**WARNING: Because this post is about butchering chickens, it contains graphic photos. If you don’t eat meat, I respect that decision, and you won’t hurt my feelings if you click over here to read about these super-awesome fruit & herb slushies instead. However, my family and I have made the conscious choice to raise and eat meat, and I ask you to respect our choices as well. Comments left with the intention of starting a fight will be promptly deleted.
We’ve been homesteading for 6+ years, and this is the first time we’ve butchered chickens…
That’s almost too embarrassing to announce to the world, but I had a good reason.
You see, even though we’ve raised laying hens for a long time, Prairie Husband has had a severe allergy to all poultry meat since childhood. Therefore, we had no need to raise meat chickens, since he couldn’t eat chicken (and I never felt like cooking two separate meals). So beef and pork it was. For a loooong time.
HOWEVER.
Last year, upon the advice of some good friends, he visited an NAET practitioner, and the acupuncture technique actually cleared him of his chicken allergy. (I know, I wouldn’t have believed it either, if I hadn’t witnessed it with my own two eyes… It’s insane.) But that’s a topic for another post. 😉
So there we were–fairly-seasoned homesteaders, yet complete newbies to the meat bird world.
What did we do, you ask?
Well, we created a 5-year plan of learning about meat birds, then taking some courses in meat bird farming, and then a couple of home-butchering courses, with the culmination being our first batch of birds here on the homestead, sometime in the next 5-10 years.
Wait a second. You didn’t actually believe that, did you? Surely you know me better than that. 😉
Nah, rather we ran down to the feed store, grabbed some assorted meat chicks, and decided to figure this baby out– trial and error style.
Now that butchering day is over, I figured it was time to share some of our adventure with y’all. No, I don’t even remotely claim to be an expert, but I figured you might like to see some of our process, and some of the things we want to improve on for next time.
Update: We’ve been butchering chickens for a few years now and we have an efficient system in place. If you would like to see what our setup looks like, check it out in our video (warning: this is a video about butchering chickens so there are images of animals getting processed for the freezer):
But before I dive into the specifics, I want to address a part of butchering that inevitably comes up every time I mention harvesting animals on the blog:
Is It Easy to Kill Something You’ve Raised?
Is it easy to kill something you’ve raised? No, it’s not. And I don’t relish in taking a life. However, we have chosen to eat meat (for many reasons), and if we’re going to eat it, I believe I should be willing to participate in the process of producing it. In fact, I think anyone who eats meat needs to take part of the process at least once. Far too many folks never give their meat a thought, thinking the neatly wrapped styrofoam packages at the store somehow magically erase the fact the meat inside the cellophane came from a living, breathing creature. I’ve explored this whole concept of ethical meat-eating and production over here, if you are still working through the concept.
And as far as the Prairie Kids go, we don’t hide death from them. They understand that any meat we eat used to be alive, and they are full-aware the pork chops on the table came from the pigs and the burger came from the red steer, etc. We don’t act like butchering is gross or scary, so they don’t either. They were present on the day we butchered these chickens, and they watched for a while and asked questions (Prairie Girl was especially interested in the anatomy part–it was a great homeschool science lesson). And when we roasted the first bird from our harvest, they were both extremely excited to know it was one of “our” chickens.
OK… enough of the heavy stuff. Let’s talk equipment!
Best Equipment for Processing Chickens
Christian was quite adamant that if we were going to have a meat bird operation, we were going to do it right. So we made the choice to invest in some high-quality equipment that will last us through many, many butchering days:
(This post contains affiliate links)
- A killing cone (a calmer, more humane alternative to the ax method)
- Several buckets for blood, innards, feathers, etc.
- Hose/sprayer or other water source to rinse workspace and birds
- Very sharp knives (we like this one)
- Poultry shears (to remove head)
- A turkey fryer (to scald the birds and make plucking easier)
- Stainless steel table(s), or other clean, easy-to-sanitize surface
- Heat shrink bags (reduces freezer burn and gives you a professional end result)
- Large cooler filled with ice (to cool the birds before you bag them)
- Plucking machine (optional)- we just got one of these thanks to a screaming deal on Amazon. We haven’t used it yet, but I hear they are a game-changer.
Obviously, you don’t necessarily *need* all of this to butcher a chicken, and technically, one could get the job done with an ax and that’s it. However, we want it to be as humane (and efficient) as possible, so the investment in the proper processing equipment was worth it for us.
How to Butcher A Chicken
1. Prepare the Birds & Processing Area
The night before, withhold feed from the birds to ensure they have an empty crop before you start.
On butchering day, take the time to get your set-up how you want it–this will save you some serious hassle later. We made an assembly line of sorts (killing cone > scald > plucking table > evisceration table > cooler with ice), and even though we just did a small batch this time around, it made things flow much smoother.
If you are scalding, (which I do recommend), begin heating the water now. You’ll want it 150-160 degrees– which hot enough to help the feathers release easily, but without cooking the bird.
2. Dispatching the Chicken
Once your set-up is complete, catch a chicken and place it in the cone, with a bucket underneath to catch the blood. We had the the bird’s belly facing the wall (inside the cone). Grasp the head, and use a (sharp!) knife to make a quick cut to the side of the bird’s jaw (jugular).
Hold the head to allow the blood to drain completely into the bucket. Wait until the bird stops moving.
3. Scald the Bird
Once the blood has drained (this will take a minute or two), immediately dunk the bird into the scalding water–you can use a hook to swish it around, or just hold it by its feet. Depending on the temp of your water, it will likely take 3-4 minutes for the bird to be ready. You’ll know it’s ready when you can pinch the skin of the shank of the foot and it comes off easily. Or, you can grab a few feathers– if they come out with minimal effort, it means you’re ready to pluck. (I can’t imagine trying to pluck without first scalding the bird– it makes it infinitely easier.)
4. Pluck the Chicken
Removed the scalded bird and place it on the plucking table. If you don’t have a mechanical chicken plucker (we didn’t at first), the process is simple: grab feathers and pull them out. It’s just as glamorous as it sounds. We found wearing rubber gloves and swiping up and down the skin once most of the bigger feathers were gone helped to grab some of the smaller, more stubborn feathers.
5. Clean the Chicken
Cut the head off (we used the shears for this), and then cut off the legs. If you cut at the “valley” of the joint, you can avoid the bones and get a clean cut. (Hitting bone with your knife will dull it.) You can also clean and save the feet for chicken stock, if you wish.
There is an oil gland on the back end of the bird that will taint the taste of your meat if it ruptures, so you’ll want to remove it. Slice down behind it, and then “scoop” out with your knife to remove it, like this—>
6. Gut the Chicken (Evisceration)
Make a slice in the skin with your knife above the breastbone at the base of the neck.
Tear down with your thumb to find the crop, windpipe and esophagus. If you forgot to withhold feed from the birds, you’ll find a full crop. Be careful not to rupture it. (If you accidentally do, just rinse off the partially digested feed before continuing.) Bring the esophagus and windpipe out of the neck cavity, and break the connective tissue around the crop. However, do not pull this assembly out completely– leave it attached.
With the bird still laying on its back, flip it 180 degrees so you can work on the back end. Cut right above the vent, and tear open the carcass with both hands. Put your hand into the carcass, pull the fat off the gizzard, and then hook your finger down and around the esophagus. Pull this out– you should have a handful of connected internal organs now. Cut down either side of the vent and underneath to remove all the guts, in one pull. Now go back in to remove the lungs and windpipe, or anything else that didn’t quite come out the first time.
Make a slice in the excess skin that’s hanging off the back cavity, and then tuck the legs up through the hole so you have a nice little package.
7. Chill the Whole Chickens
Once each bird is finish, place it in a cooler filled with ice. (Or if you have fridge space, you can chill them in there). It’s important to chill the birds as quickly as possible and to keep them cold. Some people recommend chilling for 16-24 hours before you wrap and freeze. However, we didn’t have enough ice to make this happen, so we only chilled ours for 6 hours.
8. Bag or Wrap the Chickens for the Freezer
Now you’ll want to wrap, label, and put in the freezer. We used heat shrink bags to prevent freezer burn and they give a really nice finished product. You’ll want to follow the directions on the bags you get, but you basically place the chicken in the bag, dunk it in boiling water for a few seconds, and then tie tightly. Place in the freezer and you’re done!
What We’ll do Differently Next Time:
- More chickens. More, more, more! Now that we have our first batch under our belt, we’ll do a larger group next time. I’d like to raise two batches a year, ideally.
- Get a mechanical plucker. Once I saw how fast it was, I couldn’t deny it’d definitely be worth its weight in gold. (Update: We now have a plucker and can’t wait to use it next time!)
- Maybe get a table top with a sink, to make rinsing easier.
- Get more Cornish Cross birds, versus the Red Rangers we mostly had this time around. The Cornish Cross meat yield was DRASTICALLY different. Here’s more on our decision to stick with Cornish Cross birds.
Other Helpful Chicken Butchering Resources
- Butchering Our Turkeys (video)
- Reflections on Our First Year Raising Meat Chickens
- How to Roast a Homegrown Turkey (or other homegrown poultry)
- How to Cook a Old Hen or Rooster
- How to Make & Can Chicken Stock (you can add the feet to your homemade stock)
- How to Make Rotisserie Chicken in the Slow Cooker
- The Small-Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery (He has a great butchering chapter with pics)
Just had our first batch of meat birds processed…paid an Amish man to do the dirty work…we may eventually get there ourselves…we will definitely raise more..it’s definitely worth the effort, time and cost of organic feed to have a freezer full of organic, home raised chicken…love your blog btw!!
Thanks for the great info. I have heard that some people just skin the bird so they don’t have to worry about plucking. I don’t know how but it may be worth looking into. I enjoy your blog, thanks for all you do!
Deanna
Deanna, If you skinned it, you would be missing out on all that good fat. If it is from a pastured source, the fat is a super food. 😉 ( not joking either)
Yes! My husband insists on skinning them because it’s easier but that skin keeps in the juices when you bake it, and makes that yummy golden broth when you pressure cook a whole chicken.
Thank you! I agree that everyone should process at least once if they eat meat. I always thought to myself if I actually had to do it I would go vegetarian. Just looking at your pictures and all I am really questioning myself if I could actually do it.
If you are fortunate enough to purchase a plucking machine, you will be blessed every day that you use. These machines are absolutely amazing!! It takes seconds to pluck the feathers. Unbelievable!!
I have to say that I just loved the video and seeing your kids involved!
We started raising cornish cross meat birds in addition to our egg flock last year. We did a small batch of 6 as a “test run” and then jumped in with 100 birds – with a goal to sell half and keep half for ourselves. This year, we’ve raised 150 and I did them in two batches instead of one big one. MUCH better results. Two batches of 75 means less crowding and more access for everyone to food and water. They are in a good sized pasture space, but if you’ve raised Cornish cross birds, then you know they all huddle up most of the time anyway. And no one ever wants to wander too far from the feeders. (Another tip – place feeders and waterers a good distance apart so the birds HAVE to move around some!) We took a home-processor certification course as well – invaluable if you want to do this correctly and if you ever want to sell the meat to others – and we also rent a mobile processing unit on butchering days. It has a 4-cone kill station, an a vat scalder and drum plucker that can each handle 4 birds at a time. We’ll never go back to store bought chicken and are slowly but surely building a client base that feels the same way. Not only does the meat taste SO MUCH better – it’s healthier and everyone likes knowing that this birds lived good lives enjoying the sun, grass, breeze and occasional insect that wanders by.
Couldn’t agree more Traci. We started with 6 as well. Now we do 25 a year and split them in half for our two person household. We’ve even done Cornish game hen size, takes less feed and less time. A few bags of feed, a few weeks and it butchering day!
Prefer the Cornish Cross because they have a nice meaty plump carcass. Some call them frankenbirds because they’re bred for growth, but you can’t beat the flavor, in my opinion.
Jill — highly recommend the plucker. My friend and I butcher together, assemble line style, and run through 50 birds in a few hours. How I get sucked into gutting all the time is a mystery, though:) We also cool ours in an ice chest with ice, water and about 1/2 cup of salt to draw out the blood. Makes for a cleaner end product, but does take longer. She bought a commercial ice maker (very expensive) and I make small blocks of ice days before butchering day.
Your kids will be so proud to see the fruits of their labor on the dinner table. My DD was always so excited to taste the lamb she had raised that year. And, she knows the difference between pets and product animals.
Where did you rent that unit?
Wow! Great detailed pictures and information. Thanks for the blog post.
Check out the Whiz-bang chicken plucker instructions. My husband made one for me and it’s FABULOUS!!!
I was looking at that the other day, in fact!
This post has wonderfully clear instructions for butchering chickens! Thank you. One thing that I have discovered while butchering: a crop that has a little food in it is actually quite helpful! I have spent quite a bit of time rummaging around for nearly-invisible, completely empty crop… not much fun.
Good point Margaret!
Is there any advantage to only cutting the jugular vein rather than just cutting of the entire head while the bird is in the killing cone?
I think there is. If you cut off the head while the bird is still alive, the nerves will go berserk and you’ll end up with tougher meat. If you just cut the jugular and let it bleed out, the bird just goes to sleep, effectively. It’s more peaceful and the meat will be more tender.
I have heard that when you cut the head off, the heart stops and the blood doesn’t drain like it does if you only cut the vein. And that this causes an off-taste in the meat.
An animal heart will continue to beat for some time without any connection to the brain. I don’t know how it would otherwise affect the full drainage, though, and leftover blood in many animals has been said to ruin flavor.
I cut the heads off and I do not find the meat to be tough at all. To be honest, my decision to just cut the head off came as a result of an injury I had years ago. The feeling I had as I was losing so much blood was HORRIBLE and I just wished I could pass out. I do not want the birds to feel anything, so I opt for cutting off the heads with tree trimmers. Very quick and clean cut.
You say you dunk your birds in hot water for 3 or 4 minutes. I do mine for about 10 or 20 seconds and it’s sufficient. Is there any reason you do it for so long…?
I think our water was a bit cooler… Hotter water should definitely take less time.
You scared the dickens out of me. I am reading all the prep that went into your decision thinking, “crap! I totally don’t do things that way, I juts jump in!”. The you relieved me. Kindred spirits. lol. We just moved to and bought almost 5 acres in Eastern Idaho to start a homestead. Got our chicks and ducks int eh mail today, and we’ll butcher any roosters in the mix. Thanks for your help! I’ve been a long time follower, I just never comment .
Bwahaha… Jumping in is my favorite method. And thanks for commenting!
This is great! I have a very similar blog post with workflows and cost analysis for planning (without the photography):
http://farmbrews.blogspot.com/2015/05/planning-for-chicken-processing.html
We decided not to raise chickens this year after raising 56 last year, but will definitely do it again. The quality of the meat is amazing!
I never have loved a homesteading sight so much. I am from eastern North Carolina and I am only twenty, so, you can imagine that my friends think I am crazy because I have always been obsessed with homestead practices. I grew up on farm that raised crops and I date a farmer– I am truly lucky to have all of the resources to begin my homesteading lifestyle and I cannot wait to share it with my future kids! It really is sooooo IMPORTANT!!! Love you JILL!!!!!!
It’s the best kind of ‘crazy’ to be! Keep up the great work!
Very helpful, thank you! We have just moved to 10 acres and one of the first things we plan on getting are meat chooks. I love having pictures to follow, makes it much clearer.
I don’t pluck anymore since I don’t roast them. I use them in the crock pot or fried chicken, so parts are good enough. I learned to easily “skin” them bird, feathers and all quickly, then cut them up in parts. much simpler for a single person and I can cook only what I need rather than the whole bird.
Something that makes gutting faster after you pluck place the entire bird in a cooler on ice for about 15 – 20 minutes then cut open the end and pull it all out. It should all come out in one piece. Easier for females to do because we have smaller hands.
Great post – have to say I prefer processing quail over chicken any day.
Great tip Carole!
Hi Jill,
I can so identify with your thoughts about being a part of the process if you choose to eat meat. Very important so one does not simply take for granted what God provides and the life that is taken so you may eat. So much of what you posted echo my sentiments on this subject!
I also highly recommend a drum plucker. A HUGE time saver. I know a lot of Amish that have them and use a gas motor to power em!
I am still on the fence about using the Cornish crosses and am looking forward to you sharing your thoughts about it. I have seen too many birds who lose the ability to even walk because of that rapid growth rate. That doesn’t equal a “good” life in my opinion. They do seem like frankenbirds to me and I have being growing the Freedom Ranger birds instead. They are very similar to Red Rangers.
Good post and good to take the mystery out of the butchering part for others.
It’s definitely on the list for next time– FOR SURE! 😉
I take the feed away in the evening. That helps control the feeding till they can not move. They will eat non stop if you let them.
Oh boy reading this made me so happy for our drum plucker! My 3 year old daughter also enjoys watching on processing day, and she knows our meat comes from our birds and pigs, and seems to enjoy it more when I tellher it’s “ours”. She is the same way with goat milk and cheese now that I’m milking. Side note, we also never scald that long for fear of cooking them. We do dunks for a few seconds then back up to check. Also, we have found that Cornish crosses are just fine and healthy (well comparatively) when placed on pasture with less feed. Never had a leg issue or heart attack. We raised 200 last year. Are taking a year off from selling and doing 50 for us and my parents this year.
200– nice! And yes, I am excited to get a plucker for next time!
We’ve been buying locally raised chicken from a friend in town for the last two years and this past year we assembled a workshop for a hands-on butchering class. It was very informative and I think we will try maybe 6 birds next year. As we get more comfortable with the process, we may up that number.
While you are right…it is not easy to process animals you have raised…you can’t beat the flavor of homegrown food. Especially chicken. Plus it really makes you appreciate the food you put on your table. Thanks for a great post!
Agree 100% Cindy!
Thank you so much for this post. I recently adopted a new shelter dog, who had a close encounter with one of my laying hens. We had already decided that should something like that happen, we would not let the chicken’s death be for nothing and that I would butcher it. I admit I was relieved that I didn’t have to outright kill the bird and I wasn’t thoroughly prepared to butcher it, but I muddled through based on what I had previously read and a quick text from a friend. Sure wish I had had the benefit of this post prior to it! Keep up the great informative work!
Good for you for tackling it and figure it out! 🙂 Love that you didn’t let the chicken go to waste, either.
I appreciate greatly the efforts to connect people to their meat source. I recommend those wishing for a true homestead experience consider using a standard bred bird instead of a patent-protected meat hybrid like the cornishx. Prior to 1955, the most popular breed for table production was the Delaware. It is a heritage breed and unlike a cornishX can reproduce itself, live a healthy life beyond 12 weeks and also lay eggs for the table……as well as produce a nice carcass at 12 weeks. Dedicated poultry breeders, such as those in the Sustainable Poultry Network, are working to preserve the breeds your grandma served for Sunday dinner. You can help support their efforts by choosing a standard bred bird over corporate hybrids when it comes to choosing what to raise to feed your family.
Agreed totally. We currently do Cornish crosses but also breed Dominiques and butcher the males. Looking for some Dorkings, once we are able to increase our breeding stock to the point we can have that many birds we will switch over. Also a big supporter and breeder of heritage turkeys!
Awesome pictures! We have butchered our own meat birds for the last few years and I learned some good stuff from your article, thanks! I love that metal cone you guys have…we use a big plastic flower pot and cut a hole in the bottom and then screw the pot to a skid that leans against the barn and do it that way…I like that better than using the machete and a big stump 🙂
Right now we skin our birds and I use the slow cooker and I have never had more tender, juicy meat, and don’t worry, there is lots of fat still on the bird. I hope someday soon to get a big pot and dunk them and pull the feathers, but right now this is all we have. Our process takes 20 minutes a bird. Our next project is to butcher our own meat goats…
Super smart re: the flower pot idea!
Great post – love the pictures. I used to help my Mom butcher so I love that you make your kids part of the process. It is important so kudos to you! It gave me a totally different outlook as a kid on the foods I ate – because I helped in the garden and orchard, as well as participated in the killing and processing of my food. Translated: I learned how much work it took as well as the loss of life to feed us. Good job. 🙂
Thanks Linda. 🙂
Thanks for these tips! So far we’ve raised layers only, but my meat birds are on my hubby’s wish list. I’m not sure I can stomach the butchering process, but I’m pinning this post for his reference when the time comes…
We just helped to process 50 birds with another local family. We were learning how to do it. The “kill” was easy and gentle. The birds didn’t really seem bothered too much. It was fast. I had a problem with the blood and had to walk away from that station, but I have problems with blood anyway (I tend to want to pass out). When it came to cleaning out the cavity, I was fine. Once I did the first one, I had no problems with the others. It is not much different than sticking your hand up the rear side of a turkey to pull out the bag of parts for thanksgiving. A few extra steps but the birds once they come out of the plucker look pretty much like you get at the grocery store. You can do it!!
You make it sound so…easy. We only have layers right now, so we’re not going to have to worry about this for awhile, but I like reading up on it and watching videos for future reference! We’d like to delve into meat birds some next year. 🙂
Even with layers you get to the point where you’re feeding birds that aren’t producing. Once a year I do a “culling” of the flock. They make good soup stock and chicken and dumplings!
I butchered a lot of chickens back home and hope i can help some of you out.There are certain phases of the moon when pin feathers are not so many.You do not want to pick barred rock chickens or red ones unless the time is right for pin feathers or you will be digging them out till midnight.My mom used to add Amway soap to the scalding water as it helped loosen up the feathers . ( our birds got dunked for 30 seconds tops ) We would butcher 25 to 200 of em in a day so mom did every thing possible to keep the pin feather picking to a minimum. I think the old farmers almanac has the days to butcher chickens in it .
I think you can find them in Walmart or the Dollar General stores. After the picking, the birds were all singed over a stove burner as chickens do have hair … Then they were washed in a washing machine tub of cold water with a bit of soap in it.Then rinsed off and over into another wash tub full of cold water .I hope this helps .
Brings back a lot of memories. We had a butchering day once a year in the mid ’50s that included mom, grandmother, my aunt and several of us children. Kids caught and wrung the necks and dumped them into a barrel for the adults to scald, clean and de-gut as we called it.
You are right about the pin feathers! We used needle nosed pliers for them sometimes. I know we usually worked from sun up to sun down and filled a freezer with the meat.
Hard work, but so fulfilling!
Great info Dennis! Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Great and informative post and as always your photos are the best!
Thanks Julie!
Great post. We currently have layers and are about ready to jump into the meat bird market. I’m thinking we will start with 15-20. As usual I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post and and seeing your wonderful pictures. I just launched my website/blog today. Thanks for the inspiration.
Congrats on your blog launch Whitney! And glad you got to join us on our VIP call last night!
I decided after the first chicken we butchered and plucked and singed, that I was never doing it again. However I love chicken…. so……….I skin them. I raised rabbits for butcher and we skin them so I thought why not. I use the same basic process.
Much nicer.
I am just getting back into the chicken/rabbit meat raising business again. Between working full time and taking on the raising of 3 grand kids 6 years ago, I just could not find time or energy.
Jill, thanks for all the wonderful information.
I’ve had several folks mention skinning– I guess my main concern would be the lost flavor there, but I can see it being an option. 🙂
“How would you like a turkey for Thanksgiving?”
“Sure!”
“Be here on Sunday by 7 A.M., don’t wear your Sunday best.”
That’s how I learned about processing turkeys. We finished up by mid-afternoon. I had my turkey … as promised. Based on what the turkey would have cost had I simply bought one, I made 47 cents an hour. But I did get the best turkey ever for Thanksgiving.
No, I probably won’t offer to help process turkeys in the future.
Oh my! 🙂
Let me start by saying that I never realized we were homesteaders (LOL) because this is the way I’ve lived this way forever. I can remember my dad butchering chickens and rabbits (the were not pets & we were not allowed to name them), we always had a garden, etc.
I thought as I got older I would not live that way; but I married a man who wanted to get back to the country after growing up in a city of over 150,000 people, so here I am again, still butchering and canning 20 years after we first married. We raised meat chickens in the past and always skinned them. Hubby got the bright idea that we (a family of 3) needed over 100 meat chickens and at that point, I told him that I was not going to spend the day processing chickens, so he built a butchering station with a sink and we purchased a plucker that attached to a power drill. Talk about a labor saving device. We love it and would recommend it to anyone thinking about butchering their own chickens. Not only does the skin give a better tasting chicken, but it stays moist when you bake it or BBQ it.
Home raised home butchered tastes better.Have you considered raising rabbits,they taste awesome low fat,and a good money maker and the poop is great fertalizer . you will always
hear from PETA– P eople Eating Tasty Animals !
I’ve never really considered rabbits– we have so much meat from other sources (beef, pork, chicken) that haven’t had a need yet. But I hear they are efficient and tasty!
Awesome Blog! I really love it. You guys did a great job with all the information and pictures. One thing I’d like to suggest for you to check out is a YouTube channel by Justin Rhodes. He does Cornish Cross meat birds and permaculture chickens.
~Blessings
Yes– I’ve partnered with Justin on several projects– he’s awesome!
So grateful for NAET! Because of it, I want a backyard homestead to be able to enjoy healthy food again.
Good gravy girl! I wish I was your neighbor, you are awesome! I learn so much from you and your blog! My kids are also aware of the butchering processes and that the pork chop on their plate used to be a living breathing animal not just a package from the grocery store – like a lot of kids their age think. My 8 year old says, “Steak? Is this a cow or a pig?” Lol!
Isn’t it fun for their reality to be so much different than most kids? Makes me so thankful. 🙂
We found a quick trick for plucking by hand is to take a long piece of bailing wire (like 6-7′ or so), bend the pointy ends under with a pair of pliers for safety and hook it up around one of the trusses in the barn or around a tree limb, etc. with two the two ends hanging down equally. Put an old baby pool or other large tub underneath for catching feathers. We wrap the wire a couple times, one end around each leg to hold the scalded chicken upside down. Then you have both hands free for speedy plucking and all the feathers fall into the container beneath.
You’ll find you get faster and faster with each batch you process. Great work for your first time!
Oooh… I love that idea!
Ahh we just started our venture into meat chickens a few weeks ago and will be processing our first 15 birds in the beginning of December! This post is definitely one I will be referencing! Thank you!
How Exciting!!
, “I think the only thing that would bother Bush is doing something that would bring shame on the Bush family.”As I see it, just about everything Bush does brings shame on the Bush family, particularly things like this traitorous speech to the Muslims today. I was initially proud when a fellow Texan was elected President, but he has become much worse than an embarrassment. He is a total sell-out, and I am ashamed of him, as he should be also. Shame and dishonor will follow him through history.
Weird anti-bush comment here….
Love your blog! Won’t be doing any chickens since I’m afraid of them….weird, I know. But looking into raising rabbits and quail. Someday.
What kind of heat shrink bags do you use?
Jill, one of my mantras is that “Nothing organic leaves the homestead.” So i catch the blood in a bucket with a few inches of water in it, and when all is done I fertilize the neediest plants with it. Feathers are collected and pitched back into the coop. The hens think it’s a treat and most of the feathers are gone by the next morning. The feet & necks are made into wonderful stock. The hearts, gizzards and livers are ground raw and fed to the cats. The heads and guts are buried about 2′ deep in the compost pile. Nothing goes to waste around here!
Where I take my chickens, the last step is to put the birds in tanks. or deep sink of cold water for at least 30 minutes to chill off the bird, then I can bag it or pack it on ice in coolers to take home.
Hi Jill ee,
Love this post. Although it’s been a long while since I last processed any birds, I just have to share an awesome tip that works.
My friend had ordered a bunch of biddies which turned out to be mostly roosters. And the meat from roos is usually tougher than hens. So, to make them easier to eat we gave them peach brandy prior to slaughtering.
They turned out very tender and had a nice peach flavor to the meat. Out of 13, I think, only 2 remained tough.
Now I don’t slaughter mine due to a grandchild who just can’t bear the thought of eating something she has given a name to. Oh well.
Have a wonderful day and thanks for sharing.
I just started butchering this year, and I never thought of leaving the skin on (my dad taught me to skin them). This process seems more time consuming, but if the flavor is really effected then I might consider this method
I really do think the skin holds in extra flavor. 🙂
I can’t wait for and keep checking back for the post about saving the organs and bits. Any idea when that will be coming?
Hi JessieH,
We put the organ meats in gallon freezer zip locks and they also go in the cold water. We then clean them up, sort, then use another clean freezer ziplock and freezer wrap.
As I do final cleanup and wrap on the birds, all scraps and bones go in big stock pots, which I simmer into chicken/bone broth. Once it cools I strain the liquid (and strain out most of the fat) and put in large mouth canning jars. I put those in the freezer overnight and put lids on once they are frozen. Saves on potential broken jars that way.
Hope that helps!
One tip we learn is to cut out their feed out 2 days before butching and only let them have water, to which vinegar has been added. This will cut out the “smell” that goes with butching.
I love this idea!
We have been processing our own poultry for almost 15 years now. The jugular cut is definitely the most humane way as well as best for better end product. We bought the Featherman plucker once we knew we were going to do this every year. Best investment ever!
We also do the whole thing assembly line style and have done 100 birds in about 6 hours. We have created a family butchering “party” out of it, my daughter and I prefer to do the “gutting” since we know how we like the finished product to appear, etc.
We cut off the tail rather than cut out the gland. With the chicken on it’s belly, cut through the tail until you reach the inner sac. Turn the bird over, and while holding the rectum apart, cut under the skin on top to create a full circle opening, then pull. Most or all of the innards pull out with the tail then. May still have to scoop out the heart, but it’s faster and easier this way.
I have found that a half full crop is easier to pull out than an empty one, and I cut along the back of the neck, leaving more of the front neck skin intact. Just a personal preference, less chance of skin pulling back and exposing breast meat while roasting.
Last but not least, we took advice from a veteran on this: we leave the birds in a cold ice water bath for two days before final wrapping. No salt needed, and makes for the juiciest and tenderest chicken anyone has ever had. To accomplish that, we repurposed 55 gal (food grade) plastic drums, fitted a nozzle toward the bottom of the barrel for easy draining, and refresh the water and ice as needed. This also makes final cleanup (think stray pin feathers) easier.
These are just a few things we learned over the years, and have yet to have a bad (or even so-so) chicken.
So thankful for your blog/newsletters. You have shared so much that I use in our homesteading adventures. Happiness is full freezers of home grown meat and full canning room shelves. Not to mention all the neat household and body product recipes you share with us.
Keep up the awesome work!
Oh, and another reason we don’t withhold feed is because hungry birds are more anxious at butchering time. We have done it both ways (though the vinegar idea will be something we try this year!) and found the birds were much calmer with food in their bellies.
Thanks for all the tips Michele!
Kudos. I swear by Cornish cross. Tried all the others and you just don’t see the yield. I do free range them and it produces better meat and healthier birds. Let them be chickens until they reach that one “bad day”. I treat all our livestock as pets, they deserve a good life before they feed my family.
When I read your disclaimer I thought how sad it is that we have to do things like that today. Why would anyone go to a site that gives a step by step instructional on how to butcher a chicken and then be offended by the images of chickens being butchered??? Anyway, love your site, it’s really nice to see this way of life being preserved. Great way to raise a family, too! 🙂
Agree Ruth! Unfortunately, you wouldn’t believe the hate mail I get when I post stuff like this! Never ceases to amaze me. 😉
Wow, thanks for such a fantastic article and photos. Glad you don’t shy away from issues that some find hard. Nicely done.
Thanks September!
This was a good read. I’ve raised chickens for the past 2 years but this is the first year for meat chickens and I’m soo excited to get this under my belt! Its just one more trade, one more experience to take in that way I can teach my family how to live off the land!
What size of heat shrink bag is best?
Thanks for sharing this post!
We had three too many roosters so we did our first processing on Labor Day – yeah, we know how to celebrate! It went okay, we learned that we need better knives and larger restraining cones for the Jersey Giants. Other than that, it was a good experience and we’ll do a larget batch next spring with the help of a neighbor who has a little experience with eviscerating chickens! I stumbled upon a video by Weed ‘Em and Reap which is a great resource, after the fact.
Interesting mention of NAET – I had 30 treatments about 16 years ago and it likely helped save my life. The link in your blog doesn’t work anymore though. 🙁
I raised over 50 heavy breed roosters for meat a couple of years ago. Among them were a few Dark Cornish and I liked them a lot (accidently got one Cornish cross too – did not enjoy raising that poor bird.) So I got about a dozen dark Cornish this year that need to go to the freezer soon, but they’re just fine free ranging, so no rush.
Hope you have gotten your plucker by now. I got one in the spring and it is life changing, especially for us older people with arthritis. Super fast 15 seconds for two birds at a time that come out rivaling any store chicken for looks. Also 3-4 minutes you suggested for scald is way to long IMHO. 30 second count at 150 degrees and toss in the plucker for 15 seconds. I did 20 chickens in just a few hours working alone. 28 more up this week!
Nice article, but it is not the chickens that interest me right now but the NAET chicken allergy thing. I suffer from chemical sensitivity (all fragrances give me a headache) and would really like to know: one day your husband had a chicken allergy, got treated according to NAET and now he has no more chicken allergy?
When I have butchered chickens I cut off all of the wings before freezing. We don’t end up eating the wings off of the roasted birds but love wing night. I also cut up about half of the birds of similar size and tray freeze the pieces so I can just take out what I need for the meal.
We are looking into butchering some of the chickens that we’ve been growing since last year to enjoy a meal that is produced by ourselves. It’s nice to learn that it can be quite a pain to kill these chickens as we raised them. That is why I might just give these mobile slaughter services a try. Thanks!
Thanks for this! I recently attended a homeschool co-op class with a friend’s son who wanted to learn the process. I was interested as well. I was surprised at how different it was from what I imagined. And how interesting the biology/anatomy was.
And thanks for covering the whole chickens as meat theme. I can’t tell you how many of my ‘friends’ were HORRIFIED I would kill a chicken I’d raised. Are they pets, yeah. But they’re also food.
What age do you butcher your birds? Our chicken was 5 years old and was so tough (even as a stewer) that we ended up feeding to the dogs. So if/when I do it myself I’ll butcher younger.
Thank you for this great guide on how to butcher a chicken. Great information and very informative. Looking forward to trying this at home!
Thank you for this humane post. I love animals but we are all part of nature’s noble cycle of life and the day will come when I will butcher a chicken on a future homestead.
Jill, are you still using heat shrink bags? We’ve been using a FoodSaver vacuum sealer with rolls of make-your-own bags and it is driving me absolutely bonkers. I’m researching alternatives and trying to decide whether to spring for a commercial grade vacuum sealer or try the heat shrink method. I was just wondering if you’ve made any adjustments to this part of the process.
I do not raise cornish cross or any hatchery birds, I have my own breeding stock. Males grow to 10lb at 4 months, 15 at 5 5 and a half months, and taste amazing. I repurposed a freezer as a meat chiller, i put about 6 2L soda can frozen in, and keep this modified freezer at about +2C. it manages to never go above 3-4C even after 10 warm carcasses are put in. Later we cut chickens into pieces for roasting as we do not like to have a whole chicken as we are just two people plus in my opinion the backs are better for soup.
Wow that’s so awesome! It sounds like you’re busy!
Thanks for so much for the videos. I’ve really concentrated on being closer to what I eat and was, at a time vegetarian, for this reason. My husband and I just bought a 23 acre property in Oregon and will be starting to raise chickens for both eggs and meat. My husband grew up on a farm and has butchered chickens in the past but I have not. It is important to me to know they lived a decent life and were killed humanely so here we go! Appreciate your instruction.
That’s awesome! So glad you found this post helpful.
Is it safe to butcher and clean chickens in your basement. It is HOT HOT HOT here so we wanted to move down in a cooler area. Most butchering we see outside. Thanks for the input.
Any recommendations for storing without using plastic? Do you think butcher paper is a decent alternative? Thanks!
The feet and heads make an amazing collagen broth. You’re missing out on all the goodness.
Bless you, Jill. We are doing our first large batch of BIG CC birds this weekend. You’ve broken it down to make it seem not-too-scary. I echo Kim’s comment above: the feet make wonderful collagen-rich bone broth! They are gold to me. I’ve never used the heads, though. That’s something new.
Blessings, girl. Your blog always delights and inspires.
I hope your processing weekend goes well! So glad you found the blog helpful and inspiring. 🙂
**THANK YOU** for posting such clear instructions and your honest and genuine impressions of the experience. I read your posts and viewed the video multiple times before we harvested 7 old hens today. All went well!!! They’re aging in the fridge now…
I’m wondering if you guys save the neck or any of the organs for later? What do you do with the leftover bits?
The video was so helpful! Thank you for posting it.