Today, I had to deal with a rooster that turned way aggressive on my kid, and as an experiment, I wondered if a fairly basic Swiss Army Knife was sufficient for a start to finish butchering job. It is - just barely. But if you keep the blade REALLY sharp and if you have the very handy scissors, it's totally do-able. The only thing I'd say was really hard was getting the darn head off after it bled out. Getting the feet off wasn't hard at all, and the rest was almost trivial. I did use the big pot 'o water to de-feather and all that, if it was a real survival situation, I'd have just skinned it and not bothered with the whole feathering, but he had enough meat to be a small meal. Anyway, it's good to use tools you think you might need one day in a way you think you might actually use them.

I can't do anything with a SAK, since I don't like them, but I am pretty sure I could whack the head off of a rooster (or hen) with the serriated blade on my Leatherman Wave...

Excellent! I never butchered one with a SAK. You did good saving the skin. For me, that's the only way to go.

What kind of rooster was it? We have Rhode Island Reds, Cochins, Orpingtons, some weird bantams, and some new ones that I think are called "Wells Summers" (never heard of them and can't find them in a search)

Imagine that. On another tab, I was looking at a new chicken website and what do you know? Welsummers chickens. There we go.

Hi Martin,

I have not cleaned a chicken since I was a kid at my Grandparents about 35 years ago, I just remember the "running with no head" part.

How much different is cleaning a chicken to cleaning a grouse? For grouse using anything but your hands is optional.

Mike

Izzy took the words right out of my mouth. Cleanup is the reason why hunters/fisherman/chicken-processors reach for fixed blades.

I grew up dealing with fryers (farm chickens raised for meat not eggs), so I have no doubt a SWAK would get it done. Though all you need is a small, sharp paring knife.

But it seems to me that unless you soak the whole SWAK in bleach, you will never look at the toothpick and tweezers the same way again.

(P.S., I've never cleaned a grouse. Please elaborate. I'm not squeamish, as long as things are done humanely.)

(P.P.S, I have a collection of made-for-purpose knives from my grandfather's shop. One was specifically designed to end the lives of turkeys, without noticeable bloodshed. If you're really squeamish, don't ask how it was done.)

I've never cleaned a grouse, but maybe it's the same as doves. You hold the bird on it's back in one palm. With the other hand, you push your index and middle finger into the birds chest, below the breast. The you lift up and out and out comes the breast in one piece.

The following grouse cleaning method is not for the sensitive/squeamish, its just the normal way it's done around here.

On a grouse almost all the useable meat is in the breast.

You lay the dead bird on it's back, step on the wings close to the body, pull on the feet hard and the bird turns inside out. The wings and breast remain on the ground and the rest pulls clear attached to the legs. Snap/twist the wings off and you have 95% of the meat. The legs have about one small bite of thigh meat each, the drumsticks are full of sharp thin bones. If I have enough grouse I keep the legs for grouse/rice soup with carrots and celery (very nice).

You need to weigh a little to use this method, my 8 year old daughter tried it and was not heavy enough to hold the grouse down. I often just seperate the grouse breast/wings from the rest of the bird without laying it on the ground (especially if the ground is muddy or sandy). Tear the shin off the grouse breast and grip the breast tightly in your hand with your index finger in/under the crop, grasp the head/neck/crop in your other hand and pull hard down and away. You will be left with the breast/wings in one hand and the rest of the bird in the other.

Grouse are usually cleaned in the field before coming home, I try to do it near water so I can clean up after. The remains are left in the bush for the critters, they have to eat too (from nature, back to nature, nothing really ever goes to waste).

I apoligize if this is a little to graffic for some; Moderator if this is "over the edge" feel free to delete.

Mike

Lets hope you dont end up with another "mike"

http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/story.html

Hi Chisel,

Interesting "headless chicken" story, I had never heard it before!

Mike
(with head intact)