How long should it take to butcher?

[mandieg4]

My FIL brought me 4 chickens this morning and it took me about 2 hours to butcher and cut them up. Kinda makes me rethink ordering some meat birds this spring. Granted this was only the second time I've ever butchered by myself. Once I get the hang of it, how fast should I be able to do it? I didn't pluck them, I just skinned them.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

If your just skinning... Honestly it shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes per bird once you get the hang of it. That's being conservative too. Your first few times really take a while since your learning what's what... and you will pick up tricks along the way that will speed up the process.


The more you do it, the better you get. I still get better numbers each year.... (more birds / hour) For a comparison, I'm at about 70 birds / hour with a plucker. This is with two people total... all the right equipment and a lot of experience. Give it time... you will get the hang of it.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I think 30 minutes per bird is a good rate for a beginner! Do you remember how long it took at your first session? You will certainly continue to beat your best time as you gain experience & apply what you've learned to each new session. It's a good thing to keep in mind for when you do order & plan to process your meat birds so you don't overwhelm yourself.

There are lots of things you can do to streamline your process. Have your birds caged up the night before so they're easy to grab. Keep all your tools & equipment together & handy, or at least keep a list of the things you'll need. Have one bird sliced & hung to bleed while you're cleaning out another one. I found that skinning took me at least as long as plucking, but I don't have great upper body strength & had difficulty pulling out the legs & especially the wings. If I get a good scald on the bird I can hand-pluck in about 5-7 minutes. If there's a mechanical plucker available that time is down to about 2 minutes.

Enjoy your well-earned meals & keep up the good work!

 

[DawnSuiter]

Quote:
I feel ya there... same experience myself. I didn't raise any at all for meat this last year because that was my experience my first year.
But... I am going to get a good knife and go for it again. I think it will be easier with a better tool... and that I should give myself more time to get the hang of it... to date I've only done 8 birds now... and the last 2 or 3 all by myself start to finish. NO MORE of that. Gotta have a little help at least.

I hear great things about how fast people get doing this... so I have hope for myself.. AND YOU!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I find I'm pretty slow, but I have been slower, but I do pluck them and that is what takes me the longest. I will be using a homemade plucker the next time around though, so I am hoping that will help me out quite a bit. I have to agree with our other friends. Keep at it. The speed will come. If you believe in what you are doing and keep with it, you will get skillful. I am going to try to stop going to the grocery for my chicken meat all-together.