Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[OHmamma]

ewww chicken butt eaters.
I have a WJ C1 roo that is just beautiful but he lost his leg feathers before he was a juvie. I keep him as a free ranger and he is quite an impressive one!

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
I believe you, but I can't yet bring myself to kill and eat something I hovered over and, frankly, prayed for while it was hatching. I'm going to feel bad enough about handing three culls over to be eaten. I've got a Jeane C1 cockerel and pullet that both have orange breasts, they gotta go.
(And yes, he loves the tails, but he calls them the "Pope's Nose". I guess that's the Protestant version. LOL)

By the way, is there anyone here who did not grow up doing their own butchering who does it now? How hard is it to get over the citified repulsion to it? Does it get easier after the first one? The first two?

I hated doing chickens as a kid now my husband and I do no more than 7 at a time including a turkey and it is no big deal he does the killing though I can now too and then we have our jobs he scalds them as he does it the best and he helps pluck then he goes to start another one and I finish up the bird I put them in ice/water then as I have time I pkg them in between the others. I try not to let them get over 6 months it keeps the work easy though of course you have older ones I sell those to the Mexicans or take them to auction they bring good money....after you eat one the taste is so great it makes it much easier

 

[onthespot]

Quote:
x 1000

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I believe you, but I can't yet bring myself to kill and eat something I hovered over and, frankly, prayed for while it was hatching. I'm going to feel bad enough about handing three culls over to be eaten. I've got a Jeane C1 cockerel and pullet that both have orange breasts, they gotta go.
(And yes, he loves the tails, but he calls them the "Pope's Nose". I guess that's the Protestant version. LOL)

By the way, is there anyone here who did not grow up doing their own butchering who does it now? How hard is it to get over the citified repulsion to it? Does it get easier after the first one? The first two?

I did not grow up with the butchering. . . . I just had a friend come over with 6 extra roosters. She did not grow up with butchering either.

We had another friend that was raised butchering animals come over to mentor us through the process. Having the whole "group" experience really made a difference.

What turns one person's stomach doesn't turn another. .. . For example, I just can not kill an animal - - Just can't do it!
Dh can do that part. I can do the cleaning out of the animal with NO PROBLEM, Dh can't stomach the guts and stuff.
We skinned our birds. . . . and my friend had a real hard time skinning her roos because she just didn't have the hand strength for it.

When you work in a group, you can divide the tasks up so that each person is doing what they don't mind doing and keep each other company while doing this. We had a guy over who only felt comfortable spraying the work tables clean and holding the hose for us as we washed up. . . This was still a "needed" and appreciated contribution to the whole process!

At the end of the day, everyone went home with a "job well done" feeling.

 

[Zanna]

Quote:
I believe you, but I can't yet bring myself to kill and eat something I hovered over and, frankly, prayed for while it was hatching. I'm going to feel bad enough about handing three culls over to be eaten. I've got a Jeane C1 cockerel and pullet that both have orange breasts, they gotta go.
(And yes, he loves the tails, but he calls them the "Pope's Nose". I guess that's the Protestant version. LOL)

By the way, is there anyone here who did not grow up doing their own butchering who does it now? How hard is it to get over the citified repulsion to it? Does it get easier after the first one? The first two?

I grew up in the city (Vancouver, BC) but always yearned to be a "farm girl". When I was 19, (23 years ago) I had the opportunity to come train horses on the farm I am still at in Oregon. I was never repulsed by the butchering process but saddened by it. I just remind my self of the wonderfull life my chickens have had compared to the mass market farmed chickens and be happy for the great, healthy food I have produced for myself. It does get easier............ My first chicken butchering ever was 25 cornish cross we had raised, (Frankenchickens DH called them) and honestly, they were such smelly, strange chickens I had no problem butchering them, I wanted them gone and never intend to raise them again!!! My lovely marans though, definitely more of an issue.

 

[geebs]

Zanna: maybe we should get a group together to butcher... I know a fella not too far from us that caponizes... He is a BYCer and a real nice fella... lives down the road from Lenster... We could put together a "class" or group summer freezer camp and process our extras.. What do you think? I just can't kill....but am not repulsed by dead things so cleaning etc not a biggy to me.

 

[Sphinx]

I'm just not sure if I could bring myself to butcher my chickens for food. I realize that it's completely irrational, and if things were really awful, and grocery stores weren't available, I'd get over my squeamishness.

Here's Foster this morning at 7 weeks. I figure that although it holds itself more like a pullet, the comb and waddles scream roo.

 

[geebs]

Notice: I threw up a thread for Cuckoo... I know lots of ppl keep more than one color bird.. I only have a token standard hen that doesn't have feathers on her legs and 4 "bantam" sized cuckoos but I hope those with some experience will give it a go... I glad to see ppl getting excited over that color agian... They remind me so much of the barred rocks and the Dominique...

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
thanks, I go and find the link so I can read and learn.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
I believe you, but I can't yet bring myself to kill and eat something I hovered over and, frankly, prayed for while it was hatching. I'm going to feel bad enough about handing three culls over to be eaten. I've got a Jeane C1 cockerel and pullet that both have orange breasts, they gotta go.
(And yes, he loves the tails, but he calls them the "Pope's Nose". I guess that's the Protestant version. LOL)

By the way, is there anyone here who did not grow up doing their own butchering who does it now? How hard is it to get over the citified repulsion to it? Does it get easier after the first one? The first two?

I did not grow up with the butchering. . . . I just had a friend come over with 6 extra roosters. She did not grow up with butchering either.

We had another friend that was raised butchering animals come over to mentor us through the process. Having the whole "group" experience really made a difference.

What turns one person's stomach doesn't turn another. .. . For example, I just can not kill an animal - - Just can't do it!
Dh can do that part. I can do the cleaning out of the animal with NO PROBLEM, Dh can't stomach the guts and stuff.
We skinned our birds. . . . and my friend had a real hard time skinning her roos because she just didn't have the hand strength for it.

When you work in a group, you can divide the tasks up so that each person is doing what they don't mind doing and keep each other company while doing this. We had a guy over who only felt comfortable spraying the work tables clean and holding the hose for us as we washed up. . . This was still a "needed" and appreciated contribution to the whole process!

At the end of the day, everyone went home with a "job well done" feeling.

I had a college class that taught how to process chickens and other animals for meat- of course that was a number of years ago so my DH and I kind of had to jump in and process when we had a couple birds break a leg. Our kids have no problem helping out- my DD(11) pretty much said it all when she said either they make my breakfast or they make my lunch! DH does all the parts requiring more strengh and I have no problem cleaning out.