Search results for query: *

I also had a successful year with broilers. Though they weren't free range they were in a tractor with regulated feed and daily moves. Not only did they come out nice but my lawn looks amazing after they were done with it. I finished with 142lbs of whole chicken from 24 birds. I say go for it...

I want to try this with my next batch of birds as well. I am sure it will be a bit of a challenge at first but it looks like it would be a great meal and could sell quite well too. Since I processed my first batch of birds a few weeks ago I have had people asking me to sell them whole and...

I moved all of my birds at night after they had bedded down. It seemed to work out pretty good since they are in a half awake stupor while being moved. I parked my chicken tractor right next to where I did my processing which was super convenient. The actual job of processing can be kind of...

I bought the Cornish Cross. You could see there was a dark bloodline in them because some of them had dark wingtips or shoulder feathers.

Hi all, so I got all of my birds processed this weekend. 24 meaties and 4 DP birds. The meaties were large enough that they barely fit into the shrink wrap bags. From 24 meaties I finished with just over 142 pounds of whole chicken. It is great to have the freezer full for the winter. Looking...

I used a canning kettle for scalding. I heated in the house in the stove and then put it in my gas grill to maintain the scalding temp. We hand plucked the few that I processed last time but I am building a whizbang plucker for the meaties that I am raising now. I definitely will be trying the...

I freeze my broth in small containers that hold about two cups. Once the broth is frozen I pop it out of the container like an ice cube. I use this method when I make soup stock "kits" for chicken soup. The kit being enough broth and chicken meat pieces to make chicken soup for the family. Just...

Interesting idea. I never really gave it a thought. If it works though, I say go for it.

Do you shoot from point blank range? It doesn't bother me to wield the knife but my kids asked about shooting the last birds we processed. I never gave it much thought since the knife wasn't an issue for me. My first thought about using any kind of gun was just how small the target is.

I used a boning knife made by Montana Knife Works for all of my butchering chores. From cutting the head off, to feet, to evisceration. It is built like a filet knife but a little stiffer. I sharpened it before I started and finished the job with a blade still sharp enough to cut tomatoes. I...

One of my sons loves to cook whole turkeys and chickens. We have used them as a meal but there is always leftovers. When we pick the carcass clean after dinner I cut any leftover meat into small pieces. Then I drain off all the juice from the pan into small containers and freeze it overnight...

I wish you well in your processing. It may be difficult but with a youngster there that may be full of questions about "what's this or that" you may find the teaching part makes it less stressful. Best of luck today.

I am getting my feed at TSC for $16 a 50lb bag. According to my records I have gone through only 110lbs thus far. If I fed my birds more often they would eat me out of house and home. My biggest concern was flipping so I cut their feed to 3X a day so they don't eat themselves to death. I have...

In regards to the cost of birds and feed here is my experience thus far. I paid $45 for 25 CX chicks. I am feeding them FF and they are almost in their 5th week. I have gone about 110 lbs of feed at this point for a total cost of $35. My birds are healthy and all close to 3lbs at this point. I...

I was a little rusty at the whole process having not done it for 20 some years. I went online and found a ton of YT videos. The best one I have seen for the gutting process was one with Joel Salatin done for Mother Earth News. His technique for this process was excellent and did not take a lot...

Bee, I used it yesterday for all of my birds. The picture does make it appear that the bottom of the cone is shallow and the bird could come out during the death throes. I learned a thing or two during use. 1. The bird's feet needed to face away from the open V. The first bird kicked me a...

Here is a pic of the kill cone I made yesterday. I fashioned it out of a piece of black stove pipe. I folded/twisted it into a cone shape the drilled holes and pop riveted it in place. I then mounted it to a steel stake.

My children have been at the very least, exposed to processing game and fish since birth. I introduced them all to fishing by the age of 3. Fishing is different than processing chickens though. Today my youngest son (12) wanted to wield the killing knife after he saw it done a couple times. I...

I am now finished with mine also. We only did 10 because the 11th one escaped. He was to be the last and he made a prison escape and is now on the lamb. Last I saw him he was headed over the hill. But it was a successful day. I spent the day teaching, coaching, and doing much of the work myself...

My youngest son is 12. He has helped with deer butchering in the past but more in a watching mode. This is the first run of chickens I have done in years so it's their first time.