BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[GabrielBane]

If anyone purchases any, let me know, we discussed it briefly but decided we had enough other projects going on. They look like a great breed.

 

[lpatelski]

Please tell me again how chicken math works!

My new chick pen that I built for myself. My Birthday gift to me.

 

[stryker]

Please tell me again how chicken math works!

My new chick pen that I built for myself. My Birthday gift to me.

Nice brooder. Chicken math starts with about as many as you have there and then in the fall or spring you have 6-7 times that many..

 

[Molpet]

Please tell me again how chicken math works!

My new chick pen that I built for myself. My Birthday gift to me.

I have trouble with subtractions But I have only a cockerel left to do before winter .. and several turkeys

 

[lcertuche]

I had a visitor to day in my RedStar hen coop. I picked up the lid and dove my hand down to pick up the eggs.

I snatched my hand back and dropped the lid. I was able to grab him by the tail and pull him out. I relocated him 10 miles away.

He was little and only ate one egg.

OMG! I would have had a heart attack for sure.

 

[Beekissed]

I had to put my hand on a possum lately too...except it was dried up, rotten and covered in maggots all at the same time.

One of the dogs had tried to bury it in the corner of my spare pen...got a big whiff of it when I went in there and it was truly gag worthy. Took it out to the woods and gave a big heave, hoping it gets consumed out there. I hope it was the one stealing the cat's food.

 

[ejcrist]

This one is no juvenile ... caught in my trap this morning.

I don't "catch-and-release" because around here, that is called, "Dumping your problem on someone else." Even if I took it to the state forest, I'll bet she'll be back in a couple nights.

You got the right idea for sure. The sad thing is their fur isn't even worth enough to take the time to skin anymore. I used to just use parts of them for fox bait in sets.

 

[lcertuche]

My grandma used to feed them cornmeal, for a couple of weeks and then butcher and cook. My daddy said she was the only one that could cook possum that he could eat. I was too young to remember what it was like. I did once eat barbecue raccoon but wasn't too impressed.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Well the chicken dinner verdict is in- all cockerels will be eaten younger than 20 weeks and the method of dispatch will be the cutting of the jugular. I was astonished at how much blood there was in a chicken, and it seemed to take a long time for the rooster to pass on when I cut the veins, so in the interest of a quick humane death the next one got the axe- but almost zero blood drained out. I think it might have ruined the meat, the dark meat was like eating gizzards. Mind you this was a hyper well exercised 24 week old rooster, always running up and down the side of the pen. Lots of testosterone, his testicles were huge. He was a bit of brute with the hens so goodbye. Brining for three days didn't remove much blood. The dark meat was pretty chewy, although the breast meat was good (and lots of it, a buckeye/cornish cross). Very little fat. I just skinned this fellow, brined, and filleted the meat off. It would probably help if I was a decent cook, but unfortunately it's not a skill that I have! Thankfully there's only one cull rooster left, the rest will be evaluated for breeding stock next spring.

 

[Molpet]

Well the chicken dinner verdict is in- all cockerels will be eaten younger than 20 weeks and the method of dispatch will be the cutting of the jugular. I was astonished at how much blood there was in a chicken, and it seemed to take a long time for the rooster to pass on when I cut the veins, so in the interest of a quick humane death the next one got the axe- but almost zero blood drained out. I think it might have ruined the meat, the dark meat was like eating gizzards. Mind you this was a hyper well exercised 24 week old rooster, always running up and down the side of the pen. Lots of testosterone, his testicles were huge. He was a bit of brute with the hens so goodbye. Brining for three days didn't remove much blood. The dark meat was pretty chewy, although the breast meat was good (and lots of it, a buckeye/cornish cross). Very little fat. I just skinned this fellow, brined, and filleted the meat off. It would probably help if I was a decent cook, but unfortunately it's not a skill that I have! Thankfully there's only one cull rooster left, the rest will be evaluated for breeding stock next spring.

umm did you cook him like a fryer or broiler? ...Low and slow helps... I simmered a skinned 26 wk jerk cockerel in a pot of broth for a couple of hrs and he was quite tender
http://www.kaleberg.com/food/stewinghen.html
http://proverbsthirtyonewoman.blogs...k-old-laying-hen-or-rooster.html#.WA9XhvArLIU