Butchering A LOT of chickens

[Straw Hat]

I just moved to the country and want to start raising large batches of CX on pasture. I want to start with a batch of 50 for my family and perhaps work up to batches of several hundred for sale. Several years ago, we did a test batch of 11 CX, and while the chicken ended up tasting fine....the butchery day did not go as smoothly as I'd like it to. I understand there is a learning curve, but I want to greatly improve our system on butcher day. So for all you BYCers who butcher a lot, what does your system look like on butcher day? How many helpers and who is doing what? What tools or equipment make this go faster/better? At what point do you part them out? (I will leave some whole, but I'm trying to reduce needed freezer space). I honestly would rather just take them to a processor, but around here (central Virginia) the facilities are charging $6.50-7.00/bird. That's before transport costs and crates.

 

[FunClucks]

I'd suggest starting with 25 CX and seeing how that goes. That's significantly more than 11, and will give you experience dealing with a larger batch of chicks. Then after that batch is finished, evaluate your process, change as needed, and then do a batch of 50 chickens. The gap between caring for 11 vs. 25 CX is IMO greater than the gap between caring for 25 vs 50 chickens. The impact of poo management alone from 11 to 25 is significant. 25 chickens is usually where you get your first reduction in price per chick when ordering in bulk, and 25 chickens is the minimum order amount for most hatcheries that sell large volumes of chicks (and therefore have the best prices).

I found that 25 chickens was the limit that I, as one person with a full-time job, could reasonably care for, manage, and butcher by myself, with my current time limitations and setup. I butchered from 5-9 weeks, hand plucked 7 whole chickens, and skinned/parted out the rest. Since my family cooks and eats chicken 4-8 times a month, 21 chickens (that made it to butchering) will last us 3-6 months.

Working up to large batches of CX is generally recommended because if something goes wrong, you lose less chickens (and less money) than when doing a really large batch.

There are as many different processing setups as there are people using them. If you search on this site and look at the Sticky resources, and check out youtube, after a while you'll get the general ideas of how a setup works. But what works best for you is really what you need to find out, and that's something you have to figure out on your own, probably with some trial and error.

Also a note about selling processed chickens. Be sure you check your state department of agriculture for the laws surrounding home/farm processed chickens - there are as many differences in these laws as there are states in the USA it seems like. Depending on the laws, commercial sales may or may not be economically feasible for you in the volume you are talking about in the location where you live. It's very worthwhile to run a whole cost estimate for your process, to look at all the costs and income from your proposed operation, including licensing fees, inspections, certifications, feed costs, bedding, predator protection, labor, etc. and see if you can make that work for your target price per processed chicken. There are a number of threads on here about the challenges related to small chicken processing operations, and how folks have dealt with those. It can be difficult to turn a profit unless you can balance all the factors just right.

Good luck!!!

 

[Birdinhand]

^^^What Funclucks said, like all of it! ^^^ I’d scale up gradually, get to know all the ins and outs and make sure you have proven your concepts and appetite for this before scaling up to very large numbers. The difference between 10 birds vs even 25 is huge. The larger your flock to be harvested is, the more you start running up against the biological clocks that can get you and your family sick or worse. Oddly enough, the research shows that “backyard” flocks are not only as prone to being disease causing carriers but actually more so. The shorter the distance between where your meat is grown, cleaned, butchered and eaten, the higher the risk of food born illness, IMHO. I’m still an advocate for backyard meat bird production, but I am careful to be honest with myself about the risks and constantly resist the urge to get lazy. Take it seriously, mitigate the risks!

25 birds is about my max, because after that, all the stations and surfaces I’ve created for processing reach a level of filth and mess at warm enough temperatures that it looks and feels like it’s the limit for safety… at least for me and my family. If I were to increase the numbers to even 35-40 birds, I’d have to devise a whole new approach to dealing with the waste produced by the birds as they grow out as well as the waste from processing… the river of nutrients is a river of microbes. If I were to consider scaling up, I’d consider making a separate shed/building and basically lining it with stainless steel, so it can be pressure washed and bleached easily. I’d add a drain even. I’d create a butcher team, with distinct rolls. The culling and scalding and plucking stage would be done by one person/group up to the point where the plucker gets turned off. From there the next person/group would be the only ones taking the chicken from the plucker, and going through the steps of eviscerating, then the final person/group would be responsible for taking the birds to the ice bath to further rinse and cool. If you part your chickens, that could be yet again another person/or group. All the separations of people and stations would be an attempt to keep microbes from passing from the gut of the bird to the meat and then into the kitchen/onto the dinner table.

The minute you start selling the meat you take on a raft of potential liabilities including the potential for full blown criminal negligence, if someone gets seriously ill… one major screw up and the feds can get involved. You can’t go down that route without getting very, very serious about it, following protocols and laws to the “T”.

 

[Straw Hat]

This is all great info! You've both given me things to think about. We actually moved to the country with the idea of doing pastured meat for a living (keeping our day jobs as well). So we've looked into the legal issues. We're in a pretty friendly state with regards to pastured poultry. I'm sure I need to read more deeply on it. Our chickens will be raised on pasture in moveable pens, so the poop will be a non-issue. After reading what you've written and thinking about it, we're thinking we may only take this on if we can incorporate professional processing into our per pound finished product and still make it worthwhile. Nevertheless, I still want to put at least 50 in the freezer for our family of 6. We're not sure yet though. I do think your suggestions of scaling up is a good one. It will be an adventure no matter what. We already have cows and sheep as well. I apologize for not responding sooner. I read the comments and appreciated them!

 

[FunClucks]

This is all great info! You've both given me things to think about. We actually moved to the country with the idea of doing pastured meat for a living (keeping our day jobs as well). So we've looked into the legal issues. We're in a pretty friendly state with regards to pastured poultry. I'm sure I need to read more deeply on it. Our chickens will be raised on pasture in moveable pens, so the poop will be a non-issue. After reading what you've written and thinking about it, we're thinking we may only take this on if we can incorporate professional processing into our per pound finished product and still make it worthwhile. Nevertheless, I still want to put at least 50 in the freezer for our family of 6. We're not sure yet though. I do think your suggestions of scaling up is a good one. It will be an adventure no matter what. We already have cows and sheep as well. I apologize for not responding sooner. I read the comments and appreciated them!

I would definitely encourage you to do some CX for your family. Two batches of 25 should give you plenty of experience and a good feel for how to scale everything up.

Home processing wasn't bad IMO, except it took some time. A commercial (YardBird) plucker can practically eliminate plucking time if you want to pluck. Skinning was for me about 1/2 hr faster than scalding and plucking, so actually decreased my processing time. When I processed, I cleaned all processing surfaces in between each chicken, and washed my knives several times during the processing. I washed my hands I can't tell you how many times and rinsed the chicken after each step pretty much with a garden hose sprayer nozzle. Also I processed in March, so it was in the 60-70s outside. Didn't have any issues with bacteria, but yeah, I cleaned all surfaces and equipment in between each chicken.

Poop is still an issue in moveable pens because it determines how often you need to move the pens. Depending on your pen weight and moving methods, moving them can be quite a chore or not a big deal. Most folks move them every 1-3 days, no less than that to keep poo down for CX. It also depends on how large your pen is, how long it can stay in one spot before poo builds up. And it takes a while to compost the poo after you move the pen (at least two weeks in my experience) - climate plays into that.

Around where I live, there are no professional processors for backyard chickens. Home processing is the only option. I'm guessing you've already verified there are some where you live and checked their pricing.

Another side benefit of processing my own chickens is that I now know what the insides of a chicken are supposed to look like. So if one of my egger/pet birds gets sick, and I end up performing a home autopsy, I'll know when things are abnormal. Seeing as how there is very limited vet care for chickens where I live, and I'm often my own chicken doctor, this is important knowledge.

Have fun with it!

 

[Birdinhand]

Id have to echo Funclucks again! About 25 at a go gives my family of four meat for a good long while. The yard bird chicken plucker makes the plucking easy and perhaps more than anything is a bright dividing line for microbial control… they come out of the plucker pretty squeaky clean. Rinsing and ice bath quickly get you out of the danger zone. And after all the emphasis is made on good practices, fully cooking your bird is the last and thorough stop gap. Fortunately we are not tempted to eat chicken “rare”. Be aware that a chicken tractor for CX is not a way to skimp on feed, they have very specific nutritional requirements. For those who have room for a tractor, they offer a way to manage waste more easily and arguably, supplement the birds with macro nutrients from bugs and grass, and offer a more “normal” life.

 

[Straw Hat]

I hadn't thought about the benefit of learning to perform chicken autopsies. But it makes a lot of sense as a way to monitor flock health. Yes, I'm planning to move pens frequently to help keep the area clean. Better than a gym membership- . I have been looking at pluckers and the Yardbird has come up a lot as a good option. I definitely need to invest in a set of good knives. And I agree with you about washing everything multiple times! I'm pretty squeamish about germs and will definitely keep things sanitary and properly chilled. For personal use, I'll probably freeze some whole plucked birds and skin those that I'll part out. There is professional USDA processing, but it's expensive. I also live within 3 hours of several big metro areas. Pasture raised, non-GMO chicken goes for $5-6 pound in those area. There is also an Amish community nearby and I heard they sometimes help with processing.

 

[Straw Hat]

I'm planning to use poultry netting with a LGD. Well, actually my border collie. She loves to sit with chickens and bark at hawks.

 

[FunClucks]

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. CX can be sensitive to cold and heat, and you have to keep them dry. So when planning your growout period, bear those things in mind. If they get heat stressed too badly they can die, if they get wet and chilled by lying on the wet ground or getting rained on they can die, and if the day/night temperature fluctuation are too much they can develop ascites I think - I was reading about CX issues that can be caused by tractoring. They're more sensitive than normal chickens to weather, so I'd recommend researching that ahead of time to make sure you avoid the problems.

This is one reason I kept mine in an open air covered run with good tarp coverage - I wanted to be sure they didn't get wet. Many folks have tractored successfully, but research beforehand is recommended.

 

[Birdinhand]

I hadn't thought about the benefit of learning to perform chicken autopsies. But it makes a lot of sense as a way to monitor flock health. Yes, I'm planning to move pens frequently to help keep the area clean. Better than a gym membership- . I have been looking at pluckers and the Yardbird has come up a lot as a good option. I definitely need to invest in a set of good knives. And I agree with you about washing everything multiple times! I'm pretty squeamish about germs and will definitely keep things sanitary and properly chilled. For personal use, I'll probably freeze some whole plucked birds and skin those that I'll part out. There is professional USDA processing, but it's expensive. I also live within 3 hours of several big metro areas. Pasture raised, non-GMO chicken goes for $5-6 pound in those area. There is also an Amish community nearby and I heard they sometimes help with processing.

If you go with a processor, look for mobile services… they have processing units on wheels, that come to you.