Freezer question

[nhrocks]

We are looking to get a chest freezer to store our ducks and cockerels, but don't know how much space we need. About how many cubic feet do I need for, say, eight ducks and eight chickens?
Seems like 5 ft3 would be too small, but don't know if 15 ft3 would be way too much.
What size are your freezers, and how much meat can you store?
Thanks,
Amy

 

[slingshotandLAR]

If you have the space buy the biggest one you can find....

I got two 22cft chests off craigslist for $100 each. They are huge and work great, never have to worry about space.

I went to the store to buy one and they were $600-700, there are freezers all over craigslist for $110 or less

 

[123RedBeard]

Most places say the same things as here - http://www.barlcattle.com/Default.aspx?id=8045&;Title=FrequentlyAskedQuestions

Quote:
Of course it depends on what shape your packages are in too ...

I don't know what size or kind of fowl you have ... but at six pounds each ... your 5.3 should be more than enough ... the bigger is better, as you can't just stick 100 pounds of meat room temp, and expect the freezer to quickly bring it down to 0F, especially if it is all piled together ... so spreading it out is why bigger is better, and also ... if you have never heard of "chicken math" ...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Amy, I can’t give you a specific answer for different reasons. I mix veggies, fruit, and meat in mine so I don’t have a specific cubic feet per pound or anything like that. That 35 pounds at that link was for beef which is going to be packed pretty tightly. Are you going to cut your chickens into serving pieces or package the entire carcass? That makes a big difference. That was kind of mentioned but I wanted to emphasize that because it is important. I cut mine into separate serving pieces and double wrap them in freezer paper so those packages are pretty tight. But I also keep other stuff for broth and freeze those in zip-loc type bags. Those other pieces for broth take up a lot of room too.

That’s also a good point about spreading the meat out if you butcher a lot at one time. It not only takes time for the freezer to actually freeze meat but if it is still warm it can thaw what you have in there. That’s where aging it in the refrigerator or in an ice chest before you package and freeze it can help.

I don’t have a good feel for how much a 5.3 cu. ft. can hold. My gut feel is not a whole lot. I think you have a decent question, hopefully someone can help a lot more than me, but like everything else to do with chickens I’d tend to provide more space, not less.

Good luck!

 

[nhrocks]

Thanks for the input everyone. We ended up getting a 15 ft3 freezer. What really sold me on the larger one was the fact that bigger ones are much more efficient than smaller ones at keeping things cold. In fact, the estimated energy costs for the 5ft and the 10 ft were the same!
Chicken math ... Yeah. I know what that is. I have two new pullets that I picked up this afternoon ... thank you craigslist and an enabling husband. But, chicken math has nothing muscovy math. Those things are out to conquer the world, one brood at a time! So I am now looking into duck sausage making.

 

[keesmom]

Bigger is always better. With the scovies you will fill that freezer quickly. They multiply faster than rabbits.

I started with a 22 cu ft freezer. Had to get an additional 14 cu ft, and then another. Not just for meaties and extra cockerels. Had to get that half steer, half pig and lamb along the way too.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A trick to make them efficient is to keep them full. A full freezer uses a lot less energy than one half empty.

Also, if you fill up any empty space with ice, say you fill empty milk jugs with water and freeze that, you are less likely to lose your frozen stuff in a power outage. The stuff in the freezer will stay frozen several days longer than one half full. I learned that in Hurricane Katrina. Plus if you need ice when you butcher or maybe when you are going fishing, it’s there and ready.

 

[nhrocks]

Well we went for the big one! Got a 15 ft3 model. It's looking kinda sad right now, with seven little birds and some breasts sitting in the bottom. Going to start filling it with ice.

Yes, those are silkies. Going to try actual CXR next year.
Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[jimbob86]

Thanks for the input everyone. We ended up getting a 15 ft3 freezer. What really sold me on the larger one was the fact that bigger ones are much more efficient than smaller ones at keeping things cold. In fact, the estimated energy costs for the 5ft and the 10 ft were the same!

On paper, maybe, but in real life, not necessarily- two small ones can be more efficient than one large one, because the large one gets opened all the time and one of the small ones should never get opened until the other is empty, and once the one is empty, it gets shut off ............ and a full freezer of frozen food is much more efficient (runs less) than one that is only half full, and the airspace in it must be re-chilled every time is gets opened and stuff added or taken out. ......

 

[jimbob86]

Also of importance, particularly if buying used freezers of unknown mechanical condittion (like from sumdood via e-bay): buying 2 smaller ones avoids "putting all your eggs in one basket" ...... if you've ever had a freezer quit on you and lost several hundred pounds of meat to spoilage, then you would understand the following question: Would you rather lose all your meat in the unlikely event of a freezer failing, or double the (still unlikely) odds of losing 1/2 your meat? Having been there, done that, I'm glad I had two freezers.