Chicken Disposal

sss3 · #1 09/29/13, 09:12 AM

How do I dispose of home canned chicken? It's been in a barn in Mi for almost 2 yrs.

Ardie/WI · #2 09/29/13, 09:35 AM

Remove it from the jar and bury it.

DEKE01 · #3 09/29/13, 10:44 AM

compost

jwal10 · #4 09/29/13, 11:06 AM

I wouldn't put it in the compost pile unless you want to draw animals. Is it still sealed? Dog or cat food. Not sealed....bury it deep or double bag it and put in trash ON trash day....James

CountryWannabe · #5 09/29/13, 11:32 AM

Depending on how much there is - you CAN compost it. Just be sure that there is plenty of straw/sawdust/grass clippings/hay/whatever under, around and on top of the chicken. We have composted animals up to the size of a well-grown goat successfully.

Mary

jen74145 · #6 09/29/13, 12:18 PM

I would toss it jar and all.

DEKE01 · #7 09/29/13, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwal10

I wouldn't put it in the compost pile unless you want to draw animals. Is it still sealed? Dog or cat food. Not sealed....bury it deep or double bag it and put in trash ON trash day....James

I like the idea of dog, cat, pig food. However, it is a common misconception that composting meat or animals leads to scavenger problem. The reason why people are supposed to be buried 6 ft under ground is because soil is not good at stopping smells. However, carbon is excellent at the job. One foot of fine wood chips or ground straw does the job. My chipper makes fairly large chips so i have to use about 2 ft to prevent scavengers. Some states now mandate that roadkills be disposed by composting.

Virtually anything and everything that is or was plants or animals can be composted. Anything you've ever been told not to put in a compost pile, like meat, oils, weeds, etc can be composted. The difference is that you have to have a large compost pile, larger than what may be allowable in most suburban backyards, and you must have a foot of carbon above and below the "dangerous" material and you have to let it all sit there for a year. You also need a properly built pile with a reasonable balance of carbon and nitrogen so that it gets hots and cooks the bad stuff.

Pony · #8 09/29/13, 01:25 PM

If it's not spoiled, I'd feed it to the dog/cat/pig/chickens.

If it is spoiled, then for sure, compost it! Like DEKE01, we put EVERYTHING that's organic into our pile, and it breaks down just fine - and no, we do not have varmints in our pile.

Composting is WONDERFUL!!!

We have a rather extensive thread on the subject here on HT, and I heartily recommend it. <Pony! trots off to locate sticky on Homesteading Questions>

Ah, here it is! Over 3 years old and still going strong!

Extreme Composting

kasilofhome · #9 09/29/13, 03:01 PM

Burn it--get some btu's out of it. I burn any non plastic items in my woodstove.

Kitty litter, spoiled food, dog waste, Human waste (compoting in winter in Alaska is a challenge. box it up, wrap it up in paper place on top of a hot fire--and it is sterilized --Those items might not seem like the best for heat production but wood pelleted cat litter that has been used boxed up last burning for hours in a wood stove.

I am not going to risk animals getting into toxic stuff. I am not going to risk ground water contamination. I simply know that heat kills off bad bacteria and in my siduation I needed a plan--dh is needs to use a commode so buying paper bags lining a bag with paper for solids and burning was and has been our best way to deal with stuff we do not want to hang on too.

Quick, easy, works. grab boxes early in the morning when stocking ends --I can get over a month of flatted boxes.

YounGrey · #10 09/29/13, 03:23 PM

I agree bury in down deep to keep dogs, wolves, coyotes, other critters away from it and Mother Nature will take care of itself

http://homesteadingrecipes.blogspot.com/?m=0

Yvonne's hubby · #11 09/29/13, 04:30 PM

My trash pickup guy has been irritating me for about a year, wont pick up the can if its more than 2 feet from its designated spot.... of course there has never really been a designated spot, thats just something he came up with. In my current mood, I would wait until just after he leaves with this weeks trash, and dump every last jar in there so it could "compost" for a week, then let him pick it up! I might just leave the can a little out of his "designated area".... let it compost for two weeks!

Wendy · #12 09/29/13, 11:21 PM

Quote:

I would toss it jar and all.

WOW! I'd never toss the jar. It can be cleaned, sterilized, & reused. I personally would feed it to the dogs & cats if it was still sealed.

Copperhead · #13 09/29/13, 11:41 PM

Who canned the chicken? I can about 30 qts of venison a year in a pressure cooker. We've eaten 18mo jars that were just fine.

One year, I packed the jars a little too full, with a little too much fat (usually I trim ALL of it off) to the point the fat worked its way into the seal. They were fine for about a month until the fat in the seal became rancid and allowed bacteria and ultimately air into the meat. TWO months later, we discovered that half our supply of meat wasn't exactly kosher, and voila' we were inducted into the addicting world of composting. Made a pit by screwing 4 pallets together to make a box, added about 8 inches of sawdust (12 would have been better) and cleaned out every foul jar. Honestly, it was easily one of the top 5 WORST things I have ever done in my life. Worse than gut-shot deer, worse than diapers, worse than vomit, worse than casualty evacs in Iraq.

Yes, I cleaned out every jar, ran them through the dishwasher (maybe twice, on sterilize, with a little extra of that bleach detergent) and used them again the next fall, SUCCESSFULLY!!!

sss3 · #14 09/30/13, 12:04 AM

I canned it. I have no way of knowing if the seal was broken and it resealed. Due to the very cold winters and hot summers, I'm thinking the seal was broken. I just can't risk getting sick. I can do that without any help. Thank goodness there's not a lot of chicken.

jen74145 · #15 09/30/13, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wendy

WOW! I'd never toss the jar. It can be cleaned, sterilized, & reused. I personally would feed it to the dogs & cats if it was still sealed.

Ever opened a Jar of Rancid? Lol, not an experience I will EVER risk again. Not over a few jars that I ccan pick up at yard sales for a couple dollars a box.

Not my jar. But I still get a little queasy thinking about it. Ugh.

jen74145 · #16 09/30/13, 01:08 AM

I believe you. That stink is an unbelievable one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copperhead

Who canned the chicken? I can about 30 qts of venison a year in a pressure cooker. We've eaten 18mo jars that were just fine.

One year, I packed the jars a little too full, with a little too much fat (usually I trim ALL of it off) to the point the fat worked its way into the seal. They were fine for about a month until the fat in the seal became rancid and allowed bacteria and ultimately air into the meat. TWO months later, we discovered that half our supply of meat wasn't exactly kosher, and voila' we were inducted into the addicting world of composting. Made a pit by screwing 4 pallets together to make a box, added about 8 inches of sawdust (12 would have been better) and cleaned out every foul jar. Honestly, it was easily one of the top 5 WORST things I have ever done in my life. Worse than gut-shot deer, worse than diapers, worse than vomit, worse than casualty evacs in Iraq.

Yes, I cleaned out every jar, ran them through the dishwasher (maybe twice, on sterilize, with a little extra of that bleach detergent) and used them again the next fall, SUCCESSFULLY!!!

Copperhead · #17 09/30/13, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandra Spiess

I canned it. I have no way of knowing if the seal was broken and it resealed. Due to the very cold winters and hot summers, I'm thinking the seal was broken. I just can't risk getting sick. I can do that without any help. Thank goodness there's not a lot of chicken.

I understand your fear and concern (No, I don't SHARE it

) I can tell you in perfect confidence that jars of meat don't unseal and reseal themselves without emitting overwhelming evidence.

No, its not worth getting sick. I'm just glad you are in the best position with the best perspective to make the best decision at this time

Its a lot easier to stand over here and offer my humble opinion from a safe distance.

Whew! I'm full of myself tonight. Must be the sleep deprivation kicking in!

am1too · #18 09/30/13, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryWannabe

Depending on how much there is - you CAN compost it. Just be sure that there is plenty of straw/sawdust/grass clippings/hay/whatever under, around and on top of the chicken. We have composted animals up to the size of a well-grown goat successfully.

Mary

Forerunner composts horses. Burry it at least 2 ft deep in the pile.

unregistered5595 · #19 09/30/13, 10:00 AM

Hide it in chicken salad sandwiches if it smells and looks good. Instead of endangering my family with my food, I generally taste a small sample myself before using it for the family. I usually only taste about 1/2 teaspoon worth and out of 30+ years, there was only one bad thing--and it wasn't even MY CANNING, it was store bought. So, if I die of food poisoning some day and don't post here anymore, you know why.