What about butchering extra roosters for others?

[AnimalCrazed]

There is a real need for surplus rooster butchering in my area. The city limits allow hens and I was thinking about offering to butcher unwanted roosters for those who ended up with roosters from their spring chicks. I'm in the county and breed my own so I also have some extras so I'd be doing mine anyway. I've done it before but I just skinned them instead of plucking as I don't own one. I was wondering if anyone has done this type of thing before and what your experience was? I was also thinking I'd charge like $3-5 a bird or something... but I don't really know.
I'm just trying to work out the pros and cons. I came here to talk it out with everyone and see if it's even worth it?

 

[WingItRanch]

Interesting idea. To be honest, I'd pay for that service.

Would you offer to cull, too? Would you process at the customer's property or yours? If yours, you'd have to be very careful and have a good plan for keeping your own birds safe from any contagious diseases.

If you do cull and process and package for people, you should charge more. Obviously you couldn't charge as much as it would cost if they just went to a store and bought a whole chicken but that's a lot of work to only charge $3-$5.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

If yours, you'd have to be very careful and have a good plan for keeping your own birds safe from any contagious diseases.

^This. Even if you did it at others’ properties.

 

[NatJ]

You might want to check the laws of your state.

There are usually a whole bunch of laws about butchering and processing any kind of meat, and required inspections, and various other details. There are sometimes exceptions of one kind or another (just for your own use, for a customer who is not going to sell the meat, fewer than a certain number, things like that).

The rules and the exceptions vary from one state to another, so I'm just giving general advice to check on them, not trying to figure out what the rules are in your particular situation.

The more you tell other people that you offer this service, the more likely that someone will care if you are following all the rules, whatever those rules may be.

 

[AnimalCrazed]

Interesting idea. To be honest, I'd pay for that service.

Would you offer to cull, too? Would you process at the customer's property or yours? If yours, you'd have to be very careful and have a good plan for keeping your own birds safe from any contagious diseases.

If you do cull and process and package for people, you should charge more. Obviously you couldn't charge as much as it would cost if they just went to a store and bought a whole chicken but that's a lot of work to only charge $3-$5.

Good things to think about... I actually hadn't thought about processing at my property or theirs. I had only thought about setting up a area away from my chickens.
I guess I could do mine first and try to work out how it would actually go down, and final costs.

You might want to check the laws of your state.

There are usually a whole bunch of laws about butchering and processing any kind of meat, and required inspections, and various other details. There are sometimes exceptions of one kind or another (just for your own use, for a customer who is not going to sell the meat, fewer than a certain number, things like that).

The rules and the exceptions vary from one state to another, so I'm just giving general advice to check on them, not trying to figure out what the rules are in your particular situation.

The more you tell other people that you offer this service, the more likely that someone will care if you are following all the rules, whatever those rules may be.

Thank you for your input as well, I'll have to go check that. I'm not really sure and I wouldn't want to get people after me.

 

[SnackMeat]

I've offered this to acquaintances in my area for meat birds I was interested in and said if they brought me 2, I would process both and keep one and they would get the other. Seems fair because the money doesn't make it worthwhile. But it could be that I'm just not very fast. If you have a plucker machine that can help. On the plus side, you would likely get lots of chicken feet (even after tossing the ones with bumble), liver, and gizzards to stock up on in the freezer.

 

[iwltfum]

I've offered this to acquaintances in my area for meat birds I was interested in and said if they brought me 2, I would process both and keep one and they would get the other. Seems fair because the money doesn't make it worthwhile. But it could be that I'm just not very fast. If you have a plucker machine that can help. On the plus side, you would likely get lots of chicken feet (even after tossing the ones with bumble), liver, and gizzards to stock up on in the freezer.

Butcher two and keep one is a great idea. My neighbor is always wandering over with a few cockerels from her hatchlings whenever I butcher my meat birds in the fall. I generally butcher a few for her just to be neighborly, but I think I'm going to suggest a splitsies deal this year.

 

[Tex452]

People butchering broilers for other people after the county fair is a common practice in our area, a lot of times they just want the ones that they sold and give the rest of the broilers to whoever does the butchering.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I don't butcher my own. I have a nice Mennonite lady near me who charges $2 a head to kill, clean, pluck, dress and chill for me and others. I take them to her alive in the morning and pick them up packaged in ziplock bags in the afternoon. I don't know what the laws are in my area, but it's kind of a side hustle for her. They have a greenhouse and sell produce. She keeps or discards the feet but I do get the giblets in a separate bag (heart, liver, gizzard). I once had a whole slew of skinny little cockerels and I told her to keep two for herself, I don't know if she kept them for her family or her dog but other than that we haven't done anything like a split.

 

[WingItRanch]

I don't butcher my own. I have a nice Mennonite lady near me who charges $2 a head to kill, clean, pluck, dress and chill for me and others. I take them to her alive in the morning and pick them up packaged in ziplock bags in the afternoon. I don't know what the laws are in my area, but it's kind of a side hustle for her. They have a greenhouse and sell produce. She keeps or discards the feet but I do get the giblets in a separate bag (heart, liver, gizzard). I once had a whole slew of skinny little cockerels and I told her to keep two for herself, I don't know if she kept them for her family or her dog but other than that we haven't done anything like a split.

After plucking and butchering my own cockerel, I honestly can't even imagine paying someone else only $2. It was a lot of work! I'm sure it gets easier with practice but it look me a long time. I was pausing and starting a how-to youtube video, though, so that probably slowed me down.