100 Broilers and Fermented Feed Project

[kuntrygirl]

Yours are really growing. Great weights. You would probably want to wait and process at the desired number of weeks that you planned. What size dressed weight are you wanting?

I honestly have no clue. I usually buy the $6 sized chicken from Walmart, but I have no idea how many pounds that is. Going off $1.29 a lb, that's about a 4.5lb bird. So I could start processing when they get to around 6lbs.

I'm no expert, but I think 6 lbs live would be good. How many do you have again?

 

[Coralietg]

I'm no expert, but I think 6 lbs live would be good. How many do you have again?

16 that are 4 weeks and 3 days old. I have another 15 but they are only about a week old.

I had put all the new ones inside the house with the regular brooding chicks while we were freeing up the outside brooder. When I moved them over a couple of days a go, I realised I couldn't tell the difference between the New Hampshire chicks, and the Red Rangers.

I got 5 Red Rangers, and there are 6 red ones outside while I figure out who is the odd one out.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I'm no expert, but I think 6 lbs live would be good. How many do you have again?

16 that are 4 weeks and 3 days old. I have another 15 but they are only about a week old.

I had put all the new ones inside the house with the regular brooding chicks while we were freeing up the outside brooder. When I moved them over a couple of days a go, I realised I couldn't tell the difference between the New Hampshire chicks, and the Red Rangers.  I got 5 Red Rangers, and there are 6 red ones outside while I figure out who is the odd one out.

Cool. You have a bunch! Yours will be that 6 lb weight in no time. I know you're excited !

 

[Coralietg]

Cool. You have a bunch! Yours will be that 6 lb weight in no time. I know you're excited !

I am excited, I'm just very nervous about the dispatching. My husband keeps trying to talk me into sending them somewhere else who charges $2 a bird or something. I feel bad that I'm putting the whole killing on him.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Cool. You have a bunch! Yours will be that 6 lb weight in no time. I know you're excited !

I am excited, I'm just very nervous about the dispatching. My husband keeps trying to talk me into sending them somewhere else who charges $2 a bird or something. I feel bad that I'm putting the whole killing on him. 

I totally understand. What will be his method of dispatching?

 

[LindaB220]

All of the broilers that I processed had soooooooooo many good looking livers, hearts and gizzards. I bagged and froze them up separately weighing16 ounces per bag per part. I then placed the small bags in a large freezer bag and will use each 16 ounces of each to make my dressing. I didn't want to freeze all of them together because it was way too much.

I had another broiler last night and it was very small. That baby was so good. It was finger licking good. I love garlic, so I put a lot of garlic powder and stuffed it with garlic.

I hate to say but I ate the whole thing.

And I froze the bones for my stock.

Angel had the 50 birds. I think you should go for it and get a few and process at a small weight. That would be perfect.

Yeah I think I will. I may have to wait until fall because it gets so darn hot, Well, you would know about heat.

Shreveport gets hot but not near the humidity as south.

 

[Coralietg]

I totally understand. What will be his method of dispatching?

I don't think he had picked a way in particular. I got him a very sharp dispatching knife, and told him about bleeding them out and the killing cones. I feel like this is my project and it's unfair to make him do all the killing but sheesh, the thought of cutting into their neck freaks me out a little. He's not a hunter and has never done anything like this before, so he's about as experienced as I am.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I totally understand. What will be his method of dispatching?

I don't think he had picked a way in particular. I got him a very sharp dispatching knife, and told him about bleeding them out and the killing cones. I feel like this is my project and it's unfair to make him do all the killing but sheesh, the thought of cutting into their neck freaks me out a little. He's not a hunter and has never done anything like this before, so he's about as experienced as I am.

I understand about the knife. That's why I used the pellet gun. One shot in the head and you walk away.

 

[aoxa]

Peafowl egg did not hatch Kuntrygirl. :/ I opened it 2 days after it was due to hatch and it was deformed in the head.

I am blaming it on his management of his breeding birds rather than my hatching.. I have tried with at least 30 eggs and not a single one hatched. He did admit that he is feeding them layer feed. I told him that that is asking for trouble. I figured they would need a game bird feed like turkeys or pheasants.. Anyway.. Hope he changes what they are eating so I can successfully hatch one.

I think there were a total of 4 fertile eggs.. the rest were all either clear or cracked.

Thought I'd give you an update.

I had an awesome hatch this week though. I have to count my totals, but I had only 8 that didn't hatch and there were well over 100 chicks.

 

[katbriar]

kuntrygirl- I have devoured and loved your thread. I don't know how you've had time to do all you do much less post about it. You're a wonder.

I'm expecting 25 cornish cross on Tuesday. I'd done five last year (along with a few red broilers for comparison) to see how I liked them. They were wonderful!

I have my own list of "dos and don'ts" based on last year's experience, but have learned a ton more from you. Thanks for sharing it. Love all these folks trying something new and being determined to learn from it.

I still don't know how you processed 30+ birds by yourself in 6 (?) hours.