California - Northern

[Hangtown Farms]

It is still important for the eggs to be shipped safely too. It is not as heart breaking when the eggs come broken but it is terrible too. Eggs that get shipped to the wrong place can hurt the hatch rate also.

The work that Sand hill does is very valuable. I am impressed that they are still in business with the recession. A place like this went out of business several(or more) years ago. The breeds were split up to different places. That is how McMurray got SG Dorkings and a couple of others. I think Urch and a couple of other Chicken Breeders got some too.

Ron

Edited to add: Thank You Molly for your good shipping wishes!

completely agreed...
I have heard that Gabbard has done a good job shipping eggs. It is not them I worry about but our post office. The guy at our local post office reminds me of the soup guy on Seinfield.

 

[PGRanch]

My new Cayuga 2 are for sure female and we might have a male...

 

[Hangtown Farms]

anyone in Norcal have Gold legbars?? wondering about hens for a olive egger project

 

[MonsterClucker]

My new Cayuga 2 are for sure female and we might have a male...

Nice Ducks!

 

[Happy Chooks]

1 wellie cockerel resting in my fridge. He was 21 weeks old.

We need to get a cone - what size cone do you guys use? (they have small, medium and large) The killing part didn't go well, DH missed and didn't get a clean hit with the hatchet. Then he was thrashing so he couldn't get another swing in without risking his fingers - so he had to let him bleed out.

I got him after that and got him plucked, gutted, cleaned and in the fridge. The carcass looks really good (no dark pinfeathers) and it's a nice size.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Those ducks are really pretty.

 

[ronott1]

1 wellie cockerel resting in my fridge. He was 21 weeks old.

We need to get a cone - what size cone do you guys use? (they have small, medium and large) The killing part didn't go well, DH missed and didn't get a clean hit with the hatchet. Then he was thrashing so he couldn't get another swing in without risking his fingers - so he had to let him bleed out.

I got him after that and got him plucked, gutted, cleaned and in the fridge. The carcass looks really good (no dark pinfeathers) and it's a nice size.

I use a broom handle.

Storey's guide to raising chickens tells you how. Then I hang them and bleed them into a garbage can lined with trash bag.

You would need a large probably a medium cone. If you follow Storey's method you do not need a cone. This method works great for a small number of birds to process. The cone works great if you are processing more than 20.

Ron

Edited to correct cone size and add to kill method.

 

[debs_flock]

1 wellie cockerel resting in my fridge. He was 21 weeks old.

We need to get a cone - what size cone do you guys use? (they have small, medium and large) The killing part didn't go well, DH missed and didn't get a clean hit with the hatchet. Then he was thrashing so he couldn't get another swing in without risking his fingers - so he had to let him bleed out.

I got him after that and got him plucked, gutted, cleaned and in the fridge. The carcass looks really good (no dark pinfeathers) and it's a nice size.

I think I bought the medium from Coops N More, their website (or might have been their catalog) explains the size per cone. Their large cone was designed for turkeys, geese, etc. The one I bought has worked great for 4-8 pound birds (live weight). I also like theirs as it's flat on one side. It makes it easy to hang up and the birds back fits up against the flat side.

Deb

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
That is the one I was looking at - so a medium then. (as I suspected)


Ron - thanks for the tip, but I don't see my DH doing the broom method. He wants the cone and since he's doing the killing, I'll buy him what he wants.

We've used the hatchet many times and this is the first time we have had an issue with it. Bad swing I guess.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
That is the one I was looking at - so a medium then. (as I suspected)


Ron - thanks for the tip, but I don't see my DH doing the broom method. He wants the cone and since he's doing the killing, I'll buy him what he wants.

We've used the hatchet many times and this is the first time we have had an issue with it. Bad swing I guess.
I was about to tell a gruesome story but decided not to.

If your DH wants to use a cone, then that is a great idea! The hatchet, not so good of an idea with a cone....

Ron