"Butchering/canning chickens" ....

Wait a minute ... "butchering" ... Is that required, or is it more like just a suggestion?

I have always just grabbed the live chicken off the yard and pounded them head first down into the jar with a rubber mallet. They always make that odd clucking sound and look at me through the glass with those sad eyes before I get a few solid swings in ...

But after that it has always has gone pretty smoothly. Once well packed into the jar its a quick trip through the water bath and on with the lids.

They look quite decorative on the shelves. With the speckled black, the earthy brown and regal white of the different breeds all arranged neatly in rows. On closer examination the festive yellow of the legs and beaks and the demented and comical look of their faces pressed against the inside of the glass. Each its own small piece of art.

It has gotten to be something of a theme. My canned alligator is famous in these parts. Took a while to get the technique down. A lot of broken jars, and a few trips to the ER to get it down pat, and my hand reattached. Brings a whole new meaning to having an animal 'eat off your hand'. But the surgery took and the therapy went well so it worked out in the end.

First thing I had to learn was that an eight foot alligator is much bigger than a chicken. Something I didn't know. (I have subsequently invested in something they call a ruler. A handy device for making such comparisons.) And alligators put up more of a fight. Who knew? Bigger jars and working on cold mornings, when they are less active, helped a lot. That, and using both a large funnel and a substantially bigger mallet. I can tell you it has been quite the learning experience.

But I diverge. I don't want to distract from this thread with my version of this time honored practice. I shall enjoy reading how you do it.