Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[aoxa]

Naked Necks: Easiest bird to kill using the jugular method.

Wish my boys were bigger though.

 

[jajeanpierre]

It's an ugly example of the breed. Yes many males are very ugly in silkies. The good ones look like fluffy bunnies and are not ugly. Some don't care for them for sure.

Also, many of these hatchery silkie boys are aggressive. Just like yours there.

Let me know how you like the taste/look of the meat.

All my male hatchery silkies, except one, were quite nasty, some younger than others. They bite! The last one I have (6 months) has just started biting. One of the little pullets has started biting, too, which is really surprising to me.

 

[Beekissed]

How old is he?

A couple of the Silkies I did had beards and muffs and were growing lots of pin feathers. I didn't find it easy to cut their throats, but I bet that was all because of my poor technique. My Silkies certainly didn't have the nice bare necks of that white chicken you sent the picture in for me to see the knife placement. I will be really interested in your comments.

What is the name of the thread for fermented feed that you participate in? Thanks.

It's in the meat bird section...you can't miss it if you go there. There are two of them, one started by me and the other started by Shadowmane. The one started by Shadowmane is the larger one and the most frequently access fermenting thread on the site..and I daresay on the whole internet.

I'll be interested in this bird's neck as well...I'll do a close filming of where I cut so you can get an idea of where I found it to be the most easy. Every bird has an earlobe and a jawline and I'm thinking if a person just held back the hair fibers from that area with a thumb you could find a place to do a cut.

It's an ugly example of the breed. Yes many males are very ugly in silkies. The good ones look like fluffy bunnies and are not ugly. Some don't care for them for sure.

Also, many of these hatchery silkie boys are aggressive. Just like yours there.

Let me know how you like the taste/look of the meat.

I'll be doing a meat portion comparison between the LF roosters, my own WR hen, and this little silkie and will post the pics. I'll even take the scales and do a weight comparison between these birds so one can get an idea how many small breeds it takes to equal one larger breed chicken.

Here's a few pics of this pen of mixed breed roosters of all ages and one old hen that got in the mix. You've never seen such a duke's mixture of breeding, ages and types of birds. All were $1 each, so $6 for the 6 birds, which I am currently placing on FF and clean water to try and get the funk out of them. They were from a very bad place of poor flock management, a few had lice, mites and scale mites and had to be treated before ever setting foot on the land. They stunk like an animal long dead and the older rooster was eaten up with lice so badly he was bleeding.

All in all, I think it would be better for them to die than live like that. Two of the younger birds will be staying with my flock to free range and get some size on them before they are processed. The next time I will know better(this is my first time with this experiment) and I won't be bringing home any birds less than a certain size. No ornamental breeds and no young roosters. The lady who advertised these said they were all 6 mo. of age and listed breeds that these birds were obviously NOT. I don't think she even knows what those breeds look like and was just picking something out of the air.

Now...don't laugh at my hillbilly temporary rooster pen..it keeps them dry and gives them clean footing, plus keeps them away from my flock. If I continue to do this over time, I'll put up something much better but I didn't want to get deep into this experiment before trying it a couple of times first.













Just in a couple of days being here, they no longer smell, are cleaner in appearance and not so listless in behavior. The poor hen is very pale and listless but she seems to be perking up just a bit. There is no doubt they have to feel better with not having bugs chewing them alive, so that's a plus. They loved the leaves I put in the pen and immediately went to town on them...they've never seen green grass so they didn't do much with it. They are all roosting on the roost bar except the silkie...he spends a good part of his day there, though, so he gets to roost some....

He's not having a very good time of it right now and is definitely the outcast, even more so than the two youngest birds. If he wasn't such a brat, I could almost feel sorry for him.

 

[wlhtx]

I am currently in the process of making my very first ever pot of chicken and dumplings, using one of the hens we processed a couple weeks ago. I am one of those - shall we say - "domestically challenged" kind of women. There is a reason I married a man that loves to cook - because Lord knows, I do not. However, he's not home tonight and I am determined. Wish me luck.

So far, so good. I've managed to make the water boil.

 

[Beekissed]

Good luck, hon.

 

[wlhtx]

How does everyone store extra chicken broth? I've seen people mention freezing some in ice cubes so they can grab what they need as they need it. I'm sure some can in jars? Can I just stick this stuff in the fridge?

 

[Beekissed]

How does everyone store extra chicken broth? I've seen people mention freezing some in ice cubes so they can grab what they need as they need it. I'm sure some can in jars? Can I just stick this stuff in the fridge?

Sure can...cool it off and put it in a zip loc bag, let it freeze flat and it will store better. When I don't have enough chickens processed to can them up, this is how I store stock.

 

[wlhtx]

Sure can...cool it off and put it in a zip loc bag, let it freeze flat and it will store better.  When I don't have enough chickens processed to can them up, this is how I store stock. 

Thank you so much, Bee! I wasn't about to throw this stuff out, but I don't have ice cube trays or jars. Ziplock bags, I have!

 

[Kassaundra]

I am here, this is one of my 24 hr work days and only have breif times at the computer (IF Ia m lucky) and as you cantell itis being especially difficult w/ the typing. W/ the rifle type you needtohangthem low forgood aim, I use a bucketof water as a catch for stray pellets. No mater how temptingdo not holdtegun any way except w/t he wood part at yourshoulder, or at leastif you do hold it awayfromyour f ace, bruised mycheek pretty bad learning that lesson. I have a hardtimepho tographing sincem y husband doesntwantobe in the housewhen I process, can't pose andtakepicsatthea me time.

 

[DaveMorey]

How does everyone store extra chicken broth? I've seen people mention freezing some in ice cubes so they can grab what they need as they need it. I'm sure some can in jars? Can I just stick this stuff in the fridge?

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 dump the kit into a pot, add water and fresh vegetables and presto you have a fine meal. Fast food the old fashioned way.