Edit: Today is the big day... first time processing

So tomorrow is the big day. I have 8 cornish rock x that are 10 weeks old. I have been reading and watching videos on how to kill them, pluck them, and butcher them. But i have some questions...

As my wife did not want to be around for this part she took my two kids and left for the weekend, So I'll be doing this by myself.

My question is, since I have 8 birds to do should I do one at a time, kill,pluck,butcher? Or can I kill them all then pluck them all then butcher them all?

Also we want to keep 4 of them whole and cut the other 4 into pieces but I haven't seen any thing that really shows how to cut them up, I'm sure I could figure it out but I like to do research first so I have a general Idea of what I'm supposed to be doing.

I have butchered deer but a chicken is not a deer.

Edit: Well i found a link on here on how to cut a chicken into pieces and it was way easier than I thought.

If it is over 50 degrease when you kill do them 2 by 2 or 1 by 1. If it is colder than that you can kill them 4 by 4l and let them wait while they bleed out. Either way you will have to move fast so they do not spoil it should take no longer than 30 min from kill to to chill tank when it is over 50 degrease.The hotter it is the faster you have to move. I recommend you kill in the shade so the sun is not directly on them. When they are plucked,dressed,and rinsed off I like to put them in a cooler fill of ice water (AKA chill tank). Please teach your kids the process eventually because processing animals is a dying art and should be passed on generation after generation. Good luck hope you will be enjoying delicious homegrown chicken dinner soon.

I just bought 40lbs of ice for the "chill tank" large cooler full of ice and water and it is going to be around 80 degrees tomorrow. so I guess 1 or 2 at a time is best.

I do want my son to see this process at some point because I think it would help him understand what it means when some thing dies. He thinks its some big joke and it really upsets my wife, mostly because she just lost her father.

I have seen that most people put the chicken in the ice bath after they have been dressed, but then I read in one thread that the chicken should be chilled before cutting into pieces. So I guess I should pluck and dress all 8 and put them all in the chill tank, then take out and cut up the 4 into pieces.

You can do 4 chickens from a single large canner 2/3 full of water that is about 195F off the stove. By the time you get to your last of 4 chickens, you water will be just warm enough to pluck the 4th. And I kill, pluck, and gut one at a time, but do the final cleanup in the kitchen sink of all the birds at once. To accomplish this, quickly pluck and gut spending no more than 10 minutes per bird. Put the birds in ice water. After the first 4 are plucked and gutted you will have to put the pot back on the stove and reheat back up to 195F and finish your last 4. Once they are gutted and in the ice water there is no danger of spoiling. Then, after all birds are on ice, clean them up some more over the kitchen sink, removing any leftover feathers, lungs, etc. Expect to take about 4 hours for 8 chickens, working alone. For more info on the details, go to http://www.raisingbackyardchickens101.com/chicken-butcher.html

MichaelZ13 said:

You can do 4 chickens from a single large canner 2/3 full of water that is about 195F off the stove. By the time you get to your last of 4 chickens, you water will be just warm enough to pluck the 4th. And I kill, pluck, and gut one at a time, but do the final cleanup in the kitchen sink of all the birds at once. To accomplish this, quickly pluck and gut spending no more than 10 minutes per bird. Put the birds in ice water.  After the first 4 are plucked and gutted you will have to put the pot back on the stove and reheat back up to 195F and finish your last 4. Once they are gutted and in the ice water there is no danger of spoiling. Then, after all birds are on ice, clean them up some more over the kitchen sink, removing any leftover feathers, lungs, etc. Expect to take about 4 hours for 8 chickens, working alone. For more info on the details, go to http://www.raisingbackyardchickens101.com/chicken-butcher.html

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Thanks for the info. I bought one of the to scald the birds in.

And made these

We do ours at sunrise. Good luck! Are you hand plucking?
If so you probably want to start 1 at a time until you get into the rhythm.

chicapee said:

We do ours at sunrise. Good luck! Are you hand plucking?
If so you probably want to start 1 at a time until you get into the rhythm.

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yes i will be hand plucking. a whole new experience for me... didn't have the money to build or buy a plucker...

AmsoilJim said:

yes i will be hand plucking. a whole new experience for me... didn't have the money to build or buy a plucker...

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We built one using bits lying around and a washing machine motor from the dump. Found the rubber fingers on amazon. It works great.

chicapee said:

We built one using bits lying around and a washing machine motor from the dump. Found the rubber fingers on amazon. It works great.

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maybe I'll have time to make one for the next time. I do have an extra blue barrel. Guess I would need the fingers and a motor and what ever other miscellaneous parts.
The other part is where to store all the stuff. Good thing I have a large shed.

Did you find how to make that on here?

Here is today's setup

Looks good I would wear waterproof shoes because I use lots of water rinsing the chickens and the table and it can pool up by the end of the day. Also be sure to micromanage the water temp in the 185 to 195 range because if the temp is off you can set the feathers in harder rather than loosen them.