The Chicken Thread

[ChickenLady]

skinned this one instead of plucking. wasn't bad. Unsure of which way is easier but the skinning method smells a whole lot better

[Niceguy]

I bet...Plucking smells awful! I remember my Great Granny doing it all the time. Only plus was there were GREAT things to follow after that smell...haha Her fried chicken was beyond heavenly! For that matter, all of her cooking was...

[ChickenLady]

Mmmmmmm fried chicken

[ChickenLady]

nasty little birds. They don't free range at all and they are stupider than the normal chickens if that is possible. they basically camped out next to the feeder for the past two days. I'm going to have to move the feeder around the enclosure to get them to move and not shit in the same spot for the next three weeks...

[JustShootIt]

Lost 2 chickens the day before yesterday.........Pretty sure a rat got them......I have them in a a solid coupe and fenced run, but them damn rats wasn't something I was expecting ......Think I found where rat got in and closed it off.....No loss past couple days, so hopefully issue resolved.....

[ChickenLady]

Lost 2 chickens the day before yesterday.........Pretty sure a rat got them......I have them in a a solid coupe and fenced run, but them damn rats wasn't something I was expecting ......Think I found where rat got in and closed it off.....No loss past couple days, so hopefully issue resolved.....

UGH. I hate predators. Hate them so effing much. Before I started raising chickens I was kind of a bleeding heart PETA friend who ate meat (don't ask) but I just couldn't understand how anybody would shoot predators. Now I'm like fucking Rambo and will shoot down anything that can kill one of my animals. Got too much on the line.

[ChickenLady]

rotated the grass area today to give the other side a rest. free roaming meat birds!

[Vividia]

LOL funny how your "free roaming" birds just hang in a clump. Silly chickens.

[ChickenLady]

The meat chickens don't act like normal chickens at all. They kinda walk two or three steps, decide that's work, and then sit down. They also live around the feeder. They are friendly though... Lucille was playing with them today while I moved the fence around. I am going to kinda feel bad processing them since they are so sweet.

[ChickenLady]

Next week I have a batch of 30 meat chickens coming in and 5 turkey poults. The current batch of meat chickens is almost ready to be processed and all get weighed tonight to make sure they are on track. Current egg layers in the brooder are almost ready to move outside and I'm working on new feed to make my chickens eat a non gmo feed. Lot's of things going on this fall here at the house! Let me know if you need anything in the next few months and if it works out well, I'll start taking meaty orders for the Spring.

[ChickenLady]

No turkeys. Hatchery called and said that they had a 25% hatch rate on their turkeys and the orders before me got filled first. I'm so let down I was really excited about turkeys.

So Joe told me to order ducks. OK!

[ChickenLady]

Ordered shrink bags for the chicken processing set to happen this weekend (if everyone passes their weigh ins), a set of pliers for clips, and metal clips for the bags. Oh and labels. Needed labels.

Also ordered more ducks.

Also want to make out with a certain forum member but I will refrain because I'm married and proper married don't do stuff like that.

[Wyldman]

Also want to make out with a certain forum member but I will refrain because I'm married and proper married don't do stuff like that.

Awww, hon, that's sweet of you, but I'm already spoken for, & unfortunately, cannot oblige.

You can make me a cheesecake if you like, though!

[ChickenLady]

Also want to make out with a certain forum member but I will refrain because I'm married and proper married don't do stuff like that.

Awww, hon, that's sweet of you, but I'm already spoken for, & unfortunately, cannot oblige.

You can make me a cheesecake if you like, though!

Psh. At this point Jack is still owed a cheesecake. Get in cheesecake line!

[Marcus]

Thanks rayray. Cheesecake is delicious.


Maybe the fact that I have my cheesecake already and you guys are "in line" should tell you a little about the pecking order around here.

[ChickenLady]

Thanks rayray. Cheesecake is delicious.


Maybe the fact that I have my cheesecake already and you guys are "in line" should tell you a little about the pecking order around here.

Or that I made you breakfast.. and salsa... and you forgot your danish...

I swear my husband was around for all Marcus encounters yesterday. He only came because of food.

[Marcus]

I figure my Danish got eaten. I didn't want to be greedy.

And yes, everything was delicious. My kids loved your biscuits.

[ChickenLady]

I figure my Danish got eaten. I didn't want to be greedy.

And yes, everything was delicious. My kids loved your biscuits.

My biscuits are made with love. [and the tears of my enemies that i keep bottled in the fridge]

[Wyldman]

But, Rayray! My birthday is the 20th! I don't even rate a cheesecake for my berfday? Huh? Pretty please?!

[ChickenLady]

You people using me for cheesecake.


My processing stuff shipped! Hooray!

I also ordered a gallon of oxine so I can alternate between that and lime in the chicken area.

My batch of 30 should be here by tomm I would imagine since they shipped yesterday.

[Wyldman]

Tomorrow is Mrs. W's berfday, and she needs a cheesecake. Forget about me, I realize I don't rate a cheesecake, but Mrs. W? One of your best egg customers?

[ChickenLady]

Lol!

So last night one of the meat chickens got caught in the electric fence and died. I found it right when the rigor was setting in and she was still warm. So literally just died. Went ahead and cleaned her, this one will not be one of Paula's, but it was a good experience to see how these guys work.

For one, the plucking is totally different than a standard chicken. With a regular chicken I can grab the down and pull off the hair; leaving little to no feathers with each chunk I grab. With the meat chickens they have 0 down so I spent the majority of my time plucking out the large pin feathers. There is still small itty bitty fine feathers on the chicken that I will have to singe off since its not worth it to try to pluck them all.

Next up is the chicken itself. I've noticed that there are a few places on these chickens that don't really get feathers, like the breast and under the legs. So that did cut down on the plucking time. They also have more skin than a standard chicken and its not as well attached to the meat. I'm not sure if that is because they are just so freaking massive or if its just a fluke, but I could have skinned this chicken a whole lot easier than the rooster I processed not that long ago.

Last but not least is the weight of this bird. This was a hen and with all innards and stuff she was right at 7lbs. After processing she weighed out at 3lbs 15oz. About the perfect weight. I think the roosters will weigh out around 5 dressed as they are bigger than the hens, but this is about the perfect size, meaning this weekend is kill weekend. The breasts are large and meaty, the legs look awesome, and in all it looks just like a store bought chicken.

Since she was not scheduled for kill I had no way of restricting her feed so she did have food in her crop, which of course I opened up and looked at. It was full of grass, clover, some bits of fruit I had given them, and no feed since they were out of feed by the time I got home yesterday. That means she was fully utilizing the area she is penned in. Awesome!

So Friday night I will take feed away from everyone. The egg layers will be fine, they forage a whole lot more and they will get food Saturday night. Saturday I will process half of the meaties and Sunday the other half. Unless I get on a role and am able to do all 14 within 4 hours. Which I might. They aren't hard to do and plucking takes the most time. So we'll see.

But there is my meaty write up!

[ChickenLady]

I have 4 chicks for sale. These are about 4 weeks old. 3 easter eggers and 1 turken. $6 a chick

Batch of meaties came in! Hooray! Need to fix the heat lamp.. they were a little chilly last night because of where I have the lamp located. I'll fix that tonight. And then one of the older chickens pecked one to death. Nice. I was sent 31 though, so no big worries.

[Mike]

Stupid chickens....

[ChickenLady]

Stupid chickens....

They really are! I gotta get the other brooder set up tonight and that will put an end to all that.