I have a friend who always says "Cheap is good but free is better!" and I've adopted that as my mantra. Since it's really not very cost-effective to raise our own meat birds I don't see the need to spend more $$$ on special tools to process them.
I really liked the Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors I just bought, look for them at http://www.JoyceChen.com They were tough enough to cut through necks, legs, & backbones, and sharp enough to snip through bits of skin & flesh. I hope they keep their edge well.
The tomato cages made it easy to hold the bucket high enough to catch the blood from the birds as they hung from the swing frame. I always hold the birds' heads after I've sliced their throats, until they've stopped thrashing, so that the blood doesn't splatter all around and goes in the bucket. You can put some dry leaves or mulch in the bucket to help sop up the blood, then it's easier to dump out into the compost bin.
I really don't see the need for a special tool to remove the lungs, they do come out rather easily by hand/finger, or can first be loosened with the utility knife. A grapefruit spoon can help too. The parts I dislike the most are the kidneys & all those yucky bits wedged in the crevices at the end of their backs. I try to snip them loose with the scissors and/or loosen them with the point of the knife, then blast them with the hose. If that doesn't get them out then I can usually pry them out the next day after they've soaked overnight in ice water.
And I wouldn't worry about any chemical residue left behind in a plastic bleach or detergent bottle, it shouldn't be enough to taint the meat. The bird goes into the cone/bottle just long enough to be cut & bleed out, maybe 5 minutes or so. And he's still got all his feathers on, you'll be plucking or skinning him right afterwards, any residue would be on the parts you discard. The disadvantage of plastic is that it'll wear out much sooner than metal, but the advantage is that it's cheap & easy to replace.
I really liked the Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors I just bought, look for them at http://www.JoyceChen.com They were tough enough to cut through necks, legs, & backbones, and sharp enough to snip through bits of skin & flesh. I hope they keep their edge well.
The tomato cages made it easy to hold the bucket high enough to catch the blood from the birds as they hung from the swing frame. I always hold the birds' heads after I've sliced their throats, until they've stopped thrashing, so that the blood doesn't splatter all around and goes in the bucket. You can put some dry leaves or mulch in the bucket to help sop up the blood, then it's easier to dump out into the compost bin.
I really don't see the need for a special tool to remove the lungs, they do come out rather easily by hand/finger, or can first be loosened with the utility knife. A grapefruit spoon can help too. The parts I dislike the most are the kidneys & all those yucky bits wedged in the crevices at the end of their backs. I try to snip them loose with the scissors and/or loosen them with the point of the knife, then blast them with the hose. If that doesn't get them out then I can usually pry them out the next day after they've soaked overnight in ice water.
And I wouldn't worry about any chemical residue left behind in a plastic bleach or detergent bottle, it shouldn't be enough to taint the meat. The bird goes into the cone/bottle just long enough to be cut & bleed out, maybe 5 minutes or so. And he's still got all his feathers on, you'll be plucking or skinning him right afterwards, any residue would be on the parts you discard. The disadvantage of plastic is that it'll wear out much sooner than metal, but the advantage is that it's cheap & easy to replace.