FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[aart]

I just processed to of my cockerels and their is a definite chickier (?) taste and more chew than the store birds. I didn't know if my family was going to be able to eat it or not but they really liked it. So we ate one and put one in the freezer. I have nine more that needs processed but am waiting to see if I can lay my hands on a pressure canner first.

Yep, that's home grown birds...especially if they weren't the Cornish cross type meat birds.
Did you let the cleaned carcass rest in the fridge for 48-72 hours before cooking to let rigor mortis pass?
That makes a huge difference.... also anything over 16 weeks old I just stew in the pressure cooker.

 

[Intheswamp]

I just processed to of my cockerels and their is a definite chickier (?) taste and more chew than the store birds. I didn't know if my family was going to be able to eat it or not but they really liked it. So we ate one and put one in the freezer. I have nine more that needs processed but am waiting to see if I can lay my hands on a pressure canner first.

How did you cook it?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@ldawntaylor We are planning chicken and dumpling for our first dinner as well. Like you said, to take the individuality out of it.

I just processed to of my cockerels and their is a definite chickier (?) taste and more chew than the store birds. I didn't know if my family was going to be able to eat it or not but they really liked it. So we ate one and put one in the freezer. I have nine more that needs processed but am waiting to see if I can lay my hands on a pressure canner first.

Congrats on your first successful processing and serving!

 

[ShanandGem]

Can anyone point me to a really great chicken and dumplings recipe?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Can anyone point me to a really great chicken and dumplings recipe?

I haven't started looking for them yet. But I can't wait! Trying to talk my family into processing my 2 Ameraucana boys this week, they are around 22 weeks and weren't originally on the menu. So we've been preparing our minds. Main issue is they aren't intended breeders, but like many with hormones raging, they have ONE thing on their mind! So instead of me being a big cock block... it's soup time.

 

[lcertuche]

Can anyone point me to a really great chicken and dumplings recipe?

I p.m. one.

 

[bullets]

My little ones are 5 weeks old now and I've got 3 roos out of 9 chickens. One of my roos has been bullying another roo (just the one) and picked his feathers straight out of his head next to the comb. The comb is also bloodied up pretty bad as well. This just happened overnight as I was hangin out with them yesterday and they were all perfect. I've got the bully in a large dog kennel and plan to keep him there for a few days. If he doesn't snap out of it when he gets back to the flock I may have to keep him separated, fatten him up and eat him in a couple of months. Not sure if I have it in me to do it so I may end up just giving him away. If not, I'm gonna need that dumplings recipe!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@bullets a time out for the bully often works. But you probably won't wanna keep that many cockerels to pullets anyways. To me it is honorable to be able to provide an awesome life and be thankful for where my food comes from. We are working our way there and don't expect it to be fun, but neither is being a slave to the world.

However, if you can't do it yourself... letting someone else feed their family is also honorable. It's the circle of life. There is lots of support here if you do decide to process your extra roos!

Good luck either way!

We are calling our first chicken supper "High Tower and Dumplings". That's his name after a big guy in the movie Police Academy. He's been so big since the day we brought him home. But since that's his bone structure, I wonder how it relates to carcass size? He is already 5 months old as we were gonna let him stay but have decided there is only so much room for cockerels as he is a pretty rough breeder and not my focus breed. I guess another week or two wont change much of his tenderness, since I dislocated my elbow this week and Hubby starts a new job on Monday (after working 6 hours away from home for the past 2 years)... I feel bad asking DH and DD to pick up the slack when I got animals both enjoy but neither cared to get. With 48 chickens, 2 goats, and 3 dogs... that's a lot. But they are being really good sports about it all.

I switched to a weekly ferment instead of daily adding to a much smaller batch. I notice the smell is much stronger and figure this is a good thing. I have to wonder, if as stated by another poster, that I thought the bubbling action meant fermented and therefor was not reaping the whole benefits of FF? I might be saving a little time by not doing it daily. But I am definitely saving energy not carrying bags of feed all the time.

I can put a 50# bag of feed in an 18 gallon Rubber Made tote with enough water. But it's very close, maybe touching the lid before stirring out the extra air (my fave part of FF, the sound of the air escaping). And the sides seriously bow out. But as long as I tuck the lid around the top it seems to hold well enough. I am sharing this info for those who might consider this container, though I feel semi-bad for it not being what's considered food safe. But neither is the rain gutter I feed in.

Can anyone tell me, when using the larger trash cans, do they seem to bow or hold their shape? And how much feed do they hold? Thanks.

 

[Beekissed]

My little ones are 5 weeks old now and I've got 3 roos out of 9 chickens. One of my roos has been bullying another roo (just the one) and picked his feathers straight out of his head next to the comb. The comb is also bloodied up pretty bad as well. This just happened overnight as I was hangin out with them yesterday and they were all perfect. I've got the bully in a large dog kennel and plan to keep him there for a few days. If he doesn't snap out of it when he gets back to the flock I may have to keep him separated, fatten him up and eat him in a couple of months. Not sure if I have it in me to do it so I may end up just giving him away. If not, I'm gonna need that dumplings recipe!

He won't snap out of it....he's a rooster, doing what roosters were designed to do and soon the other roosters will be doing what they are supposed to do and you'll have hens with no feathers on their backs. Time to kill some roosters.

 

[bullets]

He won't snap out of it....he's a rooster, doing what roosters were designed to do and soon the other roosters will be doing what they are supposed to do and you'll have hens with no feathers on their backs.  Time to kill some roosters. 

Even at 5 weeks old? I don't know why he's targeting that one other guy and not anyone else. I'm looking for hope here! I was planning on keeping only one anyway but my husband's favorite is the bully. DX