Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Gargoyle]

LOL sure Walt......... do you know the words to Joan Baiz's song ......... Kum-by ah heheheee. we could sing that too.

Kum by ah my place and we could have ah beer?

 

[Beekissed]

Picturing Walt in tie-dyed shirt, bell bottom jeans, smokin' his herbs...er...I mean, incense. Picturing Al without a shirt, peace sign necklace....whoa...errrrrrhhhhh...rewind....picturing Al now with a shirt... and rose-colored glasses, long hair, bass guitar and singin' his heart out around the campfire.

 

[qball53]

Thank you so much! I have been hearing "BOSS" but no one said what it meant, so I tried to look it up elsewhere to no avail? I went all the way to the end of the net

and everyone just wanted to talk about a TV program by that name!

It was very frustrating! I even asked somewhere, on one of these threads, if I should grow some sunflower plants for seeds for my flocks, since I plan to plant some for my rabbits. I use olive oil for cooking, because we do not eat pork (for health reasons), but when I harvest my extra roosters and turkeys, I render the fat and save it for the chickens.

So I guess 7 years of trial and error with chickens has not all been in vein. I do have a question, if anyone will advise. Are acorns good for chickens and turkeys? Seems to be like a nut, good for hogs, I have read, and whenever I harvest ducks, their craw is full of them. I have a big white Holland Turkey in a pen right now, fattening it up for Thanksgiving dinner.

It's gettin pretty big and fat, about 40++ pounds, I'd say. Is there anything special I should be feeding it? My husband says, because I give the animals treats, that I'm preseasoning them.

Can anyone pull an old trick out of their hat on how to make a juicer, tastier tenderer Turkey?

Thanks in advance....

One year we had to replace our electric oven. It got wired up incorrectly to start and consequently would not heat up to proper temperatures. It happened to be Thanksgiving and that turned out to be the best juiciest turkey we ever ate. From then on the turkey goes in the oven, covered with foil, the night before at 200 degrees. Take off the foils and turn up the heat just blefore serving to get it nice and brown ...... you won't be disappointed!

 

[Briezeechicks]

One year we had to replace our electric oven. It got wired up incorrectly to start and consequently would not heat up to proper temperatures. It happened to be Thanksgiving and that turned out to be the best juiciest turkey we ever ate. From then on the turkey goes in the oven, covered with foil, the night before at 200 degrees. Take off the foils and turn up the heat just blefore serving to get it nice and brown ...... you won't be disappointed!

We have, for my entire adult (and married) life had Thanksgiving and Christmas with my M-I-L. I have NEVER cooked a turkey in my entire life, and have been sweating this fact as everyone STILL wants to come here. I proposed a spaghetti supper, but was voted down!lol You can bet that this is exactly what I'll do! Thank you, qbal53! The trimmings, I can handle.

Brie

 

[Beekissed]

We use a cooking bag, turn the breast down for the cooking, flip it and open the bag for the browning. Juicy and tender every time!

 

[fowlman01]

LOL sure Walt......... do you know the words to Joan Baiz's song ......... Kum-by ah heheheee. we could sing that too.

They say that if you remember any of that you weren't there.

w.

 

[qball53]

We have used the bag as well and they work good. The key for me here was TWO HUNDRED DEGREES all night long and into the next afternoon. I guess if it will make a brisket tender it ought to do right by a turkey. This is the easiest way to get a tasty turkey in my opinion. BUT if you hve a smoker that does a great job as well. And finally after moving down to Houston with the Cajun influences, I learned you can deep fry a turkey in about 20-30 minutes and you wouldn't believe how good that is. This way is quick but not cheap the 5 gal of peanut oil is pricey. And there is always the threat of burning down the house if you don't know what you are doing. Happens around here every year to someone.

 

[gardendufus]

I'm determined to read this whole thread...

...but I'm only to post #299 (outta 7600+!)

Eventually, I will make it back here, to the end,
See you again soon....ok, soon-ish.

Every time I see one of these posts, I can't help but feel sorry for the poster, yet encouraged that people will actually take the time to read the whole thread rather than jumping in and asking their question and expecting a response within the next 5 minutes. I always know that the ones that will take the time to go through the whole thread really want to learn something and to do it right, not just get a quick, popular fix. I know those people will probably end up being good, thoughtful flock keepers.

I have been reading this thread since the day it started. I read it every day. Some days I come on and there have been like 100 posts since yesterday, and I feel that OMG I'm never gonna catch up feeling when I'm just ONE DAY behind.

We'll be waiting for ya HiddenChicken!

ETA: OK, so maybe that was a touchy-feely, rainbows and unicorns response, but it's sincere.

 

[armorfirelady]

You need to get you some of those feral Hawaiian chickens, one mother hen can lay at least a dozen eggs daily. Unfortunately "they can sicken people who eat the awful-tasting wild chickens without thoroughly washing or cooking them; and they can carry pests, such as fleas, ticks and lice".

(that's what this article from last year originally stated, they did publish a correction to the "dozen eggs daily" after a bunch of BYC'ers wrote to tell them they were total idiots).

Funny story. I didnt know you could (or why) you would have your chicken spayed or neutered tho? I would think that would mean they couldnt lay eggs?? Hmmmm back to google I go.....

 

[Beekissed]

Every time I see one of these posts, I can't help but feel sorry for the poster, yet encouraged that people will actually take the time to read the whole thread rather than jumping in and asking their question and expecting a response within the next 5 minutes. I always know that the ones that will take the time to go through the whole thread really want to learn something and to do it right, not just get a quick, popular fix. I know those people will probably end up being good, thoughtful flock keepers.

I have been reading this thread since the day it started. I read it every day. Some days I come on and there have been like 100 posts since yesterday, and I feel that OMG I'm never gonna catch up feeling when I'm just ONE DAY behind.

We'll be waiting for ya HiddenChicken!

ETA: OK, so maybe that was a touchy-feely, rainbows and unicorns response, but it's sincere.

Not a unicorn in sight....couldn't have said it better myself!

I agree...if it's worth doing, it's worth taking the time to learn, research and study and not expect that it will be handed to you piecemeal. We've all been there behind that book, that article, that study or report done on this or that university experiment as we tried to learn this thing called animal husbandry and it takes time and effort to want to improve what you know.