Have butchered chickens since I was a kid. We nailed a 8' 2x4 up and put nails in it about every 10". Catch the chickens and use twine strings in a loop to hang them by there feet up side down from the nails. We never cut the heads off just slice the throat. They bleed out and you don't have chickens running all over the place. Dip in near boiling water to pluck the feathers. If they don't pull out fairly easily the water is not hot enough or the bird wasn't dipped long enough. I have never gutted them so no advice there. Just don't cut the intestine, not good for taste.
Just put in good freezer bags and freeze. It most likely would be cheaper to buy them but the home grown version is the fantastic taste .
I will be doing this in a few weeks as well. Can't wait to taste the fresh meat. The hearts and gizards are a treat. Flour them, put Lowry's season salt and fry in real butter. Absolutely sinful but so good.
I will enjoy one of those birds with one quart package (1 of 65 put up this last week) of sweet corn I froze this week. Enjoy
