Can I split up the processing?

[Oregon Blues]

I don't know how long it takes to skin the feet. I throw them away.

Cutting off the neck, rinsing the giblets, and emptying the gizzard takes just seconds. You wouldn't be saving much time.

If you decide to do it a different day, clean out the gizzard before you store it. You have to separate out the guts before you store the giblets, anyway, so rinse them, bag them, label them, and put them in the freezer instead of the fridge. One swipe of a knife and the neck is off. Bag all the necks together and put them in the freezer. They make the very best broth, but you can put off making the broth for months if you freeze the necks.

You can clean and pluck and put the birds in the fridge and pick pin feathers the next day. That saves some time on butchering day.

 

[erinchelsea]

Or spend the money for a sitter!

I can't imagine doing that while taking care of the kids. We butchered last weekend and I was next to no help between keeping my 2 year old from hurting himself and taking care of the baby.

Next time we are planning on doing a few each week for 2 or 3 weeks to get some different weights. All ours ended up being HUGE, and sometimes I'd like a smaller bird for frying or grilling.