dct10
Songster
- Aug 24, 2020
- 116
- 181
- 121
Hello all. First post. I have a few memories of my Great Gramma Mamie from when I was a kid in the late 60s. I remember seeing her flipping chicks onto their backs and I asked her what she was doing. She said she was seeing how many roosters and hens she had. She demonstrated... In one hand, she gently flipped each chick over onto their backs and held them there with the other hand until they stopped kicking and flailing. Once they settle down, the pullets (hens) will pull both legs up to their chests and hold them there. The Cockrels will protest longer but eventually will straighten one or both legs straight up to the sky or out toward their butts. I wasn't sure how accurate that method was, but I remember it like it was yesterday. This year we acquired our first flock. I did this at 4 weeks and 6 weeks made a note of how each bird responded. Now they are 3 months old and in my case, this proved correct 12 out of 12 times. We've lost so much of the old wisdom. This is my attempt at re-introducing some of it back into the world. Oh, and when it was time to dispatch a Chicken, she did a quick snap of the neck while holding them like a football under the opposite arm. She would always pick the meanest/least social ones. She would always say a quick prayer asking God to take the chicken into heaven and she would pet and thank the chicken for a few minutes before the deed was done. Its still the most respectful and humane way I've seen to date. My job was plucking and the feathers were all saved in a bag for stuffing pillows and such. My G-Gramps would put feathers into the mortar he made to build stone fences and foundations. My later memories were of them sitting in their rocking chairs side by side with a big enamel basin on the floor between them. They would take turns spitting chewing tobacco into it all day long. Man I wish I could talk to them again.
Great memories.
