I got used to the smells of the process.
My first processing day, I didn't think I'd ever get the smell of wet feathers and raw meat. I had nightmares about chickens haunting me forever. I didn't think I would ever be able to handle it.
4 years later, we process several times a year, we even help others process their birds. It's still smelly, it still makes me sad, but a good shower afterwards and a big fat pizza, and I'm over it. All the meat we eat is raised on our farm, but I can't eat chicken the same day I process it! We always opt for pizza!
PS - we use kill cones - it allows the blood to drain, and avoids the "running around with their head cut off" which can get dirt into the cut site, as well as break wings and legs.
We also take away food the night before, so they don't have a full gullet, which can be messy during processing, as well as a full back end, which does get messy. I find that scalding actually does a great job of cleaning off the birds, without having to stress them out by spraying them. Our plucker also sprays them down and rinses them well after scalding.
I'm a suburban kid who didn't grow up on a farm. And now I can process chickens like it's no big deal, it's all part of the deal. My friends have no idea how I can do it. Even done it in all stages of pregnancy, even the part where weird smells will set you off.
