California - Northern

[ronott1]

what's generally the age/size one processes a heritage breed? i may have a few at some point, but they're all still fairly young yet... but love the idea of a processing get-together, and perhaps learning on not-your-own bird!

Any age works. If they are small they make good fryers.

Most people wait until at least 16 weeks. On the Heritage Large fowl of the Basque thread, someone said that after 24 or so weeks they do not grow enough to warrant the extra time and feed.

From 16 to 20 weeks in general but Dorkings and Langshans can go longer and still be good. The older they are the more you need to Brine them and moisture/slow cook them.

I am sure one of us could handle the killing part.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I know right? Maybe Mulberry is just low class to some people. It tasted great to me.

Jason will likely know the answers to your questions.

I'd love to have another mulberry. I currently have a light purple one. We call them bird poop trees, I think most people call them volunteers, LOL


I was at Green Acres this afternoon. I took a pinch off a plant we've been admiring in the Costco parking lot and took it up there for identification.


I've never considered them for jam, they are normally used for jelly. I made some a few years ago for fair.


We just have the one and it produces really well. We built the original coop underneath it for the massive amounts of shade. The birds just love it when the fruit drops.


I'll try to take a look through my pen for you.


I just processed a marans cockerel. So far they have been the tastiest birds I raise. Always tender, even at 6 months+. Tomorrow I plan do a very small turkey. We have SO many, I plan to do a few at large chicken size, probably 7-8 pounds dressed.

Mulberry does not need cross pollinating here in California. There are so many.
White Mulberry ( Morus alba ) is the most popular and I think the best for Jams. Black Mulberry is sweeter for eating if I recall correctly

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Mulberry does not need cross pollinating here in California. There are so many.
White Mulberry ( Morus alba ) is the most popular and I think the best for Jams. Black Mulberry is sweeter for eating if I recall correctly

also online
One green world has many neat fruit trees and vines

 

[Happy Chooks]

I got the preliminary report back on Buffy, fast! She had an bacterial infection in the ovaries..
Oviduct: presumed salpingitis
Abdominal cavity: moderate acute fibrinous peritonitis and oophoritis
 
WAS the official. I looked it up and from what I can tell  there was nothing I could do, and it was not related to any other problems I've had . SO while I'm sad she was gone, I'm relieved. 
 
Got home to utter chaos and a mess of chicks hatched. One of my 3 week old turkesy has developed a twisted joint, gaa.  I am giving 2 broodies chicks and  weighing and checking  the muscovy eggs for the first time tonight, if we are close to on track, we will start  giving them a cool down and mist daily.

Sounds like Egg yolk peritonitis. Nope, nothing you could have done for her. Also called internal laying.

lol, i'm DROWNING in roosters.  But they are all young yet. I have 2 more Marans that are on the way soonish, and  the breese boy who must be dinner since he has  feathered legs is starting to try and crow.  Still a month before we  start the finishing process on him,  i'd guess.  The goal is to eat 1-2  home protien meals a week  and If they are not crazy loud  do it the week of. I noticed quail especialy are easy to destroy in the freezer. The roo we roasted was fantastic sitting for 36 hours in brine then being prepared.

what's generally the age/size one processes a heritage breed?  i may have a few at some point, but they're all still fairly young yet...  but love the idea of a processing get-together, and perhaps learning on not-your-own bird!

I do it right around 20 weeks. Any longer they are tough and need crock pottin' or stewing.

 

[ronott1]

Last week a couple in Davis had a Raccoon attack that took three of their chickens. I sold them three of my older hens, so I am downsizing too.

Of course I have 9 EO Basque eggs in the incubator....

 

[ChickNmamma]

Hey, heres an idea: at this processing party, we should trade birds to be processed. As in, you take the 3 boys I don't want to kill, and I take three birds from somebody a little twitchy about killing their own birds, etc.

We KNOW the other person would take care because ... Well, just because. None of us tender-hearted folks are butchers... Wait... That didnt come out right. I meant we aren't looking forward to killing 'em. We would be providing a service whilst benefiting from the same service done for us.

Not having to kill YOUR OWN birds but learning how on another's, would benefit each, doncha think? I would know whoever killed mine was just as concerned about humane treatment, possibly just as terrified as am I, but wanting to learn. Just not have to do our own the first time.

Not sure if I'm making sense, but this would only be the processing part; everybody gets to take their own home unless other deals are mutually arranged. It wouldn't be fair for me, for example, to reap the benefit of home-grown chicken I didn't grow at my home. Ya know?

EEs might not be as tasty as BRs or whatever.

You are making sense, it is always easier to process birds you haven't raised and fed and taken care of since chicks. Somebody else's chickens are much easier to process. That's what we did when I was growing up, we traded roosters and we killed theirs and they killed ours. Even though you tell yourself not to get attached to them - when you are first starting out you do anyways. At least I do.

I processed a rooster awhile back - killing them is always the hardest part - but the dummy bit me when I went to feed him - so that was it. Anger helps with the separation...

 

[Happy Chooks]

Last week a couple in Davis had a Raccoon attack that took three of their chickens. I sold them three of my older hens, so I am downsizing too.

Of course I have 9 EO Basque egg in the incubator....

I call that downsizing to supersize.

 

[OR4-hmom]

I was discussing processing with a friend up here. I told her I thought I would be OK with it if I was handed a bird that I couldn't identify the personality. Once the head was gone they would all look so similar I could view it as dinner not Pygmy or Curly.

 

[Flowers of Abba]

Idk if I could ever get "comfortable" processing . My dh has a few times but won't anymore. He swears they know and stare at you in this creepy way! Lol found a site in Reno for $3.00 a bird 75.00 min. I don't have that many birds but figured I can have a meet , collect birds,and load up the dh dump trailer? I figure we can hang at the mall , revisit my city living days, and then go pick up my camp ken more buddies?!?

 

[gryeyes]

See! That is such a good idea, to learn a new skill on a bird unfamiliar to you and let someone else use your bird(s) for the same purpose. We wussy folks would treat others' birds humanely and with concern for "doing it right" because we share the same goals, but we don't have to deal directly with the personalization and/or attachment we've developed with cockerels we raised.

Nu?