- Killing cone (this can be as simple as a bleach bottle or milk jug washed out with the nozzle and bottom cut out, hang it bottom-up and lashed securely to a fence, board, or other surface)
- Non-serrated knife (keep it very sharp)
- Knife sharpener
- Butcher scissors or garden bypass pruning shears (to cut cartilage and bone)
- Very large pot (big enough to immerse the entire bird in it) filled with enough water to cover whole bird
- Plastic bag for feathers & offal
- Blowtorch, candle, lighter, etc
- Cooler filled with water & ice
- Bucket to catch blood
- Hose
Prepare the water bath for scalding, it should be as close to boiling as possible. Start it early, large amounts of water can take awhile to boil! If you have an outdoor boiler, so much the better! It's best to try and keep things as serene as possible. Cut feed at least 12-24 hours before butchering to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination, do not remove water availability. Select your bird and hang them upside down by their legs until they calm. Place them into the killing cone so their head is exposed out the bottom. Open the beak and insert your knife into the mouth through the back and into the brain. Hold the head so the throat is exposed and slice evenly and deeply from one side to the other.
Alternatively you can also break the neck prior to placing in the killing cone: Hold the bird cradled in your left arm (if right-handed) facing your right side, place your right hand palm toward the beak in a V behind the bird's head, with your first and second fingers around the back of the head/neck. Holding the head in your hand, stretch the neck down and the head back. Do this quickly in a fast motion to break the neck cleanly. You should be able to feel the bones separate. This can be difficult for people with small hands or if the bird is especially large or older. You can then place the bird in the cone quickly and slice the throat to bleed out.
If you did not break the neck prior to bleeding, use the shears to break through the spine and the knife to remove the head. Place the head in the refuse bag for disposal. Wait until the bird has bled out and is no longer exhibiting large spasms (these are involuntary results of the spinal cord, the bird is NOT alive!) Remove from the killing cone and immerse in the boiling water for a couple seconds. Do not leave too long as you merely want to loosen the feather base, not cook the meat! Check the large flight feathers frequently, these are the hardest to remove. After dipping, immediately start pulling the feathers. I recommend cutting the tip of the wings off, those feathers are VERY difficult to remove without causing damage to the skin.
When you have most (if not all) of the feathers removed, hang the bird by it's feet in a safe area. Use the blowtorch or candle and run the flame over the carcass to remove the 'pinfeathers' or hair-like feathers that detract from the cleanliness of the bird. That and they are kind of gross to see on your plate! Pay special attention to the legs and groin area, they seem to be more common there.
You can now remove the feet of the bird, use the knife to cut around the hock joint, bending as you go to remove it cleanly. Toss feet into the offal/refuse bag. Place the bird on a clean, disinfected surface to prepare to remove the innards (offal). On the top of the tail you'll find an oil gland, carefully cut the whole thing away from the bird (or remove the tail entirely). Cut down the front of the neck and pull the skin away from the neck bone. Pull the esophagus and trachea away from the neck itself and to the front. Use your shears to cut through the bone and rinse the neck thoroughly. Toss this part into the ice water or feed raw to dogs. Hold the breastbone in your hand and make a horizontal cut into the lower body cavity, this ensures you don't cut the entrails. Reach in with your hand and gently pull the intestines out of the body cavity, be careful not to rip any of the parts. Set these aside for later. Make sure you pull the trachea/esophagus out with it. If you are careful, you should be able to remove all of it together. You may have to pierce the diaphragm to get to the lungs/heart. Cut down to the anus and cut it away from the body with the entrails still attached. Double check the inside of the carcass to be sure you removed all of the lung tissue (this can sometimes be difficult to do), if not consider using a fork to scrape them out. Wash the carcass inside and out with cold water and place carcass in the ice-water bath.
Before tossing the offal into the refuse bag, consider taking the liver, heart, and gizzard from them. To prepare the gizzard, cut length-wise and remove the internal matter (if any), use a knife to also remove the white inner lining. Wash well and chill. For the heart, remove the valves close to it and the thin membrane encasing it. Wash thoroughly to remove any blood clots and chill. For the liver, flip the folds of it carefully until you locate the small, greenish, grape-like appendage, this is the gall bladder. Using a sharp knife, remove the gall entirely without damaging it. Wash the liver and chill.
If you have an older bird on your hands, or one that you have no intention of roasting, consider skinning as an alternative to plucking. Be sure to clean up your work area thoroughly when finished and bury or dispose of any offal. Make sure to store the meat in the fridge or freezer as soon as possible.
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