Against the odds hatching thread (with pictures and questions)

[aart]

Great, thanks. Maybe she’s just the droopy auntie type

It's funny to watch them run

 

[K0k0shka]

It's funny to watch them run

Oh yeah, I love it. The big fat fluffy ones are the best, with their heads down and their butts wobbling.

 

[aart]

Oh yeah, I love it. The big fat fluffy ones are the best, with their heads down and their butts wobbling.

I meant the pendulous crop birds.

 

[K0k0shka]

I meant the pendulous crop birds.

Oh... yeah, I guess if it’s a very big one it probably swings and flops around. This one isn’t so extreme, and gets lost in the fluff, so she just looks like a fat hen running.

 

[nicalandia]

How about 1 out of 13 eggs hatched at 104 degrees due to human error?

 

[Jennc-123]

Crowing boy #2 made a delicious sous vide roast. Little Butt, with the umbilical issue. His butt and everything else looked perfectly smooth and normal, not a sign of whatever that issue was. My husband salt brined him overnight, that's all the rest he got and he was delicious! A little chewier than store-bought meat, unavoidably, but I wouldn't call it tough at all. Even the breast was juicy and flavorful, and less chewy than the first chicken (probably because of the sous vide though). The meat was SO much more flavorful than store chickens! Man I missed that taste so much!!! I definitely want to raise a handful of meat chickens along with the pet chickens every year now.

The next chicken to crow will participate in the carcass resting experiment. I'll rest him for 2-3 days and then make the same pressure cooker soup as the first one. I'm very very curious. Meanwhile, I asked my mom (who also grew up rural) and a few friends who grew up rural in other countries, and nobody had heard of the meat resting practice. So I wonder if it's regional/cultural..

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'Resting' is a large animal practice. We rest moose, deer, elk, bear, pig, cattle, buffalo, etc. for 2-4 days.
I would never rest a bird, the small carcass doesn't require it.

 

[aart]

I would never rest a bird, the small carcass doesn't require it.

Maybe not for young birds(<20 weeks), but it's made a world of difference here with older ones.

 

[K0k0shka]

'Resting' is a large animal practice. We rest moose, deer, elk, bear, pig, cattle, buffalo, etc. for 2-4 days.
I would never rest a bird, the small carcass doesn't require it.

If/when I ever get my hands on an older bird, I will certainly test this out. We used to stew or pressure cook older birds back in the day and they were fine. I don’t remember any horrible shoe leather experiences, and I hadn’t heard of resting any meat until I joined this forum.

 

[Jennc-123]

If/when I ever get my hands on an older bird, I will certainly test this out. We used to stew or pressure cook older birds back in the day and they were fine. I don’t remember any horrible shoe leather experiences, and I hadn’t heard of resting any meat until I joined this forum.

My mom always loved to get her hands on 'stewing hens' they make the best, most flavourful soup. I guess the resting old birds makes sense, I may have to try when my layers age out (the children have named them, they aren't pets. But friendlier birds live longer)

 

[aart]

If/when I ever get my hands on an older bird, I will certainly test this out. We used to stew or pressure cook older birds back in the day and they were fine. I don’t remember any horrible shoe leather experiences, and I hadn’t heard of resting any meat until I joined this forum.

First cockerel (6mo) I pressure cooked was show leather.
Was completely convinced when I rested a 30mo hen for 3-4 days, then pressure cooked,
breast was tender enough to slice for a sammich, rather than dicing into small pieces for a soup.