• Opening Hours
• Hook Farm Closed
• Incubators for Sale
• Brooders for sale

Kill, Pluck, Gut and Bone Course £75

If you have raised meat chickens, or are thinking of raising them, then this course is an absolute must. Alison is a DEFRA registered poultry slaughter woman and we run practical, hands on courses where we kill, pluck, gut and bone Cobb meat chickens. The courses run on Saturday and Sunday mornings and sometimes weekend afternoons. Participants take home one chicken ready to cook and eat and a second to finish preparing a few days later. The courses are relaxed and numbers are limited to keep the sessions informal and friendly.

The cost is £75, to include your two chickens to take home, together with the Meat Chicken Keeper book. If a second person from the same household shares a place, the cost for two people is £120.

You will be taught to kill a chicken quickly and humanely in a way that you will be able to use easily at home. Killing a chicken does not require strength and the technique is easily learnt. If you are at all worried about killing a chicken, this is the place to do it where there is expert help on hand to explain the technique clearly before you have a go. You are then helped individually when it is your turn. You will then be shown how to pluck the bird and then that chicken is put aside for you to take home. This is followed by a 'Blue Peter' moment where 'one we have already killed and plucked' is produced. You will gut and bone the previously prepared chicken as it is difficult to work on a freshly killed chicken. You take home the boned chicken ready to stuff and roll, together with your freshly killed and plucked chicken and instructions on how to prepare it at home. Gutting and boning at home (with the instructions) will reinforce what you have learnt on the day. Remember to plan the stuffing for the chicken you take home on the day and be prepared for a feast!

It takes about an hour to pluck a chicken carefully, despite what you read in magazines! The morning courses start at 10am and finish around 1pm. The afternoon courses start at 2pm and finish around 5pm.

The cost in Hook is £75, to include your two chickens to take home. If a second person from the same household shares a place, the cost for two people is £120. Payment for these courses must be made in advance by posting a cheque or paying by paypal to secure a place.

The next course dates are on the right hand side.

The next course dates are on the right hand side.

Email us from the Contact tab below to check availability and book your place. If you are on the Smallholding Skills website you can book online using the link under the course date on the right hand side. If you aren't on the Smallholding Skills website, but want to book online, click on the link and it will take you to the booking page.

Smallholding Skills

We very much look forward to seeing you on a course soon.