Posts by CowgirlJules

Yes, Hello Kitty is a cockerel. He has very distinctive hackle and saddle feathers - the long, thin ones along the back of his neck and right above his tail. That's a rooster trait. I think your buff colored chicken is probably a pullet.

Spoiled, but it's not a blood-and-guts photo, just the finished product: [[SPOILER]] I didn't have anyone with me to take pictures this time.

A little more, but not a ton. My usual scalding pot caused most of the hold up. Perfectly fine for chickens, but too small for turkeys or ducks. And the feathers were a little harder, but the body cavity was bigger and easier to get into...

Amy Beth, my non-hatchery Wyandottes were a little slower to POL than a hatchery bird would be, maybe 22 weeks? They laid about every other day, and the heat didn't seem to bother them much. They produced a much bigger carcass than any...

That splash to the far right looks like a pullet to me.

Ron, with that comb and at only 7 weeks, I'd guess cockerel. Can you get a side view? They don't always develop the cockerel feathering pattern that early, but soon you should start to see changes on the wing feathers.

I save the feet for stock unless they have bumblefoot. Feathers compost nicely but it's much easier to pluck straight into the bag I'm putting the offal into, so that's where most of them go. I do my killing right by my compost pile,...

Yes, they all look like cockerels to me.

My neighbor at least had the grace to be embarrassed when this happened, but I think she knew I'd shoot her dog in a heartbeat too. The only thing stopping me was that her son was honest and came over to tell me what was happening, since...

Kim, how big do those Guinea hogs get? I raise a hog or two every couple of years for meat (I have two right now). Sometimes I do lambs instead. Tankgirl, and Mamahen5, welcome! I grew up in Livermore and live in the Central Valley now,...