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This weekend was meat bird processing day here on the homestead.
It’s one of those jobs that isn’t glamorous, isn’t easy, and definitely isn’t for everyone, but for us, it’s one of the most rewarding parts of homesteading.
There’s nothing better than raising your own food from start to finish.
Knowing how it was raised.
Knowing what it ate.
Knowing the care that went into every single day.
When processing day comes, it’s truly a family effort.
Starting Early: Our Outdoor Setup
We start the whole process early in the morning, usually before the sun is fully up.
The goal is simple: work hard, work together, and be done by breakfast.
We do the entire process outside, which keeps the mess manageable and makes cleanup much easier.
Our daughter starts by bringing the chickens straight from the tractor to my husband for dispatching.
It’s not the easiest part of raising your own meat, but it’s an important reminder that food comes with responsibility.
From there, the two of them work together on scalding and plucking.
We use a large pot set up on our grill for the scalding process, which works perfectly for keeping the water hot without taking over the kitchen.
Once the feathers loosen, the birds go into our chicken plucker.
If you process your own meat birds, a good plucker can save you so much time and effort.
The Cleaning Assembly Line
After plucking, the birds come down the line to me and the boys.
We set up tables outside for cleaning, and by now everyone knows their role.
I’m at the first table where I make the initial cuts and pull aside the pieces I save for stock.
I keep the necks, feet, and wing tips in a food-grade bucket because I hate wasting anything.
Those “extras” make some of the richest homemade chicken stock, and I’ll be sharing how I make it later this week.
After my station, the boys take over cleaning and rinsing.
Once cleaned, the birds go into a row of ice chests filled with cold water.
We rotate them through several coolers to bring the temperature down and keep everything chilled.
It’s a system we’ve built over time.
Not fancy.
But efficient.
And every person knows their role.
Breakfast Break… Then Packaging
By breakfast time, the hard part is done.
We wash up, eat, and take a breath before starting the final step: packaging.
That’s when the kitchen turns into another assembly line.
The kids help by drying each bird while my husband works on shrink wrapping them.
We use poultry shrink bags to seal everything up tight for the freezer.
Once they’re bagged, I weigh each bird, label the package, and get them straight into the freezer.
That’s the moment it all feels worth it.
Seeing the freezer fill up with food we raised ourselves.
Food that we know is clean, cared for, and nourishing.
Why This Matters to Us
Raising our own meat birds is a lot of work.
There’s no shortcut around that.
But it’s work we’re thankful for.
It teaches our kids responsibility.
It teaches gratitude.
And it keeps us connected to the food we eat.
In a world where most people never think twice about where dinner came from, we’re thankful to know.
We’re thankful these birds had good lives full of fresh grass, sunshine, bugs, and space to move.
And we’re thankful for the ability to provide this way for our family.
Homesteading isn’t always easy.
It’s messy.
It’s tiring.
It’s early mornings and cold water and sharp knives.
But it’s also full freezers, full bellies, and full hearts.
And that makes every bit of it worth it.
From our homestead to yours,
Eliza