Originally posted 4/2/23. Post updated 4/20/24

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Learning how to butcher a chicken is a skill that you should have if you want to be self-sustainable if you plan to eat chicken. I will show you the entire process of how we processed our meat chickens our first year ever raising them for meat. Processing chickens is not for the faint of heart. We do not look forward to the day that we process our chickens because we are taking an animals life. Instead we look at it as they are providing us with food that God intended for us and we are so ever grateful for them.

WARNING: PHOTOS OF HOW TO BUTCHER A CHICKEN FOLLOW. THERE ARE GRAPHIC PHOTOS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Our family has chosen to eat meat for many reasons. So if we are going to eat meat we should be willing to take part in the process of acquiring our food. If you do not eat meat, we respect that and won’t be hurt if you don’t want to know about this topic. If you would prefer, here is a delicious recipe on how to make Sourdough Banana Bread.

I’M A SEASONED CRAZY CHICKEN LADY AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE BUTCHERED A CHICKEN…

I have raised chickens for most of my life. Albeit they were for eggs only, I had never needed to process them myself. If we had an over abundance of roosters we took them to a meat processor locally and they would be stew birds for the freezer.

This time around, my husband and I decided we wanted to raise chickens that were for meat and we wanted to process them ourselves. We’ll save some money and we can be more self reliant when it came to storing our own food. We’d know they were raised right in a clean and healthy environment. Then by processing them on site there was no stress of loading them in the vehicle and moving them to a meat processor. Less stress = better tasting meat, or so I’ve heard.

After many YouTube videos to learn how to process a chicken, the time came to do the deed.

HOW TO BUTCHER A CHICKEN – THINGS DON’T ALWAYS GO AS PLANNED

I had set everything up the day before and we were good to go. We ended up having some hiccups along the way as the day came around.

It was raining off and on, heavy downpours, so an awning was required. We then didn’t get to start until 12 pm, which is too late since we hadn’t done this before. Also, the kill cones we had didn’t work out, one was too big and the other was too small. The first chicken that we processed took us a while. We had to hang the chicken by the feet upside down. The scalding water got too hot and started to cook the chicken.

The plucker worked reasonably well but really isn’t meant for processing more then a few birds. Then learning how to actually clean and gut the chicken takes a little bit to figure out.

We eventually got it all done around 8 o’clock in the evening and cleaned up. It was an extremely long day. Thankfully with the help from family and friends we were able to get it all done that day.

IS IT EASY KILLING SOMETHING YOU’VE RAISED?

No, it is not easy to kill something that you have raised. We do not look forward to the day that they need to be put into the freezer. Being a meat eater, something has to die in order for me and my family to live. This is why we choose to raise them ourselves. To make sure they have a good life. They can be put to rest as peacefully and with the least amount of stress as possible. If you’ve seen the movie Food Inc., it may make you want to avoid factory farmed meat from the store.

My animals are in the sun or shade as they please, breathing fresh air on lush green grass. Then moved daily to a nice new patch of grass for them to eat. Sounds like a happy chicken to me.

When it comes to kids on the homestead, we don’t hide this from them. My kids know where their food comes from. In order for them to eat those yummy chicken wings, this chicken dies so they can have food for dinner.

They know the chicken on their plate didn’t come from a package that was on the grocery store shelf, never knowing anything that happened before that. There is no disconnection from their food and how it got there and what happened to it over the course of it’s life. They help scoop the food every day for them to eat or collect worms for them to eat.

Also, it’s a great way for them to learn the anatomy of a chicken. They may see the immature egg yolks if it was an egg layer chicken.

HOW TO BUTCHER A CHICKEN – EQUIPMENT NEEDED

There are a couple different ways you can go about equipment for chicken processing. We kept it minimal with only simple and inexpensive items. If your only doing a small batch of about 10 chickens or less this list would work great. If your planning on processing more then that, you may want to upgrade to more powerful expensive equipment.

Equipment

• A killing cone – Weigh your chickens before hand and look into the suggested weight for the cone size.
• A set of sharp knives. Use what you have in the kitchen or purchase knew. Either way, make sure they are very sharp. I’ve heard the phrase a few times, “A sharp knife is a humane knife”. If you have a dull knife you can’t properly dispatch your chicken, they suffer because it takes longer.
• Poultry Scalder – you can use a large 30 quart stock pot (turkey fryer) or a larger 14 – 30 gallon scalding tank. We used a turkey fryer to scald our 25 meat birds.
• Plucker – if you have about 10 birds or less you could can pluck by hand or use a plucker attachment for a electric screw gun (photo a few pictures below of the one we used). If you have more than 10 you may want a large industrial style automatic plucker.
• Poultry Shears – These are for cutting off the neck. Link at the end of this post for the ones we now use. 
• Waterproof aprons
• Heatproof Gloves – very helpful when scalding, especially if your wanting to save the feet/legs.
• Work surface – you can use stainless steel tables or even a plastic folding table.
• Ice Chest or Coolers filled with ice – or any food grade container that can hold them until your ready to bag them.
• Poultry shrink bags – these help to prevent freezer burn and it gives it a more professional and neat look.

HOW TO BUTCHER A CHICKEN

This is a big scale backyard chicken automatic plucker that you can use for processing larger quantities of chickens. Can easily fit a couple chickens at once or a small turkey.

1. SET UP YOUR PROCESSING AREA TO BUTCHER A CHICKEN

The day before you plan to process your chickens you will want to leave their water but remove their food. This will allow all the food in their crop, gizzard and intestines to empty out and make cleaning them easier and less messy. You will also want to have a way to move them closer to the processing area. I kept the live birds in their chicken tractor just moved it closer to where I would need them.

Set up the kill cones (with a large bucket under them with a few inches of water in each bucket). Set up the scalder, plucker, and any other necessary tools you may need. If your outside in the open you may want to set up some portable folding canopy’s. You may want one over the evisceration table since you’ll be there the longest.

It would be a good idea to have a hose at the evisceration table to help with any messes. Then another hose at the plucker if you have a large automatic plucker. Some people have outdoor kitchens set up to do a final cleaning before it goes into the ice bath. Outdoor kitchens are very convenient when it comes to this project.

The morning of processing day, at least an hour before you plan to start, start warming up the scalder. Get your temperature to 150 – 160 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal ease of removing the feathers but not cooking the bird. You will also want to add some fresh water to your coolers with ice to chill the birds once processed.

2. DISPATCH THE CHICKEN

Once you are ready to begin, grab a live chicken and place it in the killing cone (in the photo above we hung it by the legs since the cone was too small). The first cut should be right below the jaw at the base of the head. Grab the head and with a (sharp!) knife, use firm, hard pressure, cut on either side of the jaw, cutting the jugular vein. Some people choose to remove the chicken’s head now. Wait until the bird stops moving and allowing all the blood to drain into the bucket. By processing the chickens this way, we feel that this is the most humane way to process them with the least amount of suffering.

3. SCALD THE CHICKEN

Once the blood has drained put the bird in the scalder and swish it around for about 3-4 minutes (careful not to let it touch the bottom if using a turkey fryer, it can start to cook the bird). You may want to have some rubber heat proof gloves to protect your fingers for scalding the feet. 

Here’s a tip you if you don’t have heat resistant gloves. Take an old fashion potato masher and put the legs in between the grooves so you can submerge the feet.

You will know it has scalded long enough when the skin of the legs easily peel off or a large wing feather is easily pulled out.

4. PLUCK THE CHICKEN

Remove the bird from the scalder and remove the feathers with your preferred method. Either by hand or machine. We used a drill attachment this time. If you have an automatic plucker, you’ll need a hose to spray into the plucker to get the feathers off.

5. CLEAN THE CHICKEN

With your poultry shears, the head of the chicken off and cut the neck off at the base of the neck near the breast. Be sure to cut as close to the breast as you can, so bones don’t poke through the bag. Then remove the chicken’s legs as shown in the photos. You can set the feet aside to save them for making broths. Then remove the oil gland that’s at the base of the spine on the tail.

6. EVISCERATE THE CHICKEN

With the bird on its back, loosen the crop from the connective tissue under the skin of the breast near where the neck was, but don’t pull it out. It should be empty, flat and a pale color if they had their food removed the night before.

Turn the bird to the back end and pinch the skin below the breast bone along the abdomen and pull up. Cut a slit big enough to get your fingers through. Now with one hand near the vent and the other under the ribcage, pull apart to make a wider opening. Careful not to cut too deep, you don’t want to cut the intestines that are beneath it.

Put your hand inside the body cavity all the way to the top end and grab the windpipe and esophagus and pull everything out that you can. Be cautious when pulling the intestines out so they don’t get punctured. Once the bulk of the organs are out go back and get any other organs that may have been missed. The lungs tend to be squished against the ribs.

7. QUALITY CONTROL

At this point you can rinse off the bird inside and out, either at a sink or under a hose. I check the bird over to remove any feathers that may have been missed. Sometimes the oil gland or crop get forgotten.

8. CHILL THE CHICKENS

At this point you want to cool the chicken in cold water in a cooler before you bag it. It would be best to chill it overnight but I have never done that for lack of ice and fridge space. Usually after 6 hours in the ice water, I’ll air dry the finished chickens a bit and then bag them.

9. BAG THE CHICKENS

At this point, you’ve cleaned up your processing area and emptied your scalder water. Prepare it with clean water and bring it to temp for shrink wrapping the bagged chickens in the hot water. Follow the directions for the bags you get as far as temps and length of time in the water. Attach the zip tie then dry off the freshly packaged chicken. Put a label over the hole that you may have made in the bag for the bagging process. We like to weigh each chicken and put the weight and date processed on the label. They are now ready for the freezer.

HOW TO BUTCHER A CHICKEN – IMPROVEMENTS FOR NEXT TIME

After our first weekend, I started a list to reference back to so we can improve the next time we needed to butcher a chicken. Here are the things I added to that list.

• Start early – I really wanted to make sure we got an early start next time, to make sure we weren’t packaging chickens at 8pm.
• Get more knives – We had a lot of people helping us and we didn’t have enough for those that needed one.
• Get another awning for scalder and plucker – because of the rain, we really could have used one at those locations.
• Get a big plucker – We had way more chickens than a drill attachment could handle. We ended up hand plucking a lot of the chickens.
• Start on a Saturday – If something happens, you have an extra day to get it done.
• Look ahead for weather – If possible, plan for a good weather day.
• *Ducks* scald and pluck 2 min 45 seconds each – We had some ducks to process and ended up skinning them because of their thick down feathers.
• Catfish pliers help to remove the thick and stubborn feathers – Sometimes there are tail or wing feathers that don’t come out easily, especially on ducks.
• Stainless steel sheers to cut the necks – You can dull your knife if you use that.
• Long handled potato masher to hold the legs when scalding – We ended up getting rubber heat resistant gloves.

Would you add anything else to this list? Did I forget anything that you’d like me to explain? Let me know in the comments below.

Show your support and appreciation. If you did this project and found it helpful, give it a 5 star review and leave a comment. Follow me on Instagram @naturalliving.homestead then tag me in a photo of your project! Thank you!

SHOP THIS POST

Poultry Shears – All stainless steel because I’ve used poultry shears with a plastic handle and the handle broke before I was done using them.

Waterproof Apron

Scalding Gloves

Folding Table

Poultry Shrink bags

Canopy Tent

Here are some other posts about raising meat birds if you want to learn more.

How to Butcher Quail – Step-by-Step Process for Beginners

Raising Meat Chickens: Getting Ready

DIY Chicken Tractor Plans

Want to see videos on How-To Animal Butchering? Like Turkey’s, Pigs and Cows?

Abundance Plus has a whole library of How-To videos for these things and more. Want to learn more? Head on over to this link.

Pin It for Later!

The post How to Butcher a Chicken – Beginners Step by Step Process appeared first on Natural Living Homestead.

Learn how we made our DIY Chicken Tractor for our meat birds. It is a very simple design, you can easily make this in a weekend. This chicken tractor is inspired by the tractors Joel Salatin uses.

Why we chose this DIY Chicken Tractor design

My husband and I have been following along with Joel Salatin’s YouTube videos as well as reading his books. He has a very successful pasture raised farm and has been farming for about 30 years. We think he has a really good idea of how to do things efficiently.

We felt that the chicken tractor he uses works perfectly for meat chickens. It gives them shelter from the rain and shade from the sun but provides an area if they choose to lay in the sun.

This size chicken tractor can fit up to 40 birds. Some people go with 1.5 square feet per chicken and some give 2 square feet per chicken. We decided to go with 2 square feet.

We wanted to give them a bit more space with this being our first batch of meat chickens. We also wanted to keep our options open, so if in the future we wanted to do more then 26 meat chickens, we have that option.

We also like this design because it isn’t tall. You don’t have to worry about it tipping over if we are on a hill side when moving it. Also this breed of bird tends to not roost due to the rapid growth and the larger breast meat. Since they do not roost we have no need to go any higher then 2 feet high.

Tips for making your DIY Chicken Tractor

• I would recommend aluminum roofing if you have the option, since it is much lighter and will make it a lot easier to move your tractor.
• You can customize this to what ever you would like. This seems to work fine for us. Some people make the whole roof into one that can be lifted up on one side and others make only half the roof a door.
• If you decide to make the whole roof the flip up door you will need more 8 foot boards so you can add that on top of your frame.
• Use a Speed Square- this will help make sure that your frame stays square during the building process.
• We were able to keep costs down by using supplies that we had on hand or from family members.
• When moving the chicken tractor you could use a dolly. If you find that it is a bit too heavy or difficult to move, the dolly will give you just a bit of leverage with the wheels to easily move it to a new spot. Just slide under the back end of your chicken tractor and pull on the other side with the rope.

Supplies Needed

For this chicken tractor we used tin roofing so it does add a bit of extra weight to the tractor. I am still able to move it, though I do have some difficulty. We used the metal roofing because it was what we had on hand.

We also had some chicken fencing that we had already, this has 1 inch holes and is 2 feet tall. This was used to wrap the south facing sides. We also used this for the top by overlapping it a bit and then connecting the two together with some metal ties, zip ties would work as well.

• 10 – 8 foot long 2″x4″ boards
• 3 inch screws
• Screw gun
• Miter Saw
• Aluminum or other metal roofing
• Tin snips or cut off wheel with an angle grinder
• Chicken fencing with 1 inch holes and 2 feet tall
• Heavy duty stapler and staples
• Handles
• Eye Hooks
• Heavy duty carabiners
• 12 foot long rope

How to make a DIY Chicken Tractor

Making the Frame

Make your 8 foot by 8 foot frame out of the 2×4 boards.

Attach your 2 foot vertical corner support boards on all four corners then build your second 8 foot by 8 foot frame at the top of the corner support boards.

Add your horizontal corner support boards to each top corner to keep the chicken tractor square.

Put a 2 foot board in the center of each side just to give a bit more support.

Spaced evenly across the top of the frame, add two boards for the roof support.

We then added four boards connecting the two inner roof boards and one of the top frame boards. This adds a bit more support for the roof so it doesn’t sag.

Next the door was framed out. Just like when we added the extra support boards in the previous step we did this to frame out the door. These were just placed a bit further apart then the other boards.

Reinforcing the Frame

At this point you can make the door that fits into the frame and attach it with the hinges. We also added a couple small pieces of the 2×4 boards for the door to rest on when closed.

Add your metal roofing to the top back side and sides of your chicken tractor with the metal roofing screws. We used tin snips to cut the metal to size, you can also use a cut off wheel with an angle grinder.

Cover your sides and remaining roof in chicken fencing and staple it in place very well. This part I would not be stingy on since this is what keeps predators out and the baby chicks in.

Don’t forget your handle on the top side of the door.

The eye hooks were then added on each corner so that we could attach the carabiners, which had the rope tied to them. So when you needed to pull the tractor in a certain direction you can just unhook the carabiner and move it to the appropriate eye hook.

Find more DIY Homestead Projects

• DIY Raised Garden Bed
• Cheap DIY Potato Planters
• DIY Montessori Floor Bed

Show your support and appreciation. If you did this project and found it helpful, give it a 5 star review and leave a comment. Follow me on Instagram @naturalliving.homestead then tag me in a photo of your project! Thank you!

DIY Chicken Tractor

Simple DIY plans to make a mobile chicken coop for your meat birds

Print

Materials

• 10 - 8 foot long 2"x4" boards
• 3 inch screws
• Aluminum or other metal roofing
• Metal roofing screws with a rubber washer
• Chicken fencing with 1 inch holes and 2 feet tall
• Handles
• Eye Hooks
• Heavy duty carabiners
• 12 foot long rope

Tools

• Screw Gun
• Tin Snips or cut off wheel with an angle grinder
• Heavy Duty Stapler and Staples
• Miter Saw

Instructions

MAKING THE FRAME

1. Make your 8 foot by 8 foot frame out of the 2x4 boards.
2. Attach your 2 foot vertical corner support boards on all four corners then build your second 8 foot by 8 foot frame at the top of the corner support boards.
3. Add your horizontal corner support boards to each top corner to keep the chicken tractor square.
4. Put a 2 foot board in the center of each side just to give a bit more support.
5. Spaced evenly across the top of the frame, add two boards for the roof support.
6. We then added four boards connecting the two inner roof boards and one of the top frame boards. This adds a bit more support for the roof so it doesn't sag.
7. Next the door was framed out. Just like when we added the extra support boards in the previous step we did this to frame out the door. These were just placed a bit further apart then the other boards.

REINFORCING THE FRAME

1. At this point you can make the door that fits into the frame and attach it with the hinges. We also added a couple small pieces of the 2x4 boards for the door to rest on when closed.
2. Add your metal roofing to the top back side and sides of your chicken tractor with the metal roofing screws. We used tin snips to cut the metal to size, you can also use a cut off wheel with an angle grinder.
3. Cover your sides and remaining roof in chicken fencing and staple it in place very well. This part I would not be stingy on since this is what keeps predators out and the baby chicks in.
4. Don't forget your handle on the top side of the door.
5. The Eye Hooks were then added on each corner so that we could attach the carabiners, which had the rope tied to them. So when you needed to pull the tractor in a certain direction you can just unhook the carabiner to the appropriate eye hook.

Pin It for Later!

The post DIY Chicken Tractor Plans appeared first on Natural Living Homestead.

Raising meat chickens is a great way to source your own food. I’ll show you the steps we take along the way to make raising meat chickens easier for you. I will fill you in on the equipment we will be using and why we chose them. Some of these things we will be making ourselves with scrap wood and other things on the homestead to make costs lower.

Raising Meat Chickens: Why we chose to do this

In the current times we are in with meat being rationed at the grocery stores we decided that we just need to make the final push for it. My husband and I have wanted to raise our own chickens for meat for a few years now. We just didn’t feel ready for everything that is involved. We have been doing a lot of research and think we have just about all the tools we will need and decided to give it a go.

Cost is a big factor when choosing to raise our own meat chickens. When you go to the store you can buy an organic chicken for over $20 for a 5 lb bird. I understand that cost is well earned for the company that raised and processed them. Though when it comes down to getting organic fresh chicken, it makes more sense to raise them ourselves. In the end the cost per pound raising them on our homestead costs a lot less then if we were to buy them at the store.

Another factor for raising our own meat chickens is because we know the chickens history. From the time they arrive at 3 days old, to when we process them, we know what they have eaten. We also know what medications they were given, if any. We also know that they will have lived a great life living on fresh green grass and fresh clean air.

Raising Meat Chickens: Preparing for the Chicks

The Brooder

For our brooder we will be re-purposing a metal water trough. This will house them for the first 3 weeks of their life.

We will be keeping them in the house since we don’t have a garage or barn. So they will be inside where I have a dog and 2 cats along with an adventurous 7 month old. Some things will need to be done to keep them safe.

The sides are very high, so my child can’t reach inside. It is also bottom heavy so it will not tip over easily. So we will just need to keep the wires out of the way.

The only other factor is to keep the cats out since the dog is too short. So we will be making a wooden frame that will sit securely around the top rim of the brooder. This will then be covered with garden or chicken fencing. Plastic would be best so you don’t have to worry about sharp metal corners.

Using a metal water trough is great because as most of us know, chicks can be very messy. Spilling water and food and poop galore! So anything that get dumped onto the floor of the brooder stays contained and will be absorbed from the shavings.

If things get wet in there, just sprinkle over some fresh shavings and that will keep the smell away.

Keeping them Warm

To keep them warm we will be using a heat lamp secured in place so that it will not fall to the floor. This will keep the chicks from getting too close to the lamp and keep it away from the shavings so there is no fire hazard. A lot of people use chains. These are good to keep them securely in place and you can easily adjust the height of the lamp.

We plan to switch over a heating plate from Premier1. These are very safe if your concerned about heat lamps. These heating plates mimic a mother hen by hovering close to the floor. It is placed low enough for the chicks to walk under it easily and stay warm. This heating plate has legs that can be adjusted on all four sides. So as your chicks get bigger you can raise the heating plate up.

The only reason we are not starting off using a heating plate is that currently Premier1 is completely out of stock. The demand to raise our own food has grown that much.

Shelter

Since we ordered our chicks my husband and I have been working on their shelter. This tractor was inspired by Joel Salatin’s chicken tractors.

Note: If you haven’t heard of him before I recommend checking out his farm or website Polyface Farm. There are many YouTube Videos he is in as well.

The Chicken Tractor

We decided to build a coop similar to the tractors Joel Salatin uses. We chose this because we are able to keep the chickens on grass 24/7 once they are 3 weeks old. At this point they will have enough adult feathers to be able to go outside and keep themselves warm.

This is and 8 foot square and 2 foot tall chicken coop. It sits directly on the ground so the chickens have full access to grass.

These tractors have a metal roof on about 3/4 of the top then chicken wire on the rest. This way they are able to bask in the sun but be sheltered from the rain and sun. The sides also have metal roofing on what will be the north side of the tractor and two sides. Then the rest of the sides will have chicken wire as well to protect them from predators.

On the top we made a smaller door then what Joel Salatin uses. You just lift it up to put their feed/water in and check on the chickens.

The other great feature of this tractor is that if you attach a rope to one side of the tractor you can move it to a fresh plot of grass every morning.

Now the chicken wire will keep the chickens pretty safe and will discourage most predators. If you want a little more protection you could keep a guard goose around them. They actually do a very good job at scaring off predators.

Another option is to keep the chicken tractor fenced off with electric poultry netting. We prefer the electric netting from Premier1. This will add another barrier that the predator has to go through and it being electrified will deter them.

Feeding

We will be feeding the chicks a commercial starter feed. I plan to soak the feed overnight so they get the most out of it. Soaking the grains breaks down the phytic acid. Which will then make it easier for the chickens to digest and get the most out of their feed. I will then strain off the water which is where the impurities are and feed the strained feed to them.

When giving the chickens their food after soaking you’ll probably want to use some plastic feeding troughs. The metal ones will work but the water in the feed will slowly start to rust your feed trays.

When it comes to feeding Cornish Cross chickens it is recommended to ration their food after a while. This breed can eat too much if not monitored properly. This is where you could have health issues with your chickens. If they eat too much they will gain too much weight. Some things that could happen could be a heart attack, heat stroke and a lack of ability to walk.

It’s recommended to give them free choice chick starter for the first 5 days of their life. Then ration it to 12 hours on 12 hours off. When they are 5 weeks old you will want to switch them over to a grower feed until their processing day.

Processing typically happens around 8-9 weeks of age. At 8 weeks they are typically around 4-5 pounds once processed.

Cornish Cross

We ordered the baby chicks a couple months ago. I had to call around to a few places because most places were already sold out for a couple months. We ended up getting all our chickens from Meyer Hatchery. They were so nice and answered all my questions. At the time of writing this our chicks should arrive in about a week. How exciting! It’s been a while since I’ve raised baby chickens.

Cornish Cross chickens are known for their fast growth. You can hatch, raise and harvest a 4-5 pound chicken in about 8 weeks. That’s crazy fast. This is the breed that most commercial growers use. Though we plan to raise them in a much healthier setting outside.

A lot of people think that this breed is genetically modified (GMO) but the good news is, they are not. I used to think this as well. They are actually two breeds that were chosen for specific traits and bred over time to create this hybrid chicken. From them you will get a fast grow rate, high feed conversion ratio and their meat is high in protein.

Stay tuned

Once the baby chicks arrive and as they grow up I will give you updates on their progress.

Pin It!

The post Raising Meat Chickens: Getting Ready appeared first on Natural Living Homestead.