BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Kusanar]

Quote:
Wouldn't a pair of pruners like you would use to trim up a shrub work? At least on the bones? I can't imagine that a bird bone is much harder than some branches...

 

[AnthNDacula]

Wouldn't a pair of pruners like you would use to trim up a shrub work? At least on the bones? I can't imagine that a bird bone is much harder than some branches...

Julia Child used to use a meat clever and mallet.

 

[DesertChic]

I bet the ones hellbender posted recently would be awesome! I saw a heavy duty pair at TSC once, gone when I wanted them..
I picked up a heavy duty pair a lot like the ones hellbender posted at a Christmas Tree Shop store pretty cheap.

They're on my list, but I live on a pretty strict budget. Since I already have two pairs of poultry shears that I bought from Stromberg's last year, I need to have a bit more need for a new pair before making the purchase. Persistence....and a fair amount of cursing got me through this last chicken. With a little luck, the rest of my culls will go as smoothly as they typically do.

 

[DesertChic]

Wouldn't a pair of pruners like you would use to trim up a shrub work? At least on the bones? I can't imagine that a bird bone is much harder than some branches...

Julia Child used to use a meat clever and mallet.

Hadn't thought about pruners. Very clever!

LOL! I'm not sure I'm qualified to handle a cleaver and mallet. I'd probably wind up chopping off my own hand.

 

[hellbender]

Hadn't thought about pruners. Very clever!

LOL! I'm not sure I'm qualified to handle a cleaver and mallet. I'd probably wind up chopping off my own hand.

Chicken shears are the way to go. If one uses garden implements, there is likely that the meat can get an off-color or flavor. Might not be off-putting to some but that's just how I see it.

 

[LindaB220]

Chicken shears are the way to go. If one uses garden implements, there is likely that the meat can get an off-color or flavor. Might not be off-putting to some but that's just how I see it.

Yeah that's what I thought. Ron, don't you have nubian goats

 

[hellbender]

Yeah that's what I thought. Ron, don't you have nubian goats

No. Saanens. Nubians are fine goats...just too mouthy for me..

 

[lpatelski]

Wouldn't a pair of pruners like you would use to trim up a shrub work? At least on the bones? I can't imagine that a bird bone is much harder than some branches...

I use a pair of Plumber's pipe cutters from Lowes. Careful they will lop off your finger. They cut through bone like butter. I use them to not only cut through the leg and wing bones. I use them to decapitate; blade to back of neck. Curve to front of neck. I think it's more comfortable and catches the vertebra first.

 

[jbkirk]

I use a pair of Plumber's pipe cutters from Lowes. Careful they will lop off your finger. They cut through bone like butter. I use them to not only cut through the leg and wing bones. I use them to decapitate; blade to back of neck. Curve to front of neck. I think it's more comfortable and catches the vertebra first.

Great idea....

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I butchered my last frizzled EE cockerel today, and now realize that I should've done it long ago. I spent over a month "fattening him up", but he still only maxed out at just under 5 pounds live weight, and processed out at 3.72 lbs at 37 weeks. That bird was a ton of work to process. I spent over an hour on him, and now feel very comfortable in my decision to NOT pursue my frizzle project. They're just too much work in every way.

I think they're appealing looking (well, ok, adorable), but when I read about the various down sides in them staying warm and dry, etc., and other issues, I decided it was too much fuss for me. I hadn't even thought about how hard it would be to process them...

Quote: Yup. I can cook as well or better than most of the restaurant meals I can buy, because of the quality of the ingredients (and I have at least some skill in cooking what I like). Eating out doesn't have much appeal to me any more...

Here are some photos of the the Aloha Naked Neck chicks I just hatched (there are 7 - six Naked Neck, one turned out fully feathered, but I'm going to grow it out as it's Aloha). I LOVE the way Naked Neck chicks behave...





I've been moving and putting up fences for new paddocks for everyone. Not TOO hard, all things considered, but hard enough. In the interests of "pasture" management, I am trying to have at least two paddock areas for each group, so they can alternate (letting the ground rest and giving them fresh ground). Ultimate goal may be to have a single big flock, or an egg and a meat flock, but since my primary Naked Neck rooster does NOT tolerate any other males, I'm running smaller families instead of multiple cockerels/roosters in a larger group, at least for now. After a week or two "cooped" up, the Naked Necks finally got to roam in their new paddock outside of their new coop - and I installed an automatic door, which is SO AWESOME after doing that by hand for so long each night. I'm putting one in for each group. Tonight the Speckeld Sussex got their new paddock and were SO glad to be let back out (especially onto fresh grass). I hope to have their coop factor built soon and then I'll put them with Tank (who has been tidbitting them through the fence for ages - they've just started paying attention to him, so it's about the right time, they were too young for him before). He gets some girlfriends and family to live with, and I get to keep him for breeding purposes. (Apoc is all by himself in a tractor - I need to give him a secure paddock - he's really good at escape. I like him a lot and want to keep him.) Cream Legbar paddock is next.

Golly, that makes me tired just typing all that!!!

- Ant Farm