Breaking the intestines and spoiling the meat? Really? If that happened all you would do is wash it off well. I have processed a lot of chickens and I don't recall ever breaking the intestines and I am no expert. Processing the bird isn't nearly as hard as you think it is. I processed my first bird by accident. It was a very large Cornish X (well over 10 pounds) and when I went out to do chores one morning it couldn't walk. My husband and brother, the usual chicken processors, were out of town so it was up to me. I looked in the archives of backyard chickens and found the instructions for how to kill and process a bird and I printed them out. Then I went down the list of instructions doing one thing at a time. I just concentrated on one step, did it and went onto the next. First thing I did was get the water heating. Then I had to figure out how to kill this bird. The axe was out. I am not strong enough. I ended up tying the legs together with baling twine and hanging the bird up at a convenient height. I found a pair of LARGE pruning shears, regular limb loppers, and whacked his head off before either I or the bird knew what was happening. Then I dunked the bird in the hot water to which I had added a squirt or two of dish detergent. The bird is scalded enough when you can peel the top layer of the skin on the leg with your fingernail. Then I dunked the bird in cold water and started plucking. Anyway, by following the instructions it wasn't long before I had a clean naked bird resting in the refrigerator. A turkey isn't a chicken but the process is the same. Later as I got more proficient and became the designated chicken processor I replaced the limb loppers with a utility knife and cut the jugular veins. Believe me, if I can process a chicken (or turkey) anyone can!!
