At 1st I called my handyman friend (who grew up on a farm) to put down an injured hen. Then there was an unpredictable, aggressive rooster who I feared would attack my kids. I felt sad but in both cases I knew it was the right decision. I let him keep the meat. Likewise, I used to give away any extra cockerels to anyone who would take them off my hands. However, the next time there was a need to put down an old hen (she was only laying soft shelled eggs), I asked our handyman if I could assist and learn. Having a mentor helped me with the hands on learning, but just having someone to talk with during the processing helped keep me from crying. Basically I prepped myself emotionally, set the date & time, and ended up freezing the meat. I knew I couldn't eat her right away, so when I felt ready, I researched some recipes and also made bone broth so nothing would go to waste. Through trial and error I discovered heritage backyard chicken works best in soups/stews/slow cooker meals. There's a different flavor = more flavor than grocery store meat.
For the past 2-3 years, I've grown more pragmatic about it. I have another friend with acreage who will gladly accept my extra male chicks. She can grow them out longer and give them a very good life.... with only one bad day. I can also process some of the extra cockerels - but I don't have the room to grow them up to full adulthood. When I look at the poor crammed conditions most grocery store birds are raised in, I feel better knowing that mine were well cared for. Also, those meatbirds are killed at 8 weeks & mine get to free range for 2-3xs that long (.... and longer if I give them to my friend). The actual processing day is never fun. However, when it's done and those birds are gone, there's a little peace. Less crowing, less beaks to feed, less cleaning, less hens squawking from being raped, etc. It makes me wonder why I waited so long. There's also a huge sense of accomplishment when I cook a meal with all of the ingredients coming from your backyard. We have a big garden & fruit trees.
If you can't do the killing (which was me for several years), you may be able to ask a local chicken friend if you may assist them when they do their processing. It could be easier if they're not your birds. I'm not grossed out by dissections, so for me it was the actual kill I could not do.
There are also special butchers who are licensed for meat processing. There's one 40 min away from here. Someone we knew used them. Basically they dropped off the live birds and returned a half hour later to pick them up - all shrink wrapped and ready to cook or freeze.
Processing is a skill that not many people around here know. Since we keep chickens and are not vegetarians, I thought I should learn. Besides the processing, I also learned that meat needs to be either: cooked immediately OR allowed to "rest" a couple days in the fridge before cooking. We had a couple very tough dinners.
