In the end the birds were way overdue for processing and we had just gotten to the point where we really figured out how to quickly go through the process; however, we burned out the drill we were using for plucking and we were about to leave for vacation.
We decided to try a local-ish processor, Twin Cities Pack, for the remainder of the chickens. So early one morning we loaded them up into a bunch of crates in the back of the farm van (fortunately the kids were both away at camp) and set off for Janesville.
Then the next day I went back with a bunch of empty coolers
and came back to fill up our chest freezer:
If you guys ever decide you want to sell them to friends, we’re in 🙂
Consider yourself counted in. That’s something we definitely intend to explore (possibly eggs and turkeys someday, too). It’ll be next year before we do another batch, but we’ll let you know!