Chicken processing is not our full time job, but we offer it as a service to those who raise chickens for their own consumption.
We are currently booked up through August 2020. Call us to schedule starting in September.
Here is what you need to know:
- You can find the CHICKEN PROCESSING ORDER FORM with prices HERE. Please print this out and bring it with you on processing day.
- We do not have regularly scheduled processing dates. We will schedule a date when you contact us.
- Expect to schedule a date at least a week away from when you contact us. We are homesteaders, and rearrange our schedule to accommodate processing.
- We process outdoors, so we are weather dependent. If bad weather is forecast, expect to be rescheduled.
- We process on any day of the week.
- We try not to process more than 25 chickens in a day. There are only two of us and there is a lot of labor involved. 25 makes for a long day.
- We start at 9:00 am. Please arrive before 8:45 am. If you can’t arrive by 8:45, then arrive by 8:30. The finish time depends on the quantity and type of bird. Most of the time, we are done between 1 and 4 pm. You must pick up the birds on the day they are ready.
- No-shows will be charged a $25 setup fee. It takes us about 45 minutes to set up, and it’s very frustrating when customers forget.
- Remove feed from the birds the night before processing. At processing time, the crop and bowels will be mostly empty, making for a cleaner butchering process.
- When you arrive, you must bring the appropriate number of coolers and ice. We can usually get 7-8 birds in a large cooler and a large bag of ice is enough for 2-3 coolers. We do not have refrigerator space to store the birds, and the ice will chill the meat until you can get them in the freezer or refrigerator.
- Cornish Cross meat chickens are the quickest to process because of their age and body shape. Heritage birds, such as roosters and old laying hens, take longer because their feathers and internal organs are more difficult to remove. That is why we charge more to process heritage chickens.
- Oversize Cornish Cross meat chickens will be charged extra because of the additional labor required. Cornish Cross should be processed at around 8 weeks old. Cornish Cross over 8.5 pounds will be charged $2 extra per bird, and over 4 pounds will be charged $4 extra per bird.
- We offer packaging at an additional cost. The heat shrink bag gives the final product a professional look and protects the meat in the freezer for up to a year. Birds requiring over-sized packaging will be charged an additional cost.
- We can cut up the chicken for an additional cost. We cut up to your request. We can cut in half, quarters, 8 piece, or 6 piece, and bag per request. Parted chicken will be packaged in 1 gallon zip-sealed plastic bags.
- We offer the organ meats (liver, gizzard, neck, heart, lungs, feet) at an additional cost. They are cleaned and bagged separately.
- We enjoy bartering! For every Cornish Cross meat bird you leave with us, we will give you a $10 credit and not charge you for processing that bird. Please discuss this ahead of time. We will barter for other items as well.
- There is NO CHARGE if you are dropping off chickens and do not want them back. Many do this when they have an unexpected rooster or old hens that are not laying anymore. They will most likely be processed for food.
- We are not required to process under USDA or Ohio Dept of Agriculture oversight (Exempt per P.L. 90-492). We do, however, maintain strict sanitary procedures. The chickens we process are for your consumption only, and are not allowed to be sold commercially or donated.
- We DO NOT process turkeys or ducks.
Want to see how we process chickens? Watch the video below.
Take a closer look at our processing equipment in the video below.