We've got a mixture of Sasso and Hubbards that we are growing on, which we will need to start dispatching in a couple of weeks.
I've read lots of articles and am now confused over what is the best thing to do.. and need help clarifying a few things!
Is it correct that if we want to finish them on corn, we need to feed them just corn for a couple of weeks, and that they should be starved for 24 hours before dispatching?
Once dispatched, i have read mixed reviews as to what to do next/what order...some people seem to suggest it is easier to pluck straight away whilst the body is warm, some suggest dipping it in hot water for 2 minutes to make it easier to pluck and to kill any lice if they have any on them, some seem to suggest that you can't hang it if you've dipped it in water, some seem to still hang it if its been dipped in water...and then there seem to be wide differences in how long people hang for.....and some people seem to kill, hang, pluck and dress, some people seem to kill, pluck, and dress, and others seem to kill, pluck, hang and dress, and even found some that suggest you should kill, pluck, dress and then hang.
Also re hanging - in a garage? lay on a plate in a fridge? how/where do you do it?
Now maybe you see why i am confused! I don't want to risk food poisoning, but likewise i don't want to have got this far only to mess up and end up with tasteless or tough birds. Ideally i want the taste and texture to be as good as possible, and to be able to enjoy a nice roast chicken, with some yummy dripping for toast, and really don't have a clue now what to do for the best!
What do you do?