BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bnjrob]

Here's a few pics of a hen culled for wry tail...hers wasn't as bad as some but still pretty distinctive. This hen was not a layer, though young and should have been laying, so thinking she had other issues~ genetically speaking~ as well. You can see how the spine being twisted causes the legs to be offset and crooked also....this hen had a waddling type gait that slowed down her ability to run if out on range, so not good for her survival genetics at all. If out in the wild she would be easily picked off.

Still amazes me how much fat your birds get on them. Our birds are so lean.

 

[Beer can]

Deer, I'm a pro, the less you cut the hide the less hair on the meat you deal with. Must be very strong and determined though getting the hide off. I hang them upside down only cuts in hide is gutting, then unfortunately hind leg to hind leg no other cuts, front shoulders are a bit difficult but I get the hide off without cutting, hide is hard at the neck also, I get it down to the ears. Only hair is some on hind quarters, easily rubbed off with a wet paper towel. I gut a deer with surgical precision, easy never a mess.
Makes me sick watching someone else gut or skin, feel like saying get out of the way! Let me do it idiot!!!
Chickens though I haven't mastered, doing up a half dozen chickens I'm whooped and my back hurts, so dang small...I usually pluck, even dry pluck if they look yummy when I'm skinning. Sometimes I skin, easier. I'd like to know how they do not rinse, dry hang cool for flavor? I don't think I've ever processed a chicken that I would dare not rinse out...
Anyone so good at butchering chickens that you can just hang to cool without rinsing? ?

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
I like the skin on my chicken, so I will likely pluck older birds, but these young ones (13 weeks) were very easy to skin - not a lot of connective tissue to deal with. It worked similar to the video, in that I just started the cut in the abdomen skin, and then just used my hands/fingers for the rest - it tore easily as I went up and around. I can imagine as they get older that skinning would get harder to do, though.

- Ant Farm

 

[Beer can]

I do the opposite, young ones I pluck, old ones I skin, chicken skin is easy to rip off. I don't need the skin on old ones cause I pressure cook them and don't need it.
I like the skin so much I've thought about asking our grocery store what they do with theirs when the sell skinless breasts, offering to buy them and taking them home and deap frying them, YUM! Chicken skin chips!

 

[oshun55555]

I do the opposite, young ones I pluck, old ones I skin, chicken skin is easy to rip off. I don't need the skin on old ones cause I pressure cook them and don't need it.
I like the skin so much I've thought about asking our grocery store what they do with theirs when the sell skinless breasts, offering to buy them and taking them home and deap frying them, YUM! Chicken skin chips!

I wish chickens were made of all skin, fried chicken skin is my all time favorite.

 

[Beekissed]

Deer, I'm a pro, the less you cut the hide the less hair on the meat you deal with. Must be very strong and determined though getting the hide off. I hang them upside down only cuts in hide is gutting, then unfortunately hind leg to hind leg no other cuts, front shoulders are a bit difficult but I get the hide off without cutting, hide is hard at the neck also, I get it down to the ears. Only hair is some on hind quarters, easily rubbed off with a wet paper towel. I gut a deer with surgical precision, easy never a mess.
Makes me sick watching someone else gut or skin, feel like saying get out of the way! Let me do it idiot!!!
Chickens though I haven't mastered, doing up a half dozen chickens I'm whooped and my back hurts, so dang small...I usually pluck, even dry pluck if they look yummy when I'm skinning. Sometimes I skin, easier. I'd like to know how they do not rinse, dry hang cool for flavor? I don't think I've ever processed a chicken that I would dare not rinse out...
Anyone so good at butchering chickens that you can just hang to cool without rinsing? ?

We hang the deer by the neck and cape it down a little, insert a hammer under the hide, tie it off with a rope and yank that hide with a truck or lawn mower. Comes off slick as a whistle and very little hair left on the meat, but hair does happen on occasion.

 

[JiltdRoyalty]

That's how I do my deer and elk too, but I use a tennis ball under their skin. So easy, done it over a hundred times. There's great videos in YouTube

 

[hellbender]

I don't know how soon or even if dad (Hellbender) will be back on line but I will be picking him up from the hospital on Wednesday, provided everything continues as now. We appreciate all the good wishes and good will expressed, both on the threads and by PM.

Jason



ETA: My sister now sees why I'm putting MY foot down regarding the use of brood hens. We had a plethora of these gals, including 3 Cahnteclers go broody and Ariel shoved eggs under everyone. I can see the advantage of the brood hen for some folks under certain conditions but we simply are not set up for them, at least not in my opinion.

We have bunches of little chicks chasing after their mammies all over this place and while it does free up brooders and removes a bit of labor, it also takes away all control over the situation. A couple of the Chantecler gals are overly protective of their broods and will shin-flog humans and jump all over the dogs that protect the flock during the day. This will be the last 'year of the broody'around this place, except for perhaps one or two if Ariel just wants to play around with them.

We are using the ID numerals that dad got from Linda and in my opinion, they are perfect. We're in the process of snagging each brood and banding them, couple broods at a time in the evenings. Also adding an extra digit for the hens that are especially good moms for future reference...just in case.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I don't know how soon or even if dad (Hellbender) will be back on line but I will be picking him up from the hospital on Wednesday, provided everything continues as now. We appreciate all the good wishes and good will expressed, both on the threads and by PM.

Jason



ETA: My sister now sees why I'm putting MY foot down regarding the use of brood hens. We had a plethora of these gals, including 3 Cahnteclers go broody and Ariel shoved eggs under everyone. I can see the advantage of the brood hen for some folks under certain conditions but we simply are not set up for them, at least not in my opinion.

We have bunches of little chicks chasing after their mammies all over this place and while it does free up brooders and removes a bit of labor, it also takes away all control over the situation. A couple of the Chantecler gals are overly protective of their broods and will shin-flog humans and jump all over the dogs that protect the flock during the day. This will be the last 'year of the broody'around this place, except for perhaps one or two if Ariel just wants to play around with them.

We are using the ID numerals that dad got from Linda and in my opinion, they are perfect. We're in the process of snagging each brood and banding them, couple broods at a time in the evenings. Also adding an extra digit for the hens that are especially good moms for future reference...just in case.

Thanks for the update! Along with everyone else, I want to express my own well wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery to your Dad.

Your story about broody-raising is instructive, not as a pro or con, necessarily, but rather that one's housing and ranging set up, as well as one's plans for chicks, can make this process more or less difficult. My girls are still young, and I haven't let anyone stay broody (I only had two, and I don't think they were serious yet anyway). But I know I need to think through the entire process and make sure it'll work (or make changes as necessary in my housing/management) before I pursue that...

- Ant Farm

 

[DesertChic]

I don't know how soon or even if dad (Hellbender) will be back on line but I will be picking him up from the hospital on Wednesday, provided everything continues as now. We appreciate all the good wishes and good will expressed, both on the threads and by PM.

Jason



ETA: My sister now sees why I'm putting MY foot down regarding the use of brood hens. We had a plethora of these gals, including 3 Cahnteclers go broody and Ariel shoved eggs under everyone. I can see the advantage of the brood hen for some folks under certain conditions but we simply are not set up for them, at least not in my opinion.

We have bunches of little chicks chasing after their mammies all over this place and while it does free up brooders and removes a bit of labor, it also takes away all control over the situation. A couple of the Chantecler gals are overly protective of their broods and will shin-flog humans and jump all over the dogs that protect the flock during the day. This will be the last 'year of the broody'around this place, except for perhaps one or two if Ariel just wants to play around with them.

We are using the ID numerals that dad got from Linda and in my opinion, they are perfect. We're in the process of snagging each brood and banding them, couple broods at a time in the evenings. Also adding an extra digit for the hens that are especially good moms for future reference...just in case.

So glad to hear he's coming home! Give him a big hug from me!

Mama hens can be pretty hard to deal with. I was lucky with my last one, Mama Lily, because I'd already gone through a hatch with her and she knew I meant her no harm. After 3 weeks of raising the babies she was ready to leave them and started laying eggs again. I've got one more hen sitting on eggs due to hatch this week, and Dolly Mama is NOT tolerant of me at all. This is her first clutch and I'm hoping she'll chill out over time, but I'm definitely missing the control of using an incubator.