Tips for butchering/processing alone??

[KikiDeAnime]

Just found out that next year after raising the red rangers, I will have do all the butchering myself. For those who don't know, I'm getting 8-10 of them so that should give you an idea. We currently don't have a killing cone to use but I will be getting one soon. I will also have to do the processing myself.

You might be wondering why I will have to everything by myself. Normally my dad helps with this but he's starting to get back pain that is currently barely manageable and prevents him from doing much. My older brother and younger brother stay clear of anything that has to do with the flock and our mother can't handle the sight of it. Everyone actually told me that I won't be able to do it and should not bother buying the chicks next year.
I plan on proving them wrong.

Does anyone do butchering and processing themselves??
Do you have tips to share?

 

[Compost King]

Just found out that next year after raising the red rangers, I will have do all the butchering myself. For those who don't know, I'm getting 8-10 of them so that should give you an idea. We currently don't have a killing cone to use but I will be getting one soon. I will also have to do the processing myself.

You might be wondering why I will have to everything by myself. Normally my dad helps with this but he's starting to get back pain that is currently barely manageable and prevents him from doing much. My older brother and younger brother stay clear of anything that has to do with the flock and our mother can't handle the sight of it. Everyone actually told me that I won't be able to do it and should not bother buying the chicks next year.
I plan on proving them wrong.

Does anyone do butchering and processing themselves??
Do you have tips to share?

The more you do it the easier it gets. I hated doing it, I struggled to do it, but eventually I switched to skinning birds and I do it easily. The skin tastes really nice but the hassle of plucking isn't worth the skin to me. With skinning there is much less set up, less clean up, less steps which all adds up to less time doing the deed.

I not only believe you can do it, I believe you will thrive at it whether you pluck or skin your birds.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

The more you do it the easier it gets. I hated doing it, I struggled to do it, but eventually I switched to skinning birds and I do it easily. The skin tastes really nice but the hassle of plucking isn't worth the skin to me. With skinning there is much less set up, less clean up, less steps which all adds up to less time doing the deed.

I not only believe you can do it, I believe you will thrive at it whether you pluck or skin your birds.

My dad and I have done this 3 times. This will be my 4th time butchering.
I'm determined to complete this

 

[RoosterML]

Just remember you do NOT need to do them all at the same time. Do 2-3 each weekend or whatever works for you.
Also don’t waste money on a killing cone. You can make one with a 5 gallon bucket. You should be able to find plenty of videos online on how to make one.

 

[Molpet]

For my cone, I cut the bottom off a kitty litter jug and screw it with washers to a post upside down. Lasts a season before it gets brittle from the sun... others use big bleach jugs

 

[CluckerFamily]

If you can afford it, a plucker may be worth your money! 1 chicken will be plucked in about 30 seconds. Maybe with this, your dad may want to come and help with that part.

 

[NatJ]

Does anyone do butchering and processing themselves??
Do you have tips to share?

I've butchered chickens alone. Even when I work with someone else, it is usually just two people working in the same general area. Each starts with a chicken and does it all the way through and starts another.

Tips?
Given that doing it alone feels normal to me, I'm not sure how it differs from what you're used to.
I suppose it can get a bit lonely, working with no-one to talk to. You could turn on a radio while you're working.

Make sure you've got all your tools before you start, and a way to wash your hands. It's no fun to be standing there with dirty hands and realize that you forgot something, and then get the doorknob messy on your way inside to get it.

Remember to allow time for all parts of the project-- butchering, cleaning up the area, and getting the birds properly rinsed and put away in the fridge or freezer.

Don't assume you can do them all in one day, but don't underestimate yourself either. Do the biggest ones first, and keep working until you run out of time or energy, then do some more the next time. You will get faster with practice.

Think about what finished product you need, because there are shortcuts that can sometimes save time.

If the cook requires that chicken be skinless and boneless, then you can skin the bird instead of plucking. And you can cut the meat off the bones without ever gutting the bird.

If the chicken will be cut into pieces, you can skin or pluck and then start cutting off pieces. It's easier to get the guts out when you cut the whole body cavity open, instead of trying to reach in through a hole at one end.

If no-one ever eats the wings, you can dispose of them with the guts rather than wasting your time plucking them (I habitually discard the last joint of the wing, because it has feathers and bone and almost no meat, and making broth from bony parts has never been the norm in my family.)

But if someone is going to roast the bird for a nice centerpiece at dinner, then you need to pay attention to doing it the "pretty" way.

And if someone likes to make broth, you will want to save all the parts that person uses. Some people use the neck, some use the feet, and so forth.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Does anyone do butchering and processing themselves??
Do you have tips to share?

If you can describe your process we may have specific tips instead of just being generic. There are so many different ways to do this. Having done some with your Dad puts you way ahead of many that have had to start from scratch.

Generic comments:

1. Do what you can ahead of time. Sharpen knives if you sharpen knives. Gather stuff together. I dig the hole in the garden where I'll be burying the offal the day before.

2. It's a learning experience so pace yourself. Start off slow with just a few. That gives you a chance to use what you learn on your next batch.

3. Think the process through, from your first step until they are in the freezer.

That's about the best I can do for the generic stuff. The rest is just details based on how you do it.

 

[3KillerBs]

I did my first butchering, 5 annoying age Production Red cockerels, by myself.

I made sure to be very organized since I would have limited ability to go fetch things once I got started. I had my tools, containers, paper towels, cooler of ice water, etc. all laid out and ready before I captured my birds and pinned them under separate laundry baskets.

I skinned, but having tried plucking the second time I think I could have done it successfully since it wasn't nearly as difficult as I'd heard it was.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

I've butchered chickens alone. Even when I work with someone else, it is usually just two people working in the same general area. Each starts with a chicken and does it all the way through and starts another.

Tips?
Given that doing it alone feels normal to me, I'm not sure how it differs from what you're used to.
I suppose it can get a bit lonely, working with no-one to talk to. You could turn on a radio while you're working.

Make sure you've got all your tools before you start, and a way to wash your hands. It's no fun to be standing there with dirty hands and realize that you forgot something, and then get the doorknob messy on your way inside to get it.

Remember to allow time for all parts of the project-- butchering, cleaning up the area, and getting the birds properly rinsed and put away in the fridge or freezer.

Don't assume you can do them all in one day, but don't underestimate yourself either. Do the biggest ones first, and keep working until you run out of time or energy, then do some more the next time. You will get faster with practice.

Think about what finished product you need, because there are shortcuts that can sometimes save time.

If the cook requires that chicken be skinless and boneless, then you can skin the bird instead of plucking. And you can cut the meat off the bones without ever gutting the bird.

If the chicken will be cut into pieces, you can skin or pluck and then start cutting off pieces. It's easier to get the guts out when you cut the whole body cavity open, instead of trying to reach in through a hole at one end.

If no-one ever eats the wings, you can dispose of them with the guts rather than wasting your time plucking them (I habitually discard the last joint of the wing, because it has feathers and bone and almost no meat, and making broth from bony parts has never been the norm in my family.)

But if someone is going to roast the bird for a nice centerpiece at dinner, then you need to pay attention to doing it the "pretty" way.

And if someone likes to make broth, you will want to save all the parts that person uses. Some people use the neck, some use the feet, and so forth.

You mention doing the biggest ones first. Does that mean I should start with the ones I plan on selling? Because we're only keeping 2 for ourselves and selling the rest to people nearby who want this kind of meat bird.
I plan on doing this early in the morning right after sunrise as I'm more awake at those times. My dad and I kept making the mistake of doing them in the late afternoon and it always got dark before we finished the last bird when we usually only had 3 each time.