Recent content by Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

  1. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    All really good info Ridgerunner. I like your thorough explanations. The Icelandics mature at a moderate pace and don't seem to get stringy until about 8 to 12 months old. Free ranging them I'd describe them as getting more and more turkeyish in taste. Maybe a bit gamey but a good sorta...
  2. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    That's probably good advice however I've settled on preserving this breed so I'm done with other breeds at this point. Just seeing if I can enhance the culinary quality of the roosters I have to cull anyway. My mind may change in the future but I'm leaning towards land races in all livestock if...
  3. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    I toss the chokes to them all the time and the ignore them. I've tried for many years. But yeah I'm a schmaltz kind of guy. I like to render the fat for different dishes and also I like to make a sort of head cheese-esque type chicken loaf with all the goodies from the funny bits lol...
  4. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    Sorry maybe I should have worded that differently. What I was trying to say is that my excess roosters don't make it into the winter coop. Normally I butcher them right before I move the hens and a few chosen roosters to the winter dwelling. I was just saying that I could fatten them up in the...
  5. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    Thank you Kusanar that reinforces my internal thoughts. They get a solid start and have balance thru the season and then just feed them hibernation food for a month. If they gotta go I'd think that would be at least pleasant for them feeding them all their favorite foods
  6. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    They aren't actually meat birds as in bred for meat. They are Icelandic landrace. They are basically in between a bantam and a full size bird. Adult size for a healthy rooster never goes over 2 to 3 lbs. Off the bone about a pound of meat. I'd like it to be a bit fattier though. I've...
  7. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    Those are all good points thanks. So are you saying that even if you fed them good for that last 4 weeks they would just not pack on the fat because they are male? I find I have to seperate them at about 6 to 8 months old for sure or they'll be too heavy handed on the hens. I usually butcher...
  8. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    I'm talking about the roosters that I can't keep thru the winter. I hatch 50 eggs in April or May and half is usually roosters. I feed them until they feather out completely which takes from 6 to 8 weeks. Then I free range them all summer and fall without supplemental feed. I butcher them...
  9. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Alternative ways to fatten up roosters for slaughter

    Hey guys I'm just curious your thoughts on this topic. I've tried meat birds before and I just do not like the concept of such massive amounts of meat bird feed you have to feed them to get them up to weight. Now I just hatch out 50 new birds each year and thin the rooster population down...
  10. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Yooper from the boonies in the U.P. of Michigan

    Oh that is cool. I'm about an hour from Crystal falls.
  11. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Help! 11 degrees ºF outside and need some water!

    No worries I completely understand how what I've said would come across. Honestly it took me a while to venture out into the pioneering realm because there are so much advice that leads you towards products. Corporations readily manipulate curriculum to suggest products. Sounds like some...
  12. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Help! 11 degrees ºF outside and need some water!

    I haven't had a single case many of the common ailments I see people have and I've been feeding snow for 5 years. Beautiful feet, beaks, combs, wattles and feathers with no supplemental heating or water. I used to switch water once or twice a day during 0 degree weather but not anymore. I...
  13. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Help! 11 degrees ºF outside and need some water!

    I exclusively use snow all winter. It all depends on the breed of chicken but I have actually experienced MORE vigor and performance from my birds each season and generation by challenging their tolerance. I do that by using snow as their water source and radical air exchange with an...
  14. Drewberry Jungle Fowl Boy

    Yooper from the boonies in the U.P. of Michigan

    Hey guys. Name is Andrew. I'm here to brainstorm. I'm a city slicker wanna be homesteader that likes to acquire as many skills as I can and am addicted to gleaning information from as many people doing the same thing as me possible. One of those skills involves animal husbandry. I'm not...
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