Yes, chickens freeze well. Generally we get through ours within the year. I have come across one discovered at the bottom of the freezer a couple of years old and it was perfectly fine and actually no different in quality than one thats been in the freezer for 3 months. They need to be soundly bagged to avoid freezer burns.
Yes, you can dry pluck broilers which is best done while the carcass is still warm. But plunging in hot water makes plucking much easier. The key is to have the water hot enough, and to plunge long enough, sufficient to loosen the feathers but not to scorch the flesh. I think the temperature to aim for is 65 degrees centigrade but this part of the procedure can be fine-tuned with experience. For me, I know that if I fill a bucket with hot water from the tap and then add one kettle full of boiling water this produces the right temperature. I also know that I need to plunge the bird for between 45-55 seconds depending on the szie of the bird (with a bit of swishing about included).
(If you are going to hang the bird for a day or more - not necessary I don't think for broilers - then I would not plunge in hot water. I hang turkeys for a week before gutting so I dry pluck. Turkey's relatively easy so long as this is done immediately following despatch).
Here's what we do:-
1. I despatch and do the main plucking. Kil one, pluck one. I fill a fresh bucket of hot water for each bird.
2. I hand the bird to my wife who likes to remove every last feather and hair with tweezers.
3. Whilst she does this I tend to the next bird.
4. After the final pluck the bird comes back to me to gut.
5. A good rinse through in fresh water, drained and patted dry and then bagged and put into the freezer.
From first setting up to everything cleared away and sitting down to a cup of tea takes us 2 hours to do three birds. This can be carried out at a much faster rate if you are not so fussy about how cleanly plucked and dressed the bird is or if you are happy to joint it before freezing. We do it the way we prefer.
As offal fans we keep the livers and heart for our dinners. We also keep the necks as my wife has a way of cooking these to make a surprisingly tasty diish. We also keep the feet - ocassionally to make spicey chicken feet, but more often for a Polish family who use the to make a stock for soup.