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How to Butcher a Chicken, Part 3 - Final Cleaning Process, Packaging

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By Joy At Home

Courtesy of: http://almostfrugal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/roast-chicken.jpg

This is the third part in this illustrated series. If you missed the first parts, they are available here:

Part 1 - Preparing Your Work Space; Killing, Scalding and Plucking the Chickens

Part 2 - Gutting the Chickens; Cutting Into Parts

We will continue here with the final cleaning phase, and show a few packaging techniques. This is the last article in this graphic series.

Putting the Chickens in an Ice Bath

Take a whole tub of chickens at a time, if you can, to the biggest, cleanest sink you have. (Miss Heather is wearing a mask because of seasonal allergies.)
Take a whole tub of chickens at a time, if you can, to the biggest, cleanest sink you have. (Miss Heather is wearing a mask because of seasonal allergies.)
A few minutes' soak helps them finish coming clean.
A few minutes' soak helps them finish coming clean.
Arrange them among the ice bottles, so they begin cooling quickly. Chicken meat deteriorates quickly.
Arrange them among the ice bottles, so they begin cooling quickly. Chicken meat deteriorates quickly.

Basic Cleaning

Notice where the skin is especially yellowed or fatty.
Notice where the skin is especially yellowed or fatty.
Rub off this yellow, if it comes easily, with your thumb. Also get rid of pin feathers and other feathers.
Rub off this yellow, if it comes easily, with your thumb. Also get rid of pin feathers and other feathers.
Cut off any very fatty portions, or skin the bird if you wish.
Cut off any very fatty portions, or skin the bird if you wish.
Cut off the very bony wing-tips.
Cut off the very bony wing-tips.
They don't have enough meat to bother saving.
They don't have enough meat to bother saving.
Next, scrape out any lung portions that didn't come earlier. After a soak, they usually come quickly and easily.
Next, scrape out any lung portions that didn't come earlier. After a soak, they usually come quickly and easily.
A clean, ready-to-cook chicken.
A clean, ready-to-cook chicken.
Put the birds in rinse water until packaging time.
Put the birds in rinse water until packaging time.
If you do this cleaning phase well, there will be nothing left to do when you get your chickens out of the freezer to cook.
If you do this cleaning phase well, there will be nothing left to do when you get your chickens out of the freezer to cook.
The water will get bloody. Don't bother to change it unless it gets too dark to find chicken pieces easily.
The water will get bloody. Don't bother to change it unless it gets too dark to find chicken pieces easily.

Packaging - The Whole Chicken Method

At 6-1/2 ft. and 300-something lbs., our friend Mark makes these chickens look easy to handle. It helps to have someone with big hands package big birds.
At 6-1/2 ft. and 300-something lbs., our friend Mark makes these chickens look easy to handle. It helps to have someone with big hands package big birds.
If you plan to thaw the chickens in the refrigerator, place them on a folded paper towel pad (folded in quarters), to soak up fluids.
If you plan to thaw the chickens in the refrigerator, place them on a folded paper towel pad (folded in quarters), to soak up fluids.
Place each bird in a suitably sized bag...
Place each bird in a suitably sized bag...
...and squish out all the air.
...and squish out all the air.
Sometimes chickens which are only bagged expand in the freezer. If this is a concern, wrap the birds tightly in plastic wrap.
Sometimes chickens which are only bagged expand in the freezer. If this is a concern, wrap the birds tightly in plastic wrap.
Get them frozen as quickly as possible. We placed ours in easy-stack baskets in a walk-in freezer. In a home freezer, space them out at first, overnight, in the bottom if possible.
Get them frozen as quickly as possible. We placed ours in easy-stack baskets in a walk-in freezer. In a home freezer, space them out at first, overnight, in the bottom if possible.

Packaging Cut-Up Pieces

A simple and space-efficient way to package cut-up chicken pieces is to first place the various parts in a bread pan. Usually, one small or medium-sized bird will fit in a 5"x9" loaf pan. Freeze hard.

Remove the frozen-together parts from the loaf pan, and place in a recycled bread bag. Close with a twist tie, and stack in the freezer.

You may mix-and-match the parts any way you wish, placing together legs and thighs, just wings, or whole birds. You may package the giblets separately, or keep them with their respective birds.

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Ivorwen profile image

Ivorwen  says:
2 months ago

Those must be big birds! The whole chickens I have bought wouldn't fill a gallon sized sack.

Jarn profile image

Jarn  says:
2 months ago

So is the walk-in freezer at your place or your dad's? I'm guessing what with Mike helping out that a few chickens get passed around come Christmastime? Also, the knife in the shot just below the first picture of Mark has an interesting blade/handle design I don't think I've seen before; looks effective for cutting meat. Do you know if it's called by any specific name?

I recall you mentioned how much time went into carrying for these tasty-looking little guys, but I don't remember if you mentioned how much their feed cost. I hope it's not too personal a question, I was just trying to figure about how much it costs to raise chickens by the pound versus store-bought.

Great series, professional quality to a T.

Joy At Home profile image

Joy At Home  says:
2 months ago

Jarn, the walk-in freezer is at Dad's. When he decides to do something, he does a thorough job of it, and the barn kitchen/meat room was no exception. He has a better butchering set-up than some professional locker plants. With the cement floor and spray-off surfaces, it's also handy for just plain cooking. One time he decided to make caramels, and they boiled over, running down in the burners of the stove and under it, all over the floor. He had a trail of ants for a few days, but, unlike in a house, it was no big deal.

Also, Mark's family had bought some of these chickens before butcher time. That's the main reason he was helping. He is great to have there, because he's quite experienced. He used to work in the meat department of a grocery store. You have to keep on your toes though, with him around. A couple years ago, as he was wrapping chickens for freezing, he suddenly called my name, then threw one of these monster birds across the room like a football. It was all I could do to catch it without getting knocked out or knocked down.

We usually have about three families that have "shares" in the chickens.

The knife you mentioned is called a T-handle knife, and it is designed for meat cutting. (I'm not sure where Dad bought his set; he has 3 or 4 of various sizes.) It is my favorite butchering knife, as it does not tire the wrist and arm nearly as fast as a conventional, in-line blade. It also allows for superior control, such as is required while slicing the fibrous membrane off beef steaks and such.

I'll have to get back with you on what it costs to raise these birds. Mom said with the batch before this one, it cost her about a dollar a lb. She said it wasn't so much this year, but she didn't remember exactly how much. When she gets a chance to check her records, I'll post the answer here.

Joy At Home profile image

Joy At Home  says:
2 months ago

Ivorwen, these birds weighed anywhere from 6 to 10 lbs., depending on their age and sex (the roosters are bigger than the hens).

However, being Jumbo Cornish Rock and Cornish Roasters, they are designed to be huge. Many breeds don't top 5 lbs.

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