I think I can, I think I can

There's a few articles in the Learning Center (I wrote some of them) that might help with some questions :)

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-raise-process-chickens-for-meat-tips-pictures

I raised my first batch of Freedom Rangers for meat this summer and have butchered all but 8 of them now in three "batches".  Like you, I was completely new to the idea of butchering, not having done the deed with game or even fish before.

My advice is to educate yourself as well as possible by googling articles on "how to butcher a chicken" watch some youtube videos of the actual killing as well as the butchering and decide what method you want to use.  Then get all of your equipment set up, water on early to get it up to the proper scalding temperature.  Make sure you have at least one very sharp knife, and I mean very sharp.  I ended up purchasing a new one after my first attempt.  Review the articles or videos again and make sure you have all the equipment you need.

On actual butchering day you have to have resolve.  One thing I learned...sort of the hard way, is that there is no gentle way to kill a chicken that you intend to eat.  You can be gentle in the way you catch the chicken, you can be gentle in the way you handle, carry and talk to the chicken as you bring it to whatever apparatus you've set up for the kill, but when it comes time to kill it, you need to be decisive and quick and through.  If you try to be gentle, you'll probably prolong the process, making it harder on the chicken and harder on yourself.

Be prepared to feel bad about it.  Even if your logical brain knows you are doing a good thing, and that your chicken is meeting a much better end after a much better life than it would have had in a commercial farm, your emotional side may not listen to any of your logic, but you'll have a very supportive group here on this forum who will provide their wisdom and empathy and help you learn by the experience.

While I can't say I'll ever be casual about the killing part (and I really don't think I ever WANT to be casual about it) there is something deeply satisfying about the end of the day, when I have a huge pot of stock on the stove, 6 - 8 chickens waiting to go into the freezer, a lovely batch of chicken-liver pate to spread on some nice French bread and a bunch of tasty giblets put aside for dog-training treats.  That and the knowledge that even a city-bred girl can be tough and resoursefull and do what needs to be done.

I can shoot a deer, smash an earwig, wollop a fish in the head, shoot a pheasant from 50 yards with a shotgun, but it kills me to put down a chicken for slaughter or illness......

I recommend watching lots and lots and lots of videos on youtube on how to do it humanely.  You probably will cry 

You can do it.  It's OK to cry.  Try to get the knife in between the feathers to make good contact with the skin, because cutting through feathers makes it much harder.

Good luck.

My daughter is what started me with chicken keeping.  A little over a year ago she decided that she didn't want to eat anything that had been part of the factory farming method.  She had read articles and seen video on the miserable conditions most animals we eat live in and die in and didn't want to be a part of any of that.  I started by getting 8 little chicks to raise as egg layers.  Then invested in a chest freezer and purchased 1/2 of a grass fed, humanely raised, local heifer which she was OK with eating.  The real problem for me came when I began to realize that the chickens I was raising for eggs were pretty nifty creatures with personalities of their own.  I decided that I was either going to have to stop eating chicken or raise them myself, so that I'd know that they had lived a good life and died a quick, humane death.  The fact that the meat is healthier for us and tasty as can be is a bonus to knowing that I'm not supporting the factory farming system.

Good luck

I think you would have a major problem if you don't have any empathy for butchering your chicken. It's okay to feel sad, depressed or just being moody. I've gutted fish growing up and it seems to get harder as I got older. Butcher a chicken and my partner knows I'm going to be in a funk for few days.

As for watching a video on youtube, I did a search on youtube to see how others are doing it. And the best video is by Joel Salatin at Polyface farm. He tells you exactly what you need to do and how to do it. It's precise, clean and efficient. Emotions are checked at the door so its just the facts. I think most of us check our emotions away when we butcher a chicken. One warning, there are lot of bad videos on how to butcher a chicken. One woman was just too into it emotionally and just too wierd. so search for Joel Salatin polyface farm and chicken butchering.  It's the "proper" way to butcher a chicken.

I liked his method better than the way I was taught so I changed my technique.

I just wanted to tell you that your not alone in your concern. I have been raised on a farm and as a young child I remember raising and helping butcher lots of animals. Chickens, Cows, rabbits, ducks and more. It was ingrained in us that these animals were our food, that was their role in life. It was our job to be kind to them and care for them But when the time came to add them to our freezer that was that.

I got married and moved away to the city and got away from farm life .. Hahaha.. But guess what?? When my daughter was small I couldn't think of a better way for her to grow up in this world. We started by raising beef cattle and added chickens for eggs. Now I am venturing into raising meaties. Like Hummingbird Hollow I have chosen to do this because of my daughter now 15. She wants no part of factory raised meat and has even ASKED me to plant a garden. LOL I had one the last 4 years in a row and this year I skipped the large garden and opted for smaller containers because of a crazy summer schedule with family. Before now I had to force my daughter to work in the garden. Now she is asking for one and if we can raise our own eating chickens and fish :) KIDS

Thing is despite my childhood experience and already doing some animals for food. The idea of butchering a chicken makes me shudder and cringe. Like others said I think our rational brain and our heart powered brain seem to split.

Like others said I have been building up to the day Marked it on the Calender, watching videos, reading, and asking others. I also checked craigslist and found a farm not to far from me that offers a Chicken Processing Class. It was a great thing because not only did we watch them but we got to do the "deed" our self. It made a big difference being able to actually feel, smell, and hear the process. A friend also gave me the website  to our County Conservation site and the state agriculture. I found lots of great info there too. I also found a lovely neighbor man that is coming over on butcher day to help us out and show us some techniques . He is doing this because he is super nice and also because I'm raising a few extras for him in trade for the education..

Everyone says preparation is the key to a smooth processing day:)

Just take a deep breath, expect anything to happen, and don't panic when it does.  I had processed 3 BR cockerels without incident, except for the flopping longer than I thought they would but my CX were a different story.  They were too heavy for the killing cone and it and the bird fell to the floor after cutting the throat.  We tried a different method and the next bird flopped so violently it broke it's wing and the bone was protruding.  For the third bird, we finally got it right and things went more smoothly.  Just remember this is a learning process and mistakes will be made; learn from them and it'll only get easier.