Recent content by bhanley

Hello from Princeton, Ontario (near Woodstock) :-)

I've processed 10 of my 20 CX and have not had a single issue with them at all. The 10 I left over to process this weekend are now just over 9 weeks and have no problems running around the yard, jumping on and off my back deck and free ranging all around the barn and house. They are healthy...

UPDATE: I scalded the latest batch at 145 and had no issues at all with skin tearing (although the chickens were also another week older than the last). Feathers came out just fine. Thanks for the advice folks!! This site is great!

This is exactly my experience, word for word!!

The chickens are 8 weeks old and now that I think about it more, there was slight resistance when I pulled a big wing feather after scalding for a minute, but I "thought" they came out adequately. I guess not. I did add some liquid dish soap to the water too. I'm going to pick up a more...

Hey all! I butchered 5 of my 20 Cornish Cross chickens this past weekend and had some difficulty with the skin tearing. I scalded them in 150 degree water for one minute each but I'm thinking that the thermometer I was using is off and that the water may have actually been hotter. I was also...

Love the video! Mine like to hang out on the deck at the back of the house too. They'd follow me into the house if I'd let them lol. I too have a runt that seems totally fine, feathered out with the rest of the flock, just smaller than the others. And like yours, she's one of the sweetest of...

I'm free ranging mine and although I do bring out their trough and fill it in the morning, they eat for 10 minutes and then are off foraging for the rest of the day. As sundown approaches, I bring their trough back inside and fill it. This helps bring in the stubborn ones that want to stay...

Chicken bones are completely safe for dogs so long as they are raw. Never give a dog cooked poultry bones!

As you may have guessed by my last post, I did drop the idea of a tractor in favour of converting part of my barn for chickens. I made significant progress on it last night and am confident that it will be ready for Saturday. My wife had a good laugh when she came in to check on me at 11pm...

Thanks! I guess I'm a little "chicken" as this is my first time ;-)

Well, at one week + one day my chicks are doing very well. They're actively testing out their wings abilities and are having fun trying to perch on the stick I placed low in the brooder. I'll be moving them to the barn this weekend after I spend a few evenings getting it set up for them but...

Hey JessicaThistle! I did read your thread and love the videos! I'm not completely foregoing the idea of a tractor (it's 80% built) but I will be using it for night time keeping and the odd day I have to work at the office. For the rest of the time, they will be free ranging :-)

I'm only on page 11 of this thread (and will continue reading after my post) but I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this discussion! We moved to the country earlier this month and I'm picking up my very first batch of 20 CX chicks this afternoon!!!! I originally had thought I'd be...