Because a flock of chickens had the run of most farmsteads, fresh chicken was nearly always a possibility. The efficient cook, on the other hand, preferred to gear up a butchering operation for more than just one fowl. Periodically, a day for doing chicken was, and is, set aside. Those birds that have reached optimum maturity are killed, plucked, dressed, and preserved (either canned or frozen) depending upon how accessible a frozen food locker or neighbor’s freezer is).