Surprisingly, after observing today, I definitely want to do this ourselves. I thought by seeing the killing of the chickens that it may turn me off, but I had the opposite reaction. As I watched the bird alive, struggling, then die, I felt an extreme appreciation for its life and what its death meant. I am glad to have observed this. I have always tried to be cognizant of where my food comes from and feel this reinforces my belief towards respect and appreciation for the meat I eat.
Upon hearing my interest in broiler chickens, Brian quickly did research on it and compared prices to raising/butchering our own compared to buying processed meat at the store. He likes all the benefits of raising our own chickens. :)
This site does a good job explaining the whole butchering process and has links for killing, scalding, and plucking too. It starts with an introduction and has several steps you can click on to read about the process and see pictures.
Following is a slide show of the shots I took from today, along with some highlights.
Catching bird
Placing them in the cone calms and confines them. It also helps the blood drain out.
Killing station - used a utility knife (razor blade) to slice the chicken's neck artery.
Scalding the bird helps loosen the feathers.
Cut the head and feet off. The feet can be used to make excellent chicken stock.
Using a drill attachment to assist in removal of feathers.
Evisceration station
Remove all the innards - save the heart and liver
