I Need Chicken Storage Ideas Please!

[aggieterpkatie]

The good news is we'll be processing our 55 broilers on the 30th. The bad news is we'll be processing our 55 broilers on the 30th. We're so super tight on freezer space due to it being filled up with several ginormous turkeys at the moment. Two of the turkeys will be out by the time the chickens are ready, but we're still tight on space! I plan on going through the freezer and taking out every bit of venison that's in there still so I can can it, which will free up a little more room.

We're going to quarter some of the chickens we process instead of leaving them whole, plus we're going to sell about 15-20 of them, but that still leaves us with 35-40 chickens to store. Plus I had planned on getting a deer this fall, plus sending a lamb to the butcher, but I don't think there's any way I'll have room for all of it!

Is canned chicken good? Do you cut it raw off the bone first? Any other ideas?

 

[2dream]

I love my canned chicken. I leave it on the bone. (It takes less time to can on the bone) Check the Ball Book of Canning for complete instructions.

 

[Wildsky]

I'll send you my address, you can vacuum seal and mail them to me overnight with some ice packs. That'll give you lots of freezer space.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Last year I had 50 chickens done. They packed a 16cuft freezer. i would highly suggest getting a new freezer. Especially if you plan on getting a deer and putting a lamb in. Mind you, the deer and lamb will not take up that much room.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Wildsky.... Nice try!

2dream, what's the texture like? Is it mushy or does it have a decent texture? And how would you recommend doing it, because I know when I did some venison each quart jar held about 2 lbs of cubed meat, which is 2 meals at least for us. Should I do it in pint jars? I mean, we're a family of 4. I'm not sure we'd eat a whole chicken in one dinner!

miss_thenorth...I know, I really want a new freezer. We already have a chest freezer (not huge) and an upright fridge/freezer combo in our cellar and I'm not sure we can fit more! I should have quartered one of the two turkeys we're keeping!!! :/

 

[2dream]

Texture to me is like cooked chicken. I use it in chicken and dumplings, chicken and rice, etc. (soups, stews, chicken pies, cassaroles).

I use quart jars (large mouth). (bone in means you only get about a half of chicken in each jar). Also when I cook, I plan to have leftovers, which I freeze into individual meals.

 

[PamsPride]

My suggestion: A bigger chest freezer!

 

[patandchickens]

If you get another (modest sized) chest freezer you can then just unplug it when you've used up most of the chickens. Saves money.

Or can them, if you have a pressure canner, for sure!

Pat, who processed just six chickens over the weekend, and they still took up most of my fridge

 

[farmerlor]

When I can chicken I sacrifice a couple pieces to make a nice rich stock. You can use the backs, brown them really well and then boil them for several hours with some onion and celery. While that's happening I throw a few chickens in the pressure cooker and cook them JUST until they're done enough to get off the bone and peel the skin off and chunk 'em up. Throw 'em in the jars with some of that good stock and pressure can them. The meat is wonderful. The kids like it in quesadillas, I use it in casseroles and stir fry and chicken gravy over noodles and egg fu yung and fried rice and rice and beans and just about anything you'd ever use cooked chicken for.
If you've got a big pressure canner like mine you can cook five or six chickens at a time or two turkeys.

 

[sparks]

Just canned 5 birds. Made 6 quarts. The back, wing tips and neck business made a delicious broth. Will can that tomorrow and will probably have 8 quarts of broth. Really cooked down. Yum. Will have to wait to eat the canned chicken, when I get over the yuck factor!