ChickenEnd of Life
IssuesIndependence Gardens
Portland, OR
January 2012© Independence Gardens LLC
Download the handout that goes along with this slideshow!
h!p://bit.ly/yL0TxS
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What We’ll Cover TodayIntro
we are Independence Gardens • We build raised beds, chicken coops,
terraces, trellises, & other garden infrastructure
• Help with garden design & planning, cleanup, prep, and installation
• Teach edible gardening classes• & make Doo Tees!
our goal is• To help people get comfortable in garden
spaces and with garden routines so they can successfully grow their own food
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What We’ll Cover TodayIntro
we are Independence Gardens • We build raised beds, chicken coops,
terraces, trellises, & other garden infrastructure
• Help with garden design & planning, cleanup, prep, and installation
• Teach edible gardening classes• & make Doo Tees!
our goal is• To help people get comfortable in garden
spaces and with garden routines so they can successfully grow their own food
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What We’ll Cover TodayIntro
we are Independence Gardens • We build raised beds, chicken coops,
terraces, trellises, & other garden infrastructure
• Help with garden design & planning, cleanup, prep, and installation
• Teach edible gardening classes• & make Doo Tees!
our goal is• To help people get comfortable in garden
spaces and with garden routines so they can successfully grow their own food
Sometimes hunter
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What We’ll Cover TodayIntro
we are Independence Gardens • We build raised beds, chicken coops,
terraces, trellises, & other garden infrastructure
• Help with garden design & planning, cleanup, prep, and installation
• Teach edible gardening classes• & make Doo Tees!
our goal is• To help people get comfortable in garden
spaces and with garden routines so they can successfully grow their own food
Sometimes hunter
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What We’ll Cover TodayIntro
we are Independence Gardens • We build raised beds, chicken coops,
terraces, trellises, & other garden infrastructure
• Help with garden design & planning, cleanup, prep, and installation
• Teach edible gardening classes• & make Doo Tees!
our goal is• To help people get comfortable in garden
spaces and with garden routines so they can successfully grow their own food
Sometimes hunter
Vegan has-been
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Topics We’ll Cover• Chicken history/biology
(incl. egg production cycle)• Context: knowing your
options & priorities, respecting the process
• What to expect/things that can force your hand
• If you decide to DIY (Dispatch It Yourself)...
What We’ll Cover TodayPreview
Got Questions? Please ask as we go along.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Chicken history
h!p://www.birding.in/birds/Galliformes/red_junglefowl.htmh!p://www."ickr.com/photos/trialsanderrors/3269430931/
• Domesticated ~8000 years ago from Gallus gallus
• Humans have selected for desirable characteristics
• !ey outnumber humans, by far, on the planet
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Chicken history
h!p://www.birding.in/birds/Galliformes/red_junglefowl.htmh!p://www."ickr.com/photos/trialsanderrors/3269430931/
• Domesticated ~8000 years ago from Gallus gallus
• Humans have selected for desirable characteristics
• !ey outnumber humans, by far, on the planet
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Chicken biology
h!p://imachickenlover.blogspot.com/2010/09/biology-of-chicken.html
• Average lifespan• Breed characteristics• Fertility changes
over time• What’s inside...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Egg production cycle
• Always multiples in the pipeline
• 4 lbs. feed = ~12 eggs• 1 every 26 hrs. is
about the most you can expect to get at peak production
• Production slows dramatically as light wanes and with age
h!p://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/11/57/"gure/F1?highres=y
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Domestic fowl? Pets?
• You can keep your birds as pets, but don’t have to (but if not, try not to name them)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Industry development
• Many industrial birds can no longer function properly
From the movie “Food, Inc.”
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Affirmation!
• You are doing a good thing to provide a be"er life (& death) for your birds
From the movie “Food, Inc.”
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Expectations
• Long life, happiness, and prosperity
• Plan for it! But have a backup plan in place
• Make sure the end of life option you choose re#ects your ethics/priorities
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Realities
• Investment vs. ROI• Changing personal
circumstances• Illness/injury/accidental
death• Available options for vet
care, re-homing, & dealing with the inevitable (HANDOUT!)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
h!p://www.animationplayhouse.com/new/dance3.html
Fair Warning
• We are about to show you how to “DIY” (Dispatch It Yourself)...
• So if you don’t want to see these images, you can take a break now!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?Slaughter: Step One
• Gather supplies and materials
5 gallon bucket
Killing cone
Sharp scalpel Sharp knifeSharp cleaver
Large pot full of very hot water
Rubber glovesTable
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?Slaughter: Step One
• Gather supplies and materials
5 gallon bucket
Killing cone
Sharp scalpel Sharp knifeSharp cleaver
Large pot full of very hot water
Rubber glovesTable
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?Slaughter: Step One
• Gather supplies and materials: killing cone
h!p://www.whudat.com/newsblurbs/more/sarah-palin-pardons-a-thanksgiving-turkey-at-saw-house-1681121081
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?Slaughter: Step One
• Gather supplies and materials: killing cone
h!p://www.whudat.com/newsblurbs/more/sarah-palin-pardons-a-thanksgiving-turkey-at-saw-house-1681121081
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?Slaughter: Step One
• Gather supplies and materials: killing cone
h!p://www.naturesharmonyfarm.com/grass-fed-meat-farm-blog?currentPage=19
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?Slaughter: Step One
• Gather supplies and materials: killing cone
h!p://joy-at-home.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Butcher-a-Chicken-Part-1-Preparing-Your-Work-Space-Scalding-and-Plucking-Chickens
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?Slaughter: Step One
• Gather supplies and materials: killing cone
h!p://fourshrops.wordpress.com/category/chickens/
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Why Compost?Slaughter: Step One
• Gather supplies and materials: killing cone
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Two
• Catch bird & hold it upside down to keep it calm
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step "ree
• Kill quickly & cleanly
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step "ree
• Kill quickly & cleanly
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step "ree
• Kill quickly & cleanly
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Four
• Hold bird & let blood drain into bucket
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Five
• Scald in hot water (~140 deg F) till feathers loosen
h!p://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-properly-scald-chicken-my-never.html
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Six
• Pluck feathers by hand (unless you are processing multiple birds on a regular basis, in which case...)
h!p://eshop.bellsouth.com.au/Rotary-Plucker-760mm-chiecken-and-duck
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Six
• Pluck feathers by hand (unless you are processing multiple birds on a regular basis, in which case...)
h!p://eshop.bellsouth.com.au/Rotary-Plucker-760mm-chiecken-and-duck
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Seven
• Remove hair
h!p://news.so#pedia.com/news/How-Blowtorches-Work-82447.shtml
h!p://www.indigoroot.com/2011/06/do-you-$ameless-reasons-why-you-should/
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Eight
• Eviscerate: many strategies; goal is to remove viscera!
Start
End
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Nine
• Remove feet & head (Mike the Chicken is not normal)
• Dispose of le$overs responsibly, like in curbside compost (a$er Halloween)
h!p://www.thisistrue.com/mike.html
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Slaughter: Step Ten
• Rinse and cool carcass to refrigerate/freeze OR cook immediately OR wait 24 hrs. (till a$er rigor resolves)
h!p://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/coq-au-vin-recipe/index.html
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Final notes
• !is can be a fairly messy process• Keep hygiene in mind (handwashing, etc.)• Be prepared to smell wet boiled chicken on your body for
a few days (again, fair warning!!)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Take-home message
• What would be the consequences of pu"ing glass walls on slaughterhouses, and/or slaughterhouses in our backyards?
• Familiarize yourself with your own personal ethics and priorities, as well as the pragmatic aspects of end of life...and you’ll be in a be"er position to take care of business when it needs to happen!
• Sustainability = awareness• It’s the ciiiiiircle of life...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Questions?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012