➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

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CrazyCrttr75 said:
Side question for y'all.... those of you that process your own birds. Do you have special equipment or nah? Like, do you really need a scalder or a feather plucking machine? Are they just helpful/bonus or definitely must have if possible? I think a cone would be the humane and useful way to go. Of course a very sharp knife. What are the basic items you would recommend to someone?
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Nope and no way. You don't need much.
I skin my birds; I don't feel like hauling hot water all the way out to my processing spot or running electricity out to heat it there. I've used a plucker. It worked well, but it was pretty pricey for the small benefit of not taking the skin off. I don't roast my birds anyway. Skinning is easy, fast, and not fiddly.

I kill my birds by cervical dislocation. According to quite a few studies (and vets,) it's one of the fastest ways of killing a bird that renders it fit for consumption while being easy to perform in a private setting. Decapitation is good too, just not my preferred way for my setup. I don't need equipment for that, just my hands. I take the head off completely as soon as possible to facilitate blood drain.

One thing I would say is to GET A REAL TABLE. One with a faucet attachment. I got one a week or so ago and I can't believe I held out two years. I went from taking around 45--50 minutes per bird to down around 30 each, kill to chill. It is absolutely amazing; simply having a secure, hands-free source of running water dramatically improves the sanitation and ease of the whole process. Well worth the money if you're doing them with any regularity. Plus, having a surface I can bleach and scrub well is just good sanitation practices.

Absolute basics equipment-wise for me would be a table, a hose, a 5 gal bucket to contain blood and guts, and a knife for taking them apart. Oh, and a gallon bag to put the finished bird into. I use a loop of baling twine nailed into a tree to hang the dead birds for bleeding out, but I wouldn't mind a cone.

I've butchered a bird on the top of a wire dog crate after dusk with no running water and only a pair of scissors to do all the cutting with, but I wouldn't call that ideal. :p

If you're the OCD type, like yours truly, I can give you an intensely detailed rundown of the process and common variables. (It's what I wish someone gave to me when I started.)
 
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KDOGG331 said:
Anybody ever heard of this breed before? Sounds very interesting.

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/grd/d/dunstable-mosaic-rooster-rare-breed/6951906077.html

http://www.goldfeatherfarms.com/exotic-poultry-chicks-and-hatching-eggs/product/70-mosaics
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Except that it isn't a recognized breed, it's someone's project. So, basically a mix that they're calling "rare" (because they're the only ones breeding them) and trying to convince people they're worth a premium price. Best of luck to them with it, maybe they have the chicken equivalent of a labradoodle. Or, maybe there are already a lot of Silkie mixes out there and people don't bite. Hard to predict sometimes.
 
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debid said:
Except that it isn't a recognized breed, it's someone's project. So, basically a mix that they're calling "rare" (because they're the only ones breeding them) and trying to convince people they're worth a premium price. Best of luck to them with it, maybe they have the chicken equivalent of a labradoodle. Or, maybe there are already a lot of Silkie mixes out there are people don't bite. Hard to predict sometimes.
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:goodpost:
 
debid said:
Except that it isn't a recognized breed, it's someone's project. So, basically a mix that they're calling "rare" (because they're the only ones breeding them) and trying to convince people they're worth a premium price. Best of luck to them with it, maybe they have the chicken equivalent of a labradoodle. Or, maybe there are already a lot of Silkie mixes out there are people don't bite. Hard to predict sometimes.
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Thanks! That makes sense. I didn’t really think of it like that. I guess if they are the only ones breeding them, then it is kind of weird they’re already calling them a breed and everything and charging so much ha there doesn’t even appear to be much consistency in traits yet. And I think they said they only have like 6 or 10 hens? Did you pick up on that too? Ha

But for free, that roo is definitely a looker and I do like the earlobe color of the “breed” too. But probably not worth $40 a chick lol
 
Also I just noticed the eggs alone are $25 PER EGG!?!?!? :eek: :th and $40 per chick... I... :eek: :th the more I look into it, the more it is honestly starting to seem like they are just trying to make big bucks/get rich off their birds haha

But they are definitely pretty. I hope eventually they maybe can get recognized cause they do seem cool but I guess now they would just still be considered mutts? Doesn’t mention what breeds were used to create them. Probably because they want you to believe they’re a real breed.
 

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