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

[jvls1942]

good afternoon.. after chopping a head off you can let the chicken run.. they will not bruise, because you have to have blood in them to cause a bruise..

I have used a plucker for over 40 years.. within the last 2 years I have built two new pluckers.. sold one, still have the 2nd one..

as long as you do the scalding correctly, you will not damage any skin.. the pluckers I built will do 2 large chickens at a time, in less that a minute and even removes most, if not all, of the pin feathers..

for killing, I bought a small safety cone from Fleet & Farm and hang the bird upside down in there.. then I use a very sharp knife and cut both juggler veins in the neck.. being careful to not cut the wind pipe.. I want them to bleed, not suffocate..
I found that this is the most relaxing way for them to die,, they just calmly go to their final sleep.. no excitement or trauma..

TruGritCkn. I never bought into the new PC movement.. My wife is Mrs, my daughters are Miss and my Mom is Gramma (97 yrs)
I have always been an equal opertunity employer.. My daughters got to shovel manure right along side of the boys.. they helped cut firewood and stack it, too.. and the boys got to cook supper one night a week just like each other member of the family did. I was the only cheater on this one,, on my night I would take the whole tribe to a restaurant. although I am a great cook and baker .. right TO and CC?

 

[Beekissed]

I'd say it was roo action if the hens are that young...they probably won't be molting. Mites and lice are more prevalent in the colder months than in any others, if you can imagine. That holds true for most livestock but I'm not sure why. They live right in close to all that warm and lovely skin, so weather doesn't affect them much.

I'd cull that roo soon...one less mouth to feed. If you don't want to process him, he would make a good raw feed for any dogs you may have. Just cut open that breast and take out the breast meat and let the pooches have the rest. I know that is wasteful but for a skinny young roo, I don't waste much time in the whole processing thing.



Perchie, you can choose to debone before canning and I think most people do it that way. Usually they will cook the chicken,debone, and can the chicken in its own broth...and that's how I do it also. Some people just place it in the jar raw and skinless, put some salt in there, cover with boiling water and pressure can it. When they go to use it they just debone it then.

Pressure canning a bird will make even the oldest and toughest chicken tender as baby potatoes.

 

[Clay Mudd]

They look so innocent at that age...



Then they remember that their purpose in life is to poop.

 

[Oregon Blues]

The coyotes here are huge and there are no wolves at all in the area and the coyotes don't look like there is even a drop of dog blood in them.

They are top of the local food chain. Nothing hunts them, and they are pig fat on garbage and cat food, plus local cats and dogs and any poultry, fawns, and lambs they can catch. No shooting is allowed, nor is archery. Nothing is around that will kill them. They grow big. The biggest are the alphas and the ones who breed. Each generation gets bigger. Animals all tend to get bigger when there is plenty of good food and the top size animals are the breeding stock.

It doesn't take wolf blood to grow a huge coyote.

Cornish Cross chickens: I just raise them exactly like they are chickens. That works really well with them.

 

[Beekissed]

Those are great pics of chicks!!!! Thank you! They look so warm and contented...sleepy.

OB, I do the same thing. Free range along with my layers and fed the same rations. No health problems and finish weights the same as those done as normally advised on here.

 

[galanie]

Quote:
Times a million! I've noticed that as well since reading this thread. I truly believe mine is the last generation of decent grammar.

ETA: I'm not of the older generation this thread is geared towards but I am relieved to read things that can actually be read.

X a thousand!

 

[navasima]

Quote:

 

[Attila the Hen]

Quote:
I skin my laying hens when we butcher because we can them. We take the carcasses, guts organs, skin and all and dump them out in the field. Or in a pile behind the grove. Or somewhere far enough from the house that we don't have to deal with the smell. And all guilt-free. We have plucked our meaties in the past, but we don't eat the skin anyway. I think this is a "to each his own" situation. The parts that we dispose of get eaten by something - whether it's our cats, coyotes, buzzards or what have you - or they end up decaying and becoming part of the soil.

The idea of eating chicken feet is something I can't quite stomach. I know where those feet have been and what they've stepped in!

I just don't think they could be boiled and peeled enough for me to be able to get past the fact that they're chicken feet.

It seems many cultures eat them. They were served on a Chinese buffet in Atlanta where I have eaten--the most interesting buffet I've ever been to. Very multi cultural gathering

 

[dulcelife]

Completely OFF TOPIC and irrelevant post. Please stop spamming the forum with the same messages over and over again.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I skin my laying hens when we butcher because we can them. We take the carcasses, guts organs, skin and all and dump them out in the field. Or in a pile behind the grove. Or somewhere far enough from the house that we don't have to deal with the smell. And all guilt-free. We have plucked our meaties in the past, but we don't eat the skin anyway. I think this is a "to each his own" situation. The parts that we dispose of get eaten by something - whether it's our cats, coyotes, buzzards or what have you - or they end up decaying and becoming part of the soil.

The idea of eating chicken feet is something I can't quite stomach. I know where those feet have been and what they've stepped in!

I just don't think they could be boiled and peeled enough for me to be able to get past the fact that they're chicken feet.

It seems many cultures eat them. They were served on a Chinese buffet in Atlanta where I have eaten--the most interesting buffet I've ever been to. Very multi cultural gathering

Did you taste them?