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How long do we have to let chickens rest after processing? We usually let them rest 2 days before putting them in the freezer, but we are processing a dozen birds this afternoon & were thinking of eating one of them for dinner tonight. Thoughts/experiences? Thanks!

We have 3 midget white turkeys that are about 6 to 7 months old. We thought we had all males, but at least 2 of them have turned out to be females. We had raised them with the idea of eating them but have gotten attached to these 2 hens in particular and have decided to keep them. They are...

I was gifted half a dozen healthy, gorgeous white crested black Polish hatchlings this past Wednesday. They all seemed to be so healthy and doing SO well. Well, between yesterday and today, 3 have just gotten weak, laid down, and died. A 4th is starting to exhibit some of the same symptoms...

We have some naughty roosters we have decided to process and eat. How old is "too old" for a rooster to be edible? The oldest one in the group is about a year and a half old, the rest between 7 and 9 months. Now that we are getting more involved in processing and have a better handle on what...

We ordered our EZ Plucker today, and it is being shipped tomorrow. We should get it next Tuesday. SO happy! I can't see us ever buying factory-farmed or store-bought chicken again.

Hi everyone! Farmer_Lew and I recently got started processing, and we only have a few tools we're using. We have read many of the tips and tricks that the readers here have shared in regards to what works for them, etc. Can we see pics of your tools? What do you use for evisceration? I have...

After two years of raising chickens and now having enough free-range space out in the sticks to add a couple of turkeys to our flock, we are planning to get a couple of poults this year. I am thinking of getting straight run poults from Ideal (I know the difference between heritage and...

DH just killed and cleaned the first 2 of our dual-purpose roosters! Instead of plucking, we stripped the skin to save time (my gramma used to do 'em like that). So now they are resting in ziplock bags in my fridge. I'm thinking we'll put them in the freezer tomorrow night before we go to...

Twas the night before Christmas, and up in the trees Our white-faced Spanish chickens were preparing to freeze. My hubby plucked them all from the branches with care, And put them into the coop cuz it's warmer in there. We got them all settled and safe in the coop, On our way back to the...

I have to ask y'all what kind of hatch rates you get on average. I have the best hatch rates with broody hens, usually 80% or better. My last 3 incubator hatches were really low. The last one produced 0 babies (out of 20 eggs), and the one before that only produced 2 (out of 32 eggs). My...

Lots of us have cross-bred chickens due to having mixed flocks in our yard. A lot of people have Delaware x Easter egger and call it a "delawegger." I think that's pretty darn clever! Have any of you other had any crossed breeds and come up with clever names for the crosses? I have a...

I have always purchased my vegetable garden seeds from garden centers, Walmart, wherever I could find them. However, I am now looking into the joy of ordering seeds from a catalog for my spring planting. I am looking for a variety of fruit and vegetable seeds, seedlings, as well as herbs and...

We have a lot of dual-purpose roos. Some are EEs, some are Rhode Island reds, couple of mixed breeds, a barnevelder, couple of white faced black Spanish, probably about 14 roosters all together. The oldest roo, one mottled java/FBCM cross, just turned a year old in October. He's turned mean...

As some of you know, my DH and I are assistant caretakers at Alpacas of Somerset Farm in the Sierras. Well, we have had 2 new crias (baby alpacas) born this week, one yesterday and one today! We were able to be here for the birth of today's cria. Both new crias are males. Here are some pics...

Ok, so we have this lovely little white silkie that we hatched last spring. We named her Sascha, and she's super sweet but has been slower-growing than the other 2 silkies (one is a cuckoo, one is a partridge). Well this morning, "she" flogged my husband! Do females do that, or is my pretty...

I work from home and am sitting here with 2 flies driving me absolutely nuts! I have the Sceptor Of Doom (aka the flyswatter) handy, but the only thing they land on is my right arm! Oh, but if they would only land on a hard surface.

Well, I have tried everything with this rooster. He has been attacking me for MONTHS, and for a while I've been able to keep him in check by carrying him around under my arm for a few minutes once a week or so. Our peace treaty came to a grinding halt yesterday when I was taking treats out to...

This Friday, All My Children will air its last episode on network television. I have been a fan/follower of All My Children for 38 of the 41 years it has been on the air. I have heard they are going to leave many things open-ended. I think that TPTB at ABC Daytime are smoking crack. After...

When setting eggs to hatch, we have always been told not to wash them. When setting shipped eggs, well, it's a gamble anyway. I have ordered shipped eggs now 4 times, and none have ever hatched or made it past days 7-8. I got some shipped eggs on September 1st, and some of them were broken...

We are doing our last hatch of the year. We haven't done one for several months, but I got my hands on some white faced black Spanish AND white faced BLUE Spanish heritage stock eggs. They arrived early Thursday, and we set them late last night (9/2). Anyone else setting this weekend??