so awful, and then I saw this. Bless you guys for being humane, careful, and not letting anything go to waste if you can help it! I’m so impressed by the quality of your method as well as the quality of the video itself. Thank you!
Thank you for this! We're soon moving to my husband's ancestral home (sits on over 200 acres) and we plan on raising most of our own food. I'm trying to educate myself (and my kids) on the process before we get started. We want to raise chickens, pigs and turkeys to keep us sustained throughout the year. We have the space, we have the barn, we just need to get the rest of the gear to keep them contained and to help us to process them. I appreciate farmers like you who are willing to teach.
You are gonna need more than gear - you need the right work ethic or you'll be back buying birds in the supermarket. Your kids need to pull their own weight as well. They will appreciate it when they get older!
I can't disagree with you although it seems when you ask someone their answer is well nothing these days is healthy for you. I'd think that's enough to make you try to do more yourself
Hi Josh (?), I used to be an Environmental Health Officer in the UK and I have to tell you that I am greatly impressed with this video and how you hygenically and humanely---and environmentally, process your chickens for your own use. Most people don't seem to want to know that, in order to be able to eat meat, an animal has to die, but the way you portray your process seems quite swift and humane and I salute you for that. What's happening with the Jeep by the way ? Best regards from an old Yorkshire "Geezer" now in Ireland.
john cuervo okay Incase you haven’t noticed he has so many comments and can’t reply to everyone. Plus he has a family and farm to take car of as well as edit and film. What a coward of you to sit behind a screen and talk smack
@@kassandrasaenz4563 Thanks Kassandra....another one goes bye bye lol....so the jeep is in the shop....it's so stinking hot I havn't done much with it....fences....mowing and summer time activities are wide open right now. It's here ...and we'll be back in full swing once we start getting some 70 degree weather again. Glad you saw this comment....I get about 50 similar comments per day from "keyboard cowboys" that want to get a rise out of me....I just block them...Used to hurt my feelings and it's not a fun thing to wake up to in the morning...tis the life of the youtuber lol...thanks for subscribing....I sure love it over there in the UK
My husband and I processed our birds for the first time yesterday and it was so easy thanks to this video. I watched it about 5 times and felt so prepared. THANK YOU!
I am so greatful you shared this. I am 63 and this is the first time I have seen a chicken butchered. So clean and humane. This has replaced my nightmarish fears. Thank you.
Regarding the chicken pre-freezing stage (begins ~06:40): freeze several gallon-sized plastic milk jugs filled ~85% full with H₂O several days prior. This helps 2-ways: it’ll keep the freezers at/below 32°F as long as possible while filling them with food, AND, should your electricity go out, helps keep your food from spoiling!
This is why I love channels like this and reading the comments, your ice tip is exactly what my grandparents did, loosing a freezer , electricity happens , be prepared , someone who has never harvested chickens, could read through the comments and have a really great tip.
Thank you for having posted. You are not only helping my husband start the homesteading process but you are helping me be able to mentally process butchering the chickens. I got emotionally attached to them on "accident"
This video, along with the one detailing the mobile coop/tractor launched us into raising our own food. We've had layers for several years, but this year saw us raise, process and freeze two batches of meat birds. Many thanks for all of the info contained in these videos. it gave us the confidence to try it for ourselves. It has become a family activity from the brooder to the tractor to the freezer. My hat's off to the Stony Ridge Farmer.
This guy is such a good teacher… he is meticulous in every small detail . Can’t say much for all UA-cam videos. No fancy PowerPoint shit just good ole straight knowledge
Great video! Haven't processed chickens for a while. But the importance of keeping everything clean, at right temperature is spot on! My family preferred meat we'd fed, raised, and butchered ourselves! The meat tasted so much better! Thank you for showing the process! Many people nowadays think meat just appears in grocery stores! With trend towards organic, healthy meals, this is needed right now! Thanks again!
This is by far one of the best videos on processing chickens with above & beyond information fully explained in down to earth way. I’ve got several meat birds to harvest in about 5 weeks . I figure if I watch this video about 3 times a week until then I would be real proficient at it . Meanwhile I’ll work on obtaining my plucker& scalding pot & my nerves . Lol. Thanks you.
I love your attention to detail from prepping the chickens to even having a mic for the video & the editing skills on your videos. Most people wouldnt even care about stuff like that. Kudos to you my good man 👍🏽
This is my first time having chickens. When I got them I committed to raising some for meat and some for eggs. This is by far the best process I’ve seen so far, and I’m very appreciative for you sharing!!
Hi Josh. I started processing home grown poultry 20+ years ago and learned an easy way to get juicy, tender poultry, that is to let the processed poultry rest in the frig for 5 days before placing them in the freezer. It truly makes for a wonderful finished product and does not spoil the birds in any way.
Thanks for that tip. My butcher said to let the bird hang in the fridge for a few days, but I have not seen anyone else recommend it. I feel more confident now that it is a good step.
One year we bagged some the same day, some the next day and some after 5 days and we could not tell a difference so now we do it the same day since most of the stuff is out there anyways to do it.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Is there a specific season that's best for raising and butchering out meat birds, or could I time it so I'm butchering while it's really cold outside? I'd have to heat my workspace, but otherwise I feel like that would solve several problems at once.
Hi Josh, A couple of things I have learned for you and your viewers. rubber/plastic traffic cones turned upside and resting between (2) 2x4s work perfectly for slaughter as well. Also, if you keep the bird submerged underwater with just a couple of inches of the opening above water and twist the bag, the water pressure will force all the air out and they won't freezer burn at all. If you aren't processing 20+ birds, you can buy a duck plucking machine that has the same fingers but on a rotating wheel that you turn the bird against and it is less than half the price of that large set-up you have. Finally, a clean fresh water trough or 55 gal drum (you aren't getting it hot enough to worry about the galvanizing) has enough water to make holding it at a steady temp easier. you can get it to 150 and turn it off and do 10 birds without the heat even on. Also, if you supplement with unlimited availability of 20-26% protein feed (Broiler or game bird feed--the only difference is game bird feed does not have any prophylactic coccidiostat in it) your birds will put on a LOT more weight a LOT more quickly. We are getting 9 pounds live weight at 6 weeks. Cornish Cross have a feed to weight conversion of 2 lbs of feed to get 1 lb of meat, so a $20 50lb sack goes a long way. Thanks!
Are there any concerns about the health implications of using?"Prophylactic coccidiostat"on human health. Seems like this chemical maybe one of the things I'm trying to avoid?
Howdyyawl from the land down under. My wife & I run our own farm here in South Australia. Food is a reality, it doesn't just appear in the super market by magic. Someone has to make it happen. Nice to see reality in the world.keeping it real😊
I know I’m late to the video but that “plucker” machine is the coolest thing I’ve seen. Most videos I’ve watched, just show someone plucking the feathers in their sink or something; sure it’s more “natural” but damn! It looks time consuming. Instead, this machine just plucks it in seconds… AND doesn’t damage the meat?! That’s sweet! It’s cool watching videos like these showing you EXACTLY how your meat is processed. I used to be kinda squeamish but I’ve been interested and watching these butchering videos (birds, pigs, cows, rabbits etc) for a while to truly understand how important meat is to us. Good video 👍🏼
Good job! I was raised on a small farm and the process was just as you've shown (except we were hand plucking). The importance of the cleanliness and the eviscerating, without splitting the gall or crop etc., was very well explained.
Hi there Josh. Good to see a video for once that shows that the stuff we eat comes from somewhere else than the grocery store. And I respect the way you handle your chickens and how you tell your story. My compliments. Just wanted to let you know. Best regards Norman.
I am speeches. Over the summer I visited my grandma in Mexico for her 80th birthday. My cousins and I spent over 4 hours processing 50 chickens and 3 turkeys for the party. It took so long because we plucked by hand. That was my first time processing chickens and I didn't know there was a machine that could pluck for you. Very cool
I’m a city guy and I’ve spent my whole life growing up in cities. But recently I’ve started to process my own food I did a side of beef this year and a side of pork. Was lucky enough to have a friend who knew a butcher so we butchered it in his garage after ageing it I mostly vacuum sealed all of the meat and labelled it while he did most of the butchering but still learned quite a bit. I have bought a set of pouchering knives a vacuum sealer meat grinder sausage stuffffe and some other bits and pieces so I can make a lot of my own food I even make my own bacon now which is awesome. It was very interesting watching your video and your chicken settle I’ll have to start saving up money so I can have my own little Homestead have some nice geothermal greenhouses and some animals I can raise myself it sounds strange considering I’ve spent my whole life in cities but I’m kind of looking forward to doing something like that. I have a couple of questions I have a chambered vacuum sealer could I seal my chickens in those bags instead. Also I watched you zip tying your bags I’ve been making some sausages myself and have started to use a pliers with hog rings I’m just wondering if that would be quicker and better than the zip ties to tightly close your bags. I know some people who put the ground beef in bags similar to your chicken bags and use hog rings to close them instead it might even be cheaper than the zip ties. I also learned a trick from the butcher when coming to cleaning the blood before you start processing he would spray everything down with a spray bottle with water and oil mix olive oil or sunflower oil whatever kind of oil you like this makes it easier to clean everything off afterwards. Have learned a lot watching your video I really like that plucker machine I had visions of me sitting there pulling all of the feathers out it would drive me nuts but that machine was awesome. Thanks for the video.
This is an excellent tutorial. My family has started raising chickens for eggs. We have a Rhode Island Red rooster and an Americauna hen. We are getting fertilized eggs and are just starting to hatch successfully. We have not yet reached the point of butchering our own birds yet but this video definitely takes away some of the fears of figuring this out on our own. Thank you for this explanation, you have once again shown how easily we can take care of ourselves.
That was awesome! We are beginner 'Hobby Farmers' looking to raise food for our family. You just gave me a 'blue print' of tools and the process. Many thanks.
Here I am, watching your video for the approximately 7th time 🤷♀️ We're preparing to harvest for the 1st time. And we're doing it because of this video. THANK YOU! We appreciate your knowledge sharing and fantastic teaching style 😎 I won't lie and say I'm not nervous for the butchering process... scared to reems I'll cut the galbladder 😱 We appreciate you & your family, God bless!
there ya go! I've got about 6 vids with more details my friend....just pull off the gallbladder instead of cutting...you'll get it..have a hose handing incase of a boo boo lol...it happens and won't ruin your day I promise
Thank you for posting this! I've been plucking by hand for a while now and am looking to upgrade to an easier system. You've answered many of my questions I've been trying to get answered for several months now.
Hello 👋 Kimberly. How are you doing? Hope you're fine. I am Zack Hudson and am from Denver Colorado. Where are you from? You seem to a real country girl
You’re fortunate to have that plucker, we had to dunk our chickens in the boiling kettle and then pluck them by hand. Great to see y’all doing it correctly.
A very clean and clear video,I learn to do this when I was 12 in my country (Panama) my grandma was a great teacher and just like you explain was the clean half and the dirty half.Thank you for the video.
What a great lesson Josh! I love how you continually explain things. I probably will never cull a chicken although I love raising your own food. Thanks Josh. You're the best ❣️❣️❣️👍✌️
You’re great man. I’m from New Jersey and this was extremely educational and drawing. I’m looking to get my hunting license and with my girlfriend have chickens one day.
I remember butchering chicken the old fashion way, we plucked by hand, but we butchered laying hens as they quit laying or young roosters. We hatched our eggs the old fashion way too using a brood hen so you were always replenishing the flock. That was back in the 50s.
@@GrzegorzDurda No I'm saying they were meat birds who were processed before they could reproduce. We raised Rhode Island Reds for their eggs and the meat came much later. These days the eggs are hatched in an incubator.
@@roydavis2242 I grew up on a Farm in Poland and i was worried for a moment that these are sold genetically Sterile or something so that much like with seedless fruit you always have to buy new seeds or in this case new Eggs with Hatch-lings.
I haven't done chicken or birds before, but i will never forget when our dad and grandfather brought us to teach me and my brothers about sheep and pig slaughter. The respect they showed the animals before ending a life, tapping blood and use that to make blood sausage or blood pancakes, gutting and showing us what's what, how much you can use of an animal, and not to forget the different uses. Very informative video, and wish more people would watch it.
The horrible way commercial chickens are raised is pitiful. Chicken DOES NOT taste the way it used to. That's a fact. Excellent instructional video. Lots of folks haven't a clue.
We need a return to killing our own meat. Buying live chickens/ducks from a market for your dinner is commonplace in many cultures and used to be the norm in western culture….
That is a slick system. I used to help my mom when I was youngster back on the farm in Colorado and it was way more work. We did 5 - 8 at a time and plucked by hand and it took a few hours. I have to say, I didn’t enjoy that process. You have a great system. Thanks for sharing the video. Well done!
Good to see your chickens coop. I hope that the city peoples understand about raising chicken for the family. When I still working I asked couple of my coworkers very simple question like where the chickens are coming from. Their answer was from the stores. Again how the chickens get into the stores. There was only a few corrected answered. You really clear explanation and good lessons to those peoples that not understanding how to raise the chickens and here the meat is coming from.
I've only seen three videos and already can predict when the "Whooooo!" comes 😀. I like the pvc chicken tractors and this butchering video. Learned a lot. Thanks!!! Greetings from the Netherlands!!!
While I am a vegetarian and this is hard to see, I have seen the industrial versions. This is infinitely better all the way around. Thank you for doing it the old fashioned way. Thank you for doing this in the best way possible for both the chickens and "workers".
not sure how this would be hard to see for a vegetarian my friend. You do understand that being a vegetarian because you don't want animals harmed is such a falsehood. The food you are eating for protein is typically farmed conventionally with tillage, GMO seeds, Sprays and fertilizers..planted, sprayed and harvested by giant soil destroying fuel guzzling equipment. An ecosystem depends on forage, predator and prey and therefore no healthy ecosystem on earth is without animals such as cattle, goats, sheep or poultry. It's honestly the circle of life...and there's more life in a spoon full of healthy soil than there are visible stars in the sky. I don't judge ya on the choice to become vegan...but if you're doing it because you don't want animals harmed.....think of all the mice, songbirds, and the soil ecosystem that's being destroyed by soil killing farming practices all over the planet. Please...don't buy GMO and do your best to eat certified organic. Remember....in the end.....genetics are something we cannot escape. We have K9 teeth in our heads......we are omnivores by genetic makeup my friend. I recently had a great friend, who was vegan, develop a massive infection in her knee after bike riding. She asked me what she could do....I told her to drop this vegan diet!!! There are very clear and concise peer reviewed articles that have proven infectious processes are more prevalent in the vegan population. My friend had surgery....started back to eating farm fresh high quality animal protein...sustainably raised..and she's had no recurrence of infection. Literally her diet caused her immune system to be depressed and as soon as she changed back to consuming meat...her infection went away. Crazy huh...just be aware my friend...we are what we eat...and we can't get away from our genetic makeup. Not eating meat to save animals is a farse....animals need to be a part of the natural circle of life in every ecosystem...prey eats herb, predator eats herbivore and omnivore eats them all to remain healthy
This family "are a team effort", just a wonderful way of explaining each step. I found this fellow made every process so easy to follow. I didn't know that a chicken can be stored in a freezer for over a year...WOW. I never knew this. Gotta tell my good cook...my wife about this note.
Good morning Josh! I've never seen that before. Thanks for taking us step by step through it. Another super educational video about farming. Cheers to you and Mrs. Stoney ( and to your pops too)!
I'll never forget the way a scalded chicken smells or the way a fresh chicken taste. My grandma used to take an ax to their head or wring their neck. I Miss that!
I always thought that plucking chickens for a living, has to be one of the hardest jobs. I guess there are worse, but now there's a tumbler! Huh! Well I'll be a chickens uncle!! 😂😂😂
Thank you for showing this, I think it will help people respect the food they have and to be mindful of the processes involved in bringing that chicken sandwich to the table.
Awesome vid! Thank you! Getting ready to start raising chickens. This was a vid I was looking for that was hard to find. Awesome, honest, thorough. Great job!
This is way cool. My grandparents were from Brooklyn NY and they used to process their own chickens too. They weren't spoiled like today's society. Sometimes progress creates laziness. Good job.
I used way to process the chickens that I learned from my parents, it is so much work! I never done it by myself in my hometown, because either my parents do it or pay $2 in market for people do it for you. When I first time do it, could imagine how scared and clumsy I am. After that, I felt guilty and uncomfortable. However, I definitely learned good way to processing! Thank you!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Hahaha dude you are awesome ! I would also reccomend checking out the show LetterKenny, on Hulu. It's another hilarious Canadian show though it's based on a farm.
THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DO THIS VIDEO..IVE WATCHED HUNDREDS OF YOU TUBE VIDEOS...AND I BELIEVE THIS HAS BEEN NOT ONLY INFORMATIVE BUT VERY WELL DONE... I LEARNED A LOT....I NEEDED TO KNOW THIS INFO. THANKS AGAIN..JOHN FROM KANSAS.
Folks don't forget! For daily livestreams come join us on the livestream channel here: ua-cam.com/users/StoneyRidgeFarmerLIVESTREAMS
I'm interested in the plucker
nice video but i didnt see the butchering part.. i know it's youtube but still you have butcher in the title
I know this is old but you should make sure your hose is made for drinking water, many hoses use lead lining and that will cause health problems over time and its a easy fix.
I can only see you tube films.
@@JoeGameVideos they just removed the head, wing tips and feet. Then pull the insides out.
Hi, I'm a retired USDA inspector and I want to commend you on your processing! You are doing good and minimizing waste! You can compost the guts , heads and feathers (high nitrogen) and you can use the bloody water to fertilize your next garden. Keep going!
yessir exactly!
@@lucyp406 nice story Ms Lucy, thanks.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Where is your farm?
🌈💚🍀
Composting animal parts does attract snakes and rodents though, doesn't it
I've never seen a start to finish chicken process explained so honestly and efficiently. You make for a great teacher. Thanks.
Yes! 👍👍👍👍😊I'd need a beer 🍺 after a day harvesting chickens, alot of work
But well worth it
@@joannem3568 I'm with you there, could use a beer right now. I use to raise birds, they're fun but a lot of work !🐓🐣🦃🕊
With extra fries
the start was not in the movie, they were already dead.
Hit and miss process 😆
Thanks for your video. We butchered for the 1st time today. (A total of 69 chickens) My wife watched your video and wrote your instructions step by step, as a reference. You're a huge help and a great instructor!
shew....next time try 35 ...you'll be sick of fooling with them chickens by the end of the day for sure lol
Wowzers! 69 chickens! That's a heavy lift for 1 day...especially for 2 people.
69 birds for two first-timers in one day is a pretty damn impressive accomplishment! Our family of 4 does 50 in an afternoon, and we've been at it for awhile. Kudos to you two on your determination!
Read my comment on the video to make the skin tastier during processing
Have you ever done a cost analysis as to if it is cheaper to make your own meat or purchase your chicken meat?
Enjoyed this video very much! I retired from probably the largest poultry producer in the USA. Our processing of plant processed in access of 140,000 birds per 8 hour shift. I noticed your picker,. they actually work just like those used in large scale production. I'm happy their are folks like y'all that treat the animals you use for food with so much respect! Congratulations on making such an informative video! God Bless You and Your Family, keep up with the good work, stay safe!👍
25 years ago when i did this it was an axe, a block of wood to hold the chicken's head onto, a boiling pot of water, hand pulling every feather, then innards removal. That plucking machine is awesome!. We then supplied the chickens to a local chicken store a few minutes down the road. I never realised why the chicken is so good at the shop until I went to a friends farm and helped them for a day. I guess having the freshest ingredients is a good start!.
I think I heard your dad mumble. "I wish that boy would quit his jibber jabbing and do some work." Lol
LOL
LOL
I like funin with Josh. "Lazy" would not be a term I used to describe him. I don't care what his dad says. lol
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I aint a snowflake and your poop emoji was fine with me. lol
LoL !
My whole life revolves around my ultimate goal of purchasing a ranch and sustaining my family with natural foods. Thanks for sharing!
Musicguitar: thanks to you-tubers like Stoney Ridge, Arms Family, Keeping it Dutch, and Hidden Heights, we bought our farm in November! It has been an adventure
I pray that you get your ranch one day!
Very good goal to have brother. I wish you the best with that.
Unlike me who want to live in an Art Deco apartment in the middle of the city lol
What are "unnatural" foods? LOL!
As a vegan I wish all
Chicken was farmed and raised cared for,loved and was processed as your chickens are .humanly 😊 thank you !
lol...don't worry they lost comment privilege on the channel....not sure why folks that believe in natural selection, science and or Darwinism rip into these kind of videos...like eating GMO plant based protein isn't sprayed by chemicals, killing mice, insects and birds in the fields and providing a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico...kinda hard to understand isn't it. Always remember...when someone posts something negative...don't let it feed more negativity my friend....just let them go...they're looking for a response from us to spread the hate...give em' sugar instead of vinegar lol
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Were you replying to a deleted comment?
@@Owl_bee Yes, if you sort by newest first you can see a channel someone was replying to
I'm not Vegan, but after seeing the torture, of what the poor pigs, cattle, all birds go through, I can't eat any store bought meats. If I can't find humanely raised animals I go without. Most of my camping friends are Vegan or Vegetarian, making it easier for me to go without meat. I highly respect people who choose a Vegan lifestyle, to help stop animal cruelty. Thank you
Chickens and roosters r wonderful pets, they cuddle in our lap. Freezing live chickens is cruelty,. I feel very sad for these lovely chickens. I wish the population goes vegan.
I found myself watching how big food industry culls chicks and processes chickens… I felt so awful, and then I saw this. Bless you guys for being humane, careful, and not letting anything go to waste if you can help it! I’m so impressed by the quality of your method as well as the quality of the video itself. Thank you!
Thank you for this! We're soon moving to my husband's ancestral home (sits on over 200 acres) and we plan on raising most of our own food. I'm trying to educate myself (and my kids) on the process before we get started. We want to raise chickens, pigs and turkeys to keep us sustained throughout the year. We have the space, we have the barn, we just need to get the rest of the gear to keep them contained and to help us to process them. I appreciate farmers like you who are willing to teach.
Hello 👋 Tamara. How are you doing? Hope you're fine. I am Zack Hudson and am from Denver Colorado. Where are you from? You seem to a real country girl
You are gonna need more than gear - you need the right work ethic or you'll be back buying birds in the supermarket. Your kids need to pull their own weight as well. They will appreciate it when they get older!
@@zackhudson5172 Goodluck on whatever scam you're attempting. Your profile picture is David Walliams. How dumb can you be lol!
Birds are not much of a hassle but pig raising is a whole higher league.
I wish more people cared what was in their food and where it came from... I feel like all animals should be raised like yours
Thanks brotha...I appreciate that. This has been our best year yet for poultry on the farm! Can't wait to ramp it up and sell to the public!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I'm in!
That's cool joe jack
I can't disagree with you although it seems when you ask someone their answer is well nothing these days is healthy for you.
I'd think that's enough to make you try to do more yourself
@FishingCrafterVlogs. Definitely agree with you.👍🏻
Hi Josh (?), I used to be an Environmental Health Officer in the UK and I have to tell you that I am greatly impressed with this video and how you hygenically and humanely---and environmentally, process your chickens for your own use. Most people don't seem to want to know that, in order to be able to eat meat, an animal has to die, but the way you portray your process seems quite swift and humane and I salute you for that. What's happening with the Jeep by the way ? Best regards from an old Yorkshire "Geezer" now in Ireland.
john cuervo okay Incase you haven’t noticed he has so many comments and can’t reply to everyone. Plus he has a family and farm to take car of as well as edit and film. What a coward of you to sit behind a screen and talk smack
@@kassandrasaenz4563 Thanks Kassandra....another one goes bye bye lol....so the jeep is in the shop....it's so stinking hot I havn't done much with it....fences....mowing and summer time activities are wide open right now. It's here ...and we'll be back in full swing once we start getting some 70 degree weather again. Glad you saw this comment....I get about 50 similar comments per day from "keyboard cowboys" that want to get a rise out of me....I just block them...Used to hurt my feelings and it's not a fun thing to wake up to in the morning...tis the life of the youtuber lol...thanks for subscribing....I sure love it over there in the UK
As uncle Ted says... there's a gut pile Associated with every meal.
yeah
Big respect Russell, from great old west yorkshire here 👊🏼
My husband and I processed our birds for the first time yesterday and it was so easy thanks to this video. I watched it about 5 times and felt so prepared. THANK YOU!
I am so greatful you shared this. I am 63 and this is the first time I have seen a chicken butchered. So clean and humane. This has replaced my nightmarish fears. Thank you.
Regarding the chicken pre-freezing stage (begins ~06:40): freeze several gallon-sized plastic milk jugs filled ~85% full with H₂O several days prior.
This helps 2-ways: it’ll keep the freezers at/below 32°F as long as possible while filling them with food, AND, should your electricity go out, helps keep your food from spoiling!
This is why I love channels like this and reading the comments, your ice tip is exactly what my grandparents did, loosing a freezer , electricity happens , be prepared , someone who has never harvested chickens, could read through the comments and have a really great tip.
Also (!!!!!!) You have lots of ice handy for homemade ice cream.
Thank you for having posted. You are not only helping my husband start the homesteading process but you are helping me be able to mentally process butchering the chickens. I got emotionally attached to them on "accident"
@@RaledoTom agreed
@@RaledoTom You have to be a butts to make a comment like that.
This video, along with the one detailing the mobile coop/tractor launched us into raising our own food. We've had layers for several years, but this year saw us raise, process and freeze two batches of meat birds. Many thanks for all of the info contained in these videos. it gave us the confidence to try it for ourselves. It has become a family activity from the brooder to the tractor to the freezer. My hat's off to the Stony Ridge Farmer.
Better than other companies who put harmful chemicals into their birds. Well done I enjoy your videos a lot
Or worse yet....dip them in vinegar when they get old so they turn a natural color again.
This guy is such a good teacher… he is meticulous in every small detail . Can’t say much for all UA-cam videos. No fancy PowerPoint shit just good ole straight knowledge
thank you!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmerwhere can one get the plucker and Calder at a reasonable cost
Great video! Haven't processed chickens for a while. But the importance of keeping everything clean, at right temperature is spot on! My family preferred meat we'd fed, raised, and butchered ourselves! The meat tasted so much better! Thank you for showing the process! Many people nowadays think meat just appears in grocery stores! With trend towards organic, healthy meals, this is needed right now! Thanks again!
Those pluckers are amazing. I've been processing chickens since I was a kid, but you can still learn things. You are a great teacher
Any extra tips you’d add? :)
This is by far one of the best videos on processing chickens with above & beyond information fully explained in down to earth way. I’ve got several meat birds to harvest in about 5 weeks . I figure if I watch this video about 3 times a week until then I would be real proficient at it . Meanwhile I’ll work on obtaining my plucker& scalding pot & my nerves . Lol. Thanks you.
Ditto! Same here...I gotta get enough nerve to do it.
I love your attention to detail from prepping the chickens to even having a mic for the video & the editing skills on your videos. Most people wouldnt even care about stuff like that. Kudos to you my good man 👍🏽
This is my first time having chickens. When I got them I committed to raising some for meat and some for eggs. This is by far the best process I’ve seen so far, and I’m very appreciative for you sharing!!
welcome to the channel!
I appreciate you putting out this content man! More people need to be learning how to butcher themselves. Awesome job!
Always nice to see a UA-camr supporting another UA-camr!!
Hi Josh. I started processing home grown poultry 20+ years ago and learned an easy way to get juicy, tender poultry, that is to let the processed poultry rest in the frig for 5 days before placing them in the freezer. It truly makes for a wonderful finished product and does not spoil the birds in any way.
yep...but how do you store 40 chickens in a fridge? My birds havn't been tough at all..but it does take a couple days to freeze this amount of meat
Thanks for that tip. My butcher said to let the bird hang in the fridge for a few days, but I have not seen anyone else recommend it. I feel more confident now that it is a good step.
One year we bagged some the same day, some the next day and some after 5 days and we could not tell a difference so now we do it the same day since most of the stuff is out there anyways to do it.
I heard that you can use coolers with ice to keep them cold for several days if you don't have space in your fridge. :)
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer
Is there a specific season that's best for raising and butchering out meat birds, or could I time it so I'm butchering while it's really cold outside? I'd have to heat my workspace, but otherwise I feel like that would solve several problems at once.
Hi Josh, A couple of things I have learned for you and your viewers. rubber/plastic traffic cones turned upside and resting between (2) 2x4s work perfectly for slaughter as well. Also, if you keep the bird submerged underwater with just a couple of inches of the opening above water and twist the bag, the water pressure will force all the air out and they won't freezer burn at all. If you aren't processing 20+ birds, you can buy a duck plucking machine that has the same fingers but on a rotating wheel that you turn the bird against and it is less than half the price of that large set-up you have. Finally, a clean fresh water trough or 55 gal drum (you aren't getting it hot enough to worry about the galvanizing) has enough water to make holding it at a steady temp easier. you can get it to 150 and turn it off and do 10 birds without the heat even on. Also, if you supplement with unlimited availability of 20-26% protein feed (Broiler or game bird feed--the only difference is game bird feed does not have any prophylactic coccidiostat in it) your birds will put on a LOT more weight a LOT more quickly. We are getting 9 pounds live weight at 6 weeks. Cornish Cross have a feed to weight conversion of 2 lbs of feed to get 1 lb of meat, so a $20 50lb sack goes a long way. Thanks!
costco square milk jug works good too
Thanks for the further insight.
Are there any concerns about the health implications of using?"Prophylactic coccidiostat"on human health. Seems like this chemical maybe one of the things I'm trying to avoid?
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer wow must be small chickens into gallon jugs.
@@MissBetsyLu you mean normal sized chickens, not the giant birds pumped full of hormones
Howdyyawl from the land down under. My wife & I run our own farm here in South Australia. Food is a reality, it doesn't just appear in the super market by magic. Someone has to make it happen. Nice to see reality in the world.keeping it real😊
Well said!
I know I’m late to the video but that “plucker” machine is the coolest thing I’ve seen. Most videos I’ve watched, just show someone plucking the feathers in their sink or something; sure it’s more “natural” but damn! It looks time consuming. Instead, this machine just plucks it in seconds… AND doesn’t damage the meat?! That’s sweet! It’s cool watching videos like these showing you EXACTLY how your meat is processed. I used to be kinda squeamish but I’ve been interested and watching these butchering videos (birds, pigs, cows, rabbits etc) for a while to truly understand how important meat is to us. Good video 👍🏼
Those birds live well in good conditions. Thank you for taking care of them. Bless the birds and your family.
Good job! I was raised on a small farm and the process was just as you've shown (except we were hand plucking). The importance of the cleanliness and the eviscerating, without splitting the gall or crop etc., was very well explained.
I'm still watching in 2022
Lmao
Hi there Josh. Good to see a video for once that shows that the stuff we eat comes from somewhere else than the grocery store. And I respect the way you handle your chickens and how you tell your story. My compliments. Just wanted to let you know. Best regards Norman.
I am speeches. Over the summer I visited my grandma in Mexico for her 80th birthday. My cousins and I spent over 4 hours processing 50 chickens and 3 turkeys for the party. It took so long because we plucked by hand. That was my first time processing chickens and I didn't know there was a machine that could pluck for you. Very cool
Thank you for sharing and thank you dad for being patient and allowing him to teach us ! God bless
Thank you for allowing us to be with you in this awesome process of feeding your family
Glad to share Michael
I’m a city guy and I’ve spent my whole life growing up in cities. But recently I’ve started to process my own food I did a side of beef this year and a side of pork. Was lucky enough to have a friend who knew a butcher so we butchered it in his garage after ageing it I mostly vacuum sealed all of the meat and labelled it while he did most of the butchering but still learned quite a bit. I have bought a set of pouchering knives a vacuum sealer meat grinder sausage stuffffe and some other bits and pieces so I can make a lot of my own food I even make my own bacon now which is awesome. It was very interesting watching your video and your chicken settle I’ll have to start saving up money so I can have my own little Homestead have some nice geothermal greenhouses and some animals I can raise myself it sounds strange considering I’ve spent my whole life in cities but I’m kind of looking forward to doing something like that. I have a couple of questions I have a chambered vacuum sealer could I seal my chickens in those bags instead. Also I watched you zip tying your bags I’ve been making some sausages myself and have started to use a pliers with hog rings I’m just wondering if that would be quicker and better than the zip ties to tightly close your bags. I know some people who put the ground beef in bags similar to your chicken bags and use hog rings to close them instead it might even be cheaper than the zip ties. I also learned a trick from the butcher when coming to cleaning the blood before you start processing he would spray everything down with a spray bottle with water and oil mix olive oil or sunflower oil whatever kind of oil you like this makes it easier to clean everything off afterwards. Have learned a lot watching your video I really like that plucker machine I had visions of me sitting there pulling all of the feathers out it would drive me nuts but that machine was awesome. Thanks for the video.
This is an excellent tutorial. My family has started raising chickens for eggs. We have a Rhode Island Red rooster and an Americauna hen. We are getting fertilized eggs and are just starting to hatch successfully. We have not yet reached the point of butchering our own birds yet but this video definitely takes away some of the fears of figuring this out on our own. Thank you for this explanation, you have once again shown how easily we can take care of ourselves.
That was awesome! We are beginner 'Hobby Farmers' looking to raise food for our family. You just gave me a 'blue print' of tools and the process. Many thanks.
Here I am, watching your video for the approximately 7th time 🤷♀️
We're preparing to harvest for the 1st time. And we're doing it because of this video.
THANK YOU! We appreciate your knowledge sharing and fantastic teaching style 😎
I won't lie and say I'm not nervous for the butchering process... scared to reems I'll cut the galbladder 😱
We appreciate you & your family, God bless!
there ya go! I've got about 6 vids with more details my friend....just pull off the gallbladder instead of cutting...you'll get it..have a hose handing incase of a boo boo lol...it happens and won't ruin your day I promise
TIL that chickens have testicles. You really learn something new everyday. Great vid!
Thank you for posting this! I've been plucking by hand for a while now and am looking to upgrade to an easier system. You've answered many of my questions I've been trying to get answered for several months now.
Hello 👋 Kimberly. How are you doing? Hope you're fine. I am Zack Hudson and am from Denver Colorado. Where are you from? You seem to a real country girl
Hows the plucking by hand going? I don't have enough birds to necessitate a plucking drum so I'll be doing it by hand here too.
@@rodli11 It's actually really easy, just time-consuming. I don't process enough to need big equipment.
About to butcher our first chicken (we've done wild turkey before) and this is very helpful, thanks!
Outstanding presentation!!! Short/sweet and straight to the point; yet with lots of great information!
BRAVO!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
You’re fortunate to have that plucker, we had to dunk our chickens in the boiling kettle and then pluck them by hand. Great to see y’all doing it correctly.
heck...it's not "fortune" it's just a choice I made to buy it. When processing up to 200 birds per year..it becomes necessary
These videos are fantastic! I think it is very important that people know where their food comes from! Great work!
thank you, this has really given me the confidence to do it myself. i like how the video is so well structured.
You can do it!
great dude they are still chickens no matter what. great operation man.
Best! Dad's probably 🦚 proud to have his son on TV . He's taught him everything he knows
This was very informative. I am a brand new chicken momma and this video has made me more confident with processing them when the time comes!
A very clean and clear video,I learn to do this when I was 12 in my country (Panama) my grandma was a great teacher and just like you explain was the clean half and the dirty half.Thank you for the video.
Hello 👋 Rosa. How are you doing? Hope you're fine. I am Zack Hudson and am from Denver Colorado. Where are you from? You seem to a real country girl
What a great lesson Josh! I love how you continually explain things. I probably will never cull a chicken although I love raising your own food. Thanks Josh. You're the best ❣️❣️❣️👍✌️
You’re great man. I’m from New Jersey and this was extremely educational and drawing. I’m looking to get my hunting license and with my girlfriend have chickens one day.
I remember butchering chicken the old fashion way, we plucked by hand, but we butchered laying hens as they quit laying or young roosters. We hatched our eggs the old fashion way too using a brood hen so you were always replenishing the flock. That was back in the 50s.
Youre saying those birds he raised are sterile with no way of reproducing?
@@GrzegorzDurda No I'm saying they were meat birds who were processed before they could reproduce. We raised Rhode Island Reds for their eggs and the meat came much later. These days the eggs are hatched in an incubator.
@@roydavis2242 I grew up on a Farm in Poland and i was worried for a moment that these are sold genetically Sterile or something so that much like with seedless fruit you always have to buy new seeds or in this case new Eggs with Hatch-lings.
We did it the same way into 1967. Most people don't know what fresh chicken is.
Was raised that same way in the 2000s
Very interesting process sir. Looks like chicken will be ready for dinner. Fine job folks.
I haven't done chicken or birds before, but i will never forget when our dad and grandfather brought us to teach me and my brothers about sheep and pig slaughter. The respect they showed the animals before ending a life, tapping blood and use that to make blood sausage or blood pancakes, gutting and showing us what's what, how much you can use of an animal, and not to forget the different uses. Very informative video, and wish more people would watch it.
That chicken plucker was amazing!!
You guys are pros. Thanks for helping this city slicker learn something new.
Highly informative - THANKS for sharing the relatively humane processes employed at your farm.
This was one of the best videos I've ever seen on chicken prep.
You describe everything very well. Such a well spoken knowledgeable guy. Thank you for this video.
thanks David
The horrible way commercial chickens are raised is pitiful. Chicken DOES NOT taste the way it used to. That's a fact.
Excellent instructional video. Lots of folks haven't a clue.
Then go kill a chicken from a farm
We need a return to killing our own meat. Buying live chickens/ducks from a market for your dinner is commonplace in many cultures and used to be the norm in western culture….
You have this down to a science. What an assembly line. A very detailed and informative video on processing meat birds. Thanks for sharing.
That is a slick system. I used to help my mom when I was youngster back on the farm in Colorado and it was way more work. We did 5 - 8 at a time and plucked by hand and it took a few hours. I have to say, I didn’t enjoy that process. You have a great system. Thanks for sharing the video. Well done!
Good to see your chickens coop. I hope that the city peoples understand about raising chicken for the family. When I still working I asked couple of my coworkers very simple question like where the chickens are coming from. Their answer was from the stores. Again how the chickens get into the stores. There was only a few corrected answered. You really clear explanation and good lessons to those peoples that not understanding how to raise the chickens and here the meat is coming from.
I have been looking for a "real" chicken info channel. I have finally found it! Thank you!
I've only seen three videos and already can predict when the "Whooooo!" comes 😀. I like the pvc chicken tractors and this butchering video. Learned a lot. Thanks!!! Greetings from the Netherlands!!!
While I am a vegetarian and this is hard to see, I have seen the industrial versions. This is infinitely better all the way around. Thank you for doing it the old fashioned way. Thank you for doing this in the best way possible for both the chickens and "workers".
not sure how this would be hard to see for a vegetarian my friend. You do understand that being a vegetarian because you don't want animals harmed is such a falsehood. The food you are eating for protein is typically farmed conventionally with tillage, GMO seeds, Sprays and fertilizers..planted, sprayed and harvested by giant soil destroying fuel guzzling equipment. An ecosystem depends on forage, predator and prey and therefore no healthy ecosystem on earth is without animals such as cattle, goats, sheep or poultry. It's honestly the circle of life...and there's more life in a spoon full of healthy soil than there are visible stars in the sky. I don't judge ya on the choice to become vegan...but if you're doing it because you don't want animals harmed.....think of all the mice, songbirds, and the soil ecosystem that's being destroyed by soil killing farming practices all over the planet. Please...don't buy GMO and do your best to eat certified organic. Remember....in the end.....genetics are something we cannot escape. We have K9 teeth in our heads......we are omnivores by genetic makeup my friend. I recently had a great friend, who was vegan, develop a massive infection in her knee after bike riding. She asked me what she could do....I told her to drop this vegan diet!!! There are very clear and concise peer reviewed articles that have proven infectious processes are more prevalent in the vegan population. My friend had surgery....started back to eating farm fresh high quality animal protein...sustainably raised..and she's had no recurrence of infection. Literally her diet caused her immune system to be depressed and as soon as she changed back to consuming meat...her infection went away. Crazy huh...just be aware my friend...we are what we eat...and we can't get away from our genetic makeup. Not eating meat to save animals is a farse....animals need to be a part of the natural circle of life in every ecosystem...prey eats herb, predator eats herbivore and omnivore eats them all to remain healthy
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer wow! I was being humble and nice and I get that.
great....for sure....all we can do is our very best for sure...I'm so so against GMO!!!
Hi, i enjoyed watching the whole pricess have learnt alot.thanks.
That plucker is fantastic. I had no idea it existed.
It's junk🤬 DO NOT BUY ONE
This family "are a team effort", just a wonderful way of explaining each step. I found this fellow made every process so easy to follow. I didn't know that a chicken can be stored in a freezer for over a year...WOW. I never knew this. Gotta tell my good cook...my wife about this note.
We are processing 93 chickens today, I've used this video to get myself set up. Thanks for the tutorial, I haven't done this since I was a kid.
Good morning Josh! I've never seen that before. Thanks for taking us step by step through it. Another super educational video about farming. Cheers to you and Mrs. Stoney ( and to your pops too)!
Absolutely awesome, been doing this for 30 years, still learning the techniques. Great video mate
I love how much respect farmers have for their animals!
Thank you up like that we had a meet you up in our country it’s great to see Americans that are trying to eat more healthy
Thank you! It's a very good video!! May the Lord bless you in all your hard work!!
Great video and very informative for those of us starting out, thank you!
2 questions:
1) what do you do with the blood?
2) why not vacuum sealing?
I'll never forget the way a scalded chicken smells or the way a fresh chicken taste. My grandma used to take an ax to their head or wring their neck. I Miss that!
lol...scalding isn't the best smell that's for sure. Folks ask me if I save the feathers for pillows....ewe!!
No doubt but the taste of a fresh chicken makes it worth it. Now there are gadgets for preparing food. She had an ax and a knife.
Well done Josh! I learned a few new things about 🐔 chickens. Thanks for sharing.
Gee man, you’re a good teacher.
I’ve learned important tips .
First class operation. Very informative. Thanks for the insights and knowledge.
So feathers compost. Didn't know that. Learn something new every day. Thanks, Josh.
4:25 A machine to pluck birds...The world has really advanced. I grew up using my hands to pluck the feathers.
I am still plucking with my hands.
I always thought that plucking chickens for a living, has to be one of the hardest jobs. I guess there are worse, but now there's a tumbler! Huh! Well I'll be a chickens uncle!! 😂😂😂
manual plucking stinks so much.
They are processing too many Birds at once. That Plucker pays for Itself🤣🤣🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️
I have heard wonderous things about that smell
Never seen a pucker before😲. I plucked many a chickens in my younger days.This was awesome!
handy tool for sure!
Thank you for showing this, I think it will help people respect the food they have and to be mindful of the processes involved in bringing that chicken sandwich to the table.
Great tutorial, your methods are a lot more efficient than anything I've attempted in the past.
Great to hear!
Awesome vid! Thank you! Getting ready to start raising chickens. This was a vid I was looking for that was hard to find. Awesome, honest, thorough. Great job!
Perfect! Excellent tutorial on chicken processing!
This is way cool. My grandparents were from Brooklyn NY and they used to process their own chickens too. They weren't spoiled like today's society. Sometimes progress creates laziness. Good job.
hands down best educational video! thank you soo much!!
A complete explanation from barn yard to table ready chicken processing video. Congratulations Stoney Ridge Farmer.
Very efficient! 50 birds in 2.5 hours with 3 people is really quick.
I really appreciate your videos. I want to live the way you do. Very cool how you explain things
Those chickens sure were calm and cooperative for this video
COOPerative
I used way to process the chickens that I learned from my parents, it is so much work! I never done it by myself in my hometown, because either my parents do it or pay $2 in market for people do it for you. When I first time do it, could imagine how scared and clumsy I am. After that, I felt guilty and uncomfortable. However, I definitely learned good way to processing!
Thank you!
Appreciate your valuable work good sir! This type of work deserves more respect in society! Keeps America fed and healthy with crucial protein 🔥
That chicken in the background has no idea it’s next 😂
wtf is wrong with you?
You catch one chicken for butchering, the rest will resume feeding right away. They don't give a fuck about a missing brother.
I was thinking the exact same thing! They’re so blissfully unaware, aren’t they?
Wish you were next
Why is that funny?
NO CHICKENS WHERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF....wait WhAt!
They really weren't harmed. They were slaughtered. It is their purpose in life.
@@MicroSoftner They taste to good to quit eating them. If you give them a good life then eating them feels so much better
Haha
Yep all killed didn't feel a thing
I did learn a lot from the video, thank you for the knowledge! Always appreciated
You're welcome...I'm a big Trailer park boys fan too!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Hahaha dude you are awesome ! I would also reccomend checking out the show LetterKenny, on Hulu. It's another hilarious Canadian show though it's based on a farm.
THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DO THIS VIDEO..IVE WATCHED HUNDREDS OF YOU TUBE VIDEOS...AND I BELIEVE THIS HAS BEEN NOT ONLY INFORMATIVE BUT VERY WELL DONE... I LEARNED A LOT....I NEEDED TO KNOW THIS INFO. THANKS AGAIN..JOHN FROM KANSAS.