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I thought I had some pictures, but the best I have is some video - you can see the red butts on them (mine were REALLY active and crazy to the end. No one ever got hurt, but they liked to spar a lot).

It all depends on what you want to use them for. For roasting, you'll probably want to slaughter at not much more than 20 weeks, but you won't have much of a big carcass - still tasty though. If you want stew or stock, let them live as long as you can stand them. I've processed two year old...

Have you raised CX before? I only ask because they definately do not grow like standard breeds, and they often have a bare red booty - they are feed conversion machines, and need somewhere to put those over sized guts. They also tend to outgrow their feathers, so often look bare and funny. As...

Have you talked to you local feed mill? Depending on your location, there may be one around. Our local feed mill here grinds a very nice quality feed, and bulk prices are available. They don't have the huge selection of feeds, and only offer 3 different chicken feeds (20% grower crumble, 16%...

I need to process the three turkeys I hatched out in April. They are mutts, but the tom now is so big he no longer fits through the door to the coop (it's not a big opening), but he doesn't go in anyway it seems. He's also a pretty vicious thing - to men. He's attacked my husband a few times...

I don't use many tools, just haven't gotten around to making a plucker or cones, and use my water bath canner for scalding. I go through all my sets in the Learning Center article in my signature :)

The connective tissue is due to age, yes. The cavity space is more due to breed - when I pick up my EE birds, they're pretty small, compared say to picking up the Barred Rock or breeder quality BLRW I have. Then again, nothing is as scrawny as my old Polish hen (she's 5 now). I think I could...

I raised 40 in an 8'x10' area using shavings - it was a bit of a pain (and I will plan on more room next time), but for the first few weeks, I didn't have to do too much top dressing. After that however, I put about 1/3 bag down every day or every other day, about 2 bags a week at the end. So...

I'm way too far away, but the link in my signature has been given some pretty good reviews as a how-to.

The feathers harm nothing :) Let him sit in the fridge for a few days (honestly, you can easily go a week). Muscle structure goes through a LOT of changes post slaughter, and the first day is pretty harsh for food use - can be done, but as you found, it's pretty meh. There will be little...

Thanks for the kind comments! For ease of reference, I decided to also copy the blog to the Learning Center here. The link is now in my signature, and will still live at my normal blog, along with here. It's fun too - I'm amazed at the number of times it's been viewed and the comments from many...

I don't use a composter, but rather toward the end of the year when weeding and culling out plants, I just pull and leave them to die in the garden paths. Early spring, I either empty the chicken coop out, or get a truckload of horse manure (from horses that are stalled, fed top quality hay and...

If you haven't tossed them, I would keep them in the fridge or freezer and DEFINITELY contact your post office/post master and show them. That is absolutely unacceptable. It's fine if they don't like chicks in the mail, but that isn't appropriate handling of livestock. They should be able to...

I was raised with food livestock, and I think it's a culture thing. There are many (especially in America) that just don't get that upbringing - meat and food comes from the store, placed there by someone else, instead of coming from the backyard or the neighbor. I like my critters, and I like...

Pretty much everyone has it covered. I scald at 150, and dip/swish until I can pull a wing feather out easily. That way, the skin stays intact - the tearing was most likely due to the high temp at scalding. Also, for the pins (the black bits), I like to leave a pinny bird in the fridge for 2-3...

Heh, you can aspirate them, I just didn't care for the inside "skin" part of the cyst. Of course, I'm the one in the family who eats all the roasted chicken skin! That's my favorite part :)

I've had them on roos I've picked up. I just trim off the whole cyst (so there's a hole in the skin over the keel), and call it good. As for avoidance, no tips there :)

Big hugs, you've sure been through the wringer! As for fleas, I don't know if it's been the freakishly hot, dry weather, but I know many people, including us, that are battling fleas with very little luck. Our lab has never had fleas as long as I've been here, and we've been dealing with them...

This is the article I wrote - pretty simple. I don't have a cone because I never got around to getting the stuff (no cones or whatnot): https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-process-a-chicken-at-home

Heh...didn't come back here, sorry :) Yup, snapping turtle is pretty good, I think. I have another one in the barrel, waiting until I butcher it. I like to put them in a 50 gallon drum half full of clean water when I get them, and leave them in there for a week or so, changing the water out...