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  1. iwltfum

    Birds got too warm after processing?

    Man that's a tough one. I've had a cooler with 100+ birds mysteriously shut down at an unknown date and ended up with room temp birds for at least a few hours. I did eat them. But I made sure to not give anyway from that batch. I also cooked and ate a chicken first and waited 24 hours before I...
  2. iwltfum

    Can I Feed Regular Chicken Feed to Broilers?

    A 20% chick grower feed would be totally fine. If they are older than about 5 weeks you could even go as low as 18% percent. Anything meant for chickens that isn't "layer" feed and between 18-22% protein would work great.
  3. iwltfum

    Meyer Hatchery Red Broilers

    That's awesome you got so much out of them! It's always a bit plus or minus for me. Some years are great, some not as much, this year has been really perfect conditions- at least for those of us in the northeast US. The hatcheries have to mitigate that they do all their testing in controlled...
  4. iwltfum

    Brahmas gender

    Thank you three! That's kind of what I'm thinking - maybe the big one a cockerel, and the other two females. But it's hard to tell. Maybe a few more weeks to know for sure. I've heard they're slow to mature. I don't see any saddle feathers on any of them.
  5. iwltfum

    Brahmas gender

    12 week old brahmas. Mottled and partridge. Any ideas? I've raised a good few chickens, but I can not tell if the two big ones are roos or not
  6. iwltfum

    Red Rangers

    A lot of questions. I'll dive into a few. 15-20 red rangers will be fine in a 8x12 coop especially if you let them out for the day. You will probably still need to move the coop at least once a day as they get older if you want optimal cleanliness they might roost if you offer them low roosting...
  7. iwltfum

    Maine

    My understanding is that "inspection" in the clause you are referring to there is an "onsite poultry butchering inspector". Meaning a person that remains through the butchering process and physically watches the birds get butchered. That is a federal requirement for slaughter houses. The...
  8. iwltfum

    Maine

    Oh man my knowledge of this is not as fresh as it used to be but I spent many hours over these regulations a few years back. Basically, it all boils down to you can butcher 1000 birds at your home as long as you abide by basic food safety requirements in your butchering area (things like running...
  9. iwltfum

    Meat Bird+ Project: Delaware/New Hampshire/Barred Rock

    I would say those are excellent weights for hatchery heritage birds. I would be really happy with that.
  10. iwltfum

    Accidentally purchased meat bird, now what?

    Definitely not beyond processing age and you don't need to pressure cook a 16 week old chicken of any breed. That being said, I doubt anyone that is willing to process it, would be willing to buy it from you. I'm sure lots of folks would happily take it off your hands for free.
  11. iwltfum

    How long on ice in fridge?

    Wait, are we talking turkeys? Turkey meat ages a little more gracefully than chicken.
  12. iwltfum

    How long on ice in fridge?

    8-12 hours for rigor to pass usually. I air chill for about 12 hours or overnight generally. 24hours maximum time before freezing for me. I just feel like it gives me more fridge time after thawing when I want to eventually eat it. You really only get about 5 or 6 fridge days total with a raw...
  13. iwltfum

    Best Weight to Process Dual-Purpose Cockerels

    Haha I was sitting back not sure if we were talking about weighing a chicken in a kitchen or weighing one in a coop. To get a rough weight of a chicken in the field, the best way I've found is to bring a bathroom scale and a square of plywood out to wherever your chicken is. Put the scale on the...
  14. iwltfum

    How do you use a poultry sticker knife?

    That's close, but not exactly how I do it personally, but it seems to work for them. I try and actually get the knife behind the skin and artery a little more, but maybe I've just seen more issues with a shallow cut than they have for some reason. But once you find your rhythm, you will know...
  15. iwltfum

    How do you use a poultry sticker knife?

    It's meant to poke through the skin in behind the carotid arteries and then slice them on angle as you slice following the jaw bone outward through the skin - one at a time. Using that cut, you don't end up moving the edge of the knife across the hard shaft of feathers, which dulls the knife...
  16. iwltfum

    What about butchering extra roosters for others?

    Butcher two and keep one is a great idea. My neighbor is always wandering over with a few cockerels from her hatchlings whenever I butcher my meat birds in the fall. I generally butcher a few for her just to be neighborly, but I think I'm going to suggest a splitsies deal this year.
  17. iwltfum

    Duckling has dry skin peeling and walking backwards while dragging bill on ground in a squiggle pattern

    Have you seen any improvement since changing their brooder set up? Whatever is going on looks very progressed. Sorry you're dealing with this issue. I would suggest using pine shavings instead of paper towels for bedding. And some way to contain the water from getting splashed on the bedding is...
  18. iwltfum

    Packaging Options for Whole Birds

    Heat shrink bags is definitely what I would recommend. Usually folks have a scalder anyway, which is usually completely capable of holding the temp you need for both scalding and heat shrinking. I'm not sure if "texas poultry shrink bags" is still in the picture. I bought a couple thousand a few...
  19. iwltfum

    Tips for feeding/prepping Dual Purpose breeds for processing

    Happy, healthy, and clean birds make the best meat - and eggs. Check those three things off the list and you are set 👍 the rest is window dressings
  20. iwltfum

    Help me!

    That looks alot like a Cornish cross meat bird to me
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