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  1. carolinagirl58

    Metzer Farms

    I just received my gosling order from Metzer this morning. I was concerned.....shipping all the way across the country is a long way! But when I opened the box, all 8 little heads popped up for a look around. The groGel was a GREAT investment. I got the little geese home and into their cage...
  2. carolinagirl58

    I scored a batch of 17 week old Cornish Rock x's this weekend.

    yes, WELL worth the effort. Between that and the venison I already have in the freezer, I won't need to buy meat for a long time
  3. carolinagirl58

    I scored a batch of 17 week old Cornish Rock x's this weekend.

    well, the chickens are in the freezer. Butchering was kind of different. Several of these birds had huge amounts of thick yellow fat in their abdominal cavities. so much fat it was difficult to cut them because I could not see what I was cutting. It was kind of disgusting. And then when I...
  4. carolinagirl58

    Delawares

    yep....very true. The first time I raised Cornish Rock crosses, I swore I'd never do it again because they were so freakish. But when we processed them, I was so pleased with the yield and the flavor that I have changed my mind. I actually have a batch now that I bought over the weekend for...
  5. carolinagirl58

    Delawares

    they were kept as egg layers for the first two years and were fed laying pellets. When I got new hens, I gave mine to a neighbor. He slaughtered them soon after and was pretty shocked at how underdeveloped they were. My Cornish Rock Crossed at 8 weeks were so big that one breast was enough...
  6. carolinagirl58

    I scored a batch of 17 week old Cornish Rock x's this weekend.

    some of them look like small turkeys. I am really amazed at how large they are. I figure even if the legs and thighs are too tough, I can't even buy dog food that cheap. And I am sure they will be fine if they are roasted or baked....maybe just not grilled. That's fine with me.
  7. carolinagirl58

    Delawares

    no, they were not. they came from a guy who raised heritage birds. the original source was an amish breeder.
  8. carolinagirl58

    I scored a batch of 17 week old Cornish Rock x's this weekend.

    I am a very happy camper. I scored 18 Cornish Rock crosses this weekend for $3 each. They were leftovers after the commercial truck came to clean out the broiler houses. They were moved to the broiler house's owners yard where his wife has fed them chicken scratch and cracked corn ever since...
  9. carolinagirl58

    Delawares

    best egg birds EVER. Meat? not so much. I had 6 of them and they laid like crazy, all through the heat of summer and the cold short days of summer. They were awesome. They were pretty scrawny on meat though.
  10. carolinagirl58

    Three newbies attempting 8 Cornish rocks this Friday!!!

    To assist in getting the heads down in the cones, I tied a cord to a heavy fishing sinker and looped the other end around the bird's neck. Then just drop the sinker through the hole in the bottom of the cone and guide the chicken through. The weight of the sinker helps hold the bird upside...
  11. carolinagirl58

    processing tomorrow - what do you do with the "extra" parts?

    I kept the livers for us, but all of the rest of the innards were fed to my livestock guardian dogs.The necks are in the freezer, as are the backs. The feet might get made into stock if I can do it (they are creepy looking), If not....they will go in the dehydrator and will become dog treats...
  12. carolinagirl58

    What are the final steps in butchering a chicken?

    I made cones out of metal flashing but the birds did not fit will. I think a large bleach jug with a metal flashing extension on it (to make it deeper) might be perfect. I hosed them off after killing and before scalding. Then they went in the plucker. Once each chicken was done, I put it in...
  13. carolinagirl58

    Anybody every drown a bird for processing/why or why not?

    that's a horrible way for a chicken (or any animal) to die. If you can't do it quick methods, then either hire someone else to do it or don't raise meat birds.
  14. carolinagirl58

    start of my first meat bird experience

    that will be plenty. They don't move around much. I had mine in a 130' electronet and they rarely ventured farther than 6' from their food bowls.
  15. carolinagirl58

    Cornish Cross tough

    If you cook it within an hour of killing it, the meat would be fine. But then the chicken goes into rigor mortis and it will be very tough if you try to eat it. you have to wait until the rigor passes before freezing or eating the chicken. This takes around 2 to 3 days. If you can move the...
  16. carolinagirl58

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

    Oh, so THAT's what the clear water was. I found it in some of my chickens but since it was clear and odorless I didn't stress about it. I did break one gall bladder when I was trying to get it separated from the liver. Had to trash that liver.
  17. carolinagirl58

    Three newbies attempting 8 Cornish rocks this Friday!!!

    here's a good youtube video for you. I believe I could actually do it the way this woman does it. It looks very gentle and peaceful for the chicken (except for the part where she finishes pulling the head off). The main thing is to use a VERY sharp knife. We used a razor knife and I wasn't...
  18. carolinagirl58

    We ate our first farm raised chicken for dinner last night

    They were Cornish Rock X from Tractor Supply Store. They were 8 weeks old and some of the birds weighed close to 10 pounds cleaned. I was shocked at the size of them. I sliced a breast up and sauteed it with onions, salt and pepper and a little soy sauce. Man was it ever GOOD!!
  19. carolinagirl58

    We ate our first farm raised chicken for dinner last night

    And now I understand why raising my own chickens is so well worth the effort. I had no idea that chicken could taste SOOOO good! Commercial chicken is rather bland; I thought it was supposed to be that way. This chicken, however, was so flavorful and delicious. It actually has a taste that...
  20. carolinagirl58

    Should I order 100 meat chickens?

    X3 now that I have grown and processed my birds, I am glad Tractor supply made a mistake the first time around and gave me 40 Leghorn pullet chicks instead of 40 Cornish Rock chicks. when they replaced them, I got 21 Cornish Rocks and the rest in a sexlink laying pullet variety.
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