Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

I really enjoyed the well thought out responses you had to your question as to how others process birds. Having processed over 70 birds this past year I can tell you the first one is the most difficult. The very first time I wanted privacy to do it by myself and at my own pace.I learned by watching some of the same YouTube videos as HECHICKen. I used the towel in the lap method and it still took me 45 minutes to actually make that first cut. The first time was the most difficult but when you do it with respect and gratitude it is far better than how the factory birds are treated. I now use a cone after having one or two get away from me and I found the birds react very calmly to the cone and that is really important to me. I want to make it as stress free for the birds as possible. I use a utility knife, or box cutter, so that I can be sure I always have a very sharp edge. You'll get this, but I agree with Danz -- I learned quickly I couldn't eat chicken on processing day, even though it wasn't the same chicken. Good luck!

I grew up watching my dad and grandparents just hack off heads. Very fast, and you can do like 20 birds in a matter of just a few minutes so long as they are caged-- you can do them as fast as it takes to grab the next one. Curious--- why slicing the neck and why draining them? I'm not saying hacking heads is a better method, just wondering why people prefer to do it the other way. It seems less stressful to just "off with the head" in one clean motion and done. ???

The people that were here earlier were oohing & ahhing about him. Danz, I can empathize with you when people come & their kids just run all around & get into everything when you're trying to sell birds. This woman had two kids with her & they were already out getting into the rabbit cages before I could even get out the door & out to the cages. The one girl kept changing her mind about which rabbit she wanted so the mom was getting aggravated at her & it was kind of a fiasco. I was sort of glad when they left.

Ah yes... kids can be quite frustrating. LOL But it's not nice of the parents to just let them run around and pick up animals that aren't theirs. I would never let my kids do that. Glad you are moving your bunnies out!

Good morning fellow Kansans. Could someone explain to me the proper way to "stretch" hardware cloth ? I mean since it comes in rolls, how do you get it nice and flat? Should I attach it between two T posts and then cinch it up for awhiles?

Also - any swaps or shows coming up in the near term? Anyone planning to be at the State Fair? I'm scheduled to show a horse there and would love to me any of you in person! Thanks all .

I just used a whole bunch of hardware cloth and I just rolled it out kind of backwards. I flipped it over so that when you pull the mesh out, I step on it and walk along the wire as I unwind it-- that does a GREAT job of getting it straight! I don't stomp on it-- just use my feet to walk it out and lift on the roll to unroll more. It's not as easy as flipping the roll over and letting it unwind-- but then it won't be straight that way, either. I just do it out in my yard with plenty of room to unroll it.

Josie, I buy cornish crosses from McMurray and they're ready to process in 6 weeks.. easy birds to raise, simple to butcher (we use a feather plucker - 20 seconds and the bird is feather free!), and they're super tasty

Where did you get your feather plucker?

Hi, I'm on the Missouri side so it's probably too far for you, but I have an Amish gentlemen that does mine for $1.12 a piece. Well worth the money if you ask me. You might check with the Amish or Mennonites if there are any close to you.

Yes, I think I'm done with killing-- maybe I would, but rather not. We do have a large Amish community not more than an hour from us. It would be worth it to me to drive down a bunch of birds and have them do it. Anyway, great idea!!

 

[chicken danz]

Hope the girls did well!


Oh yes, the smell. I forgot about that. It's not horrid or anything, but it's not exactly pleasant and does turn me off food a bit. No wonder the older generations that had to butcher their own meats were thin! They worked hard, but I bet after butchering, they didn't have the appetite. hehe!

Josie, I actually make cloth diapers. I have scaled back and don't work the business like I used to.. or like I should. It was getting so big and out of hand, I needed to find a manufacturer to keep up with demand. I hunted around, but it was going to drive up my cost so much, that I couldn't see people wanting to pay the higher prices when they were used to paying a lower one. It was so disappointing, I just scaled back and kind of let loose of that dream a bit.I have a website and let it go offline for the last month and I think I'll turn it back on in another month or so. I needed the break, anyway. My diapers are also sold in brick and mortar stores, too. The ease of these are just very simple! You have a "shell" that looks very much like a paper diaper-- but I use poly snaps (CPSIA certified for babies from a tested supplier) to snap them close. No pins, nothing to ever come undo and poke or hurt baby. There is a very absorbent insert that you stuff the diaper with and it soaks up all the fluids. It can hold a LOT. You change just as regularly as paper diapers-- more often for solids, of course. When it's dirty, you hold the diaper over your diaper bin and shake out the insert (I don't like to touch it if I can help it) and then it's all washed together, but because the middle absorbent part comes out, it gets cleaned VERY well. If you ever decide to have a baby-- definitely use cloth! I have newborn diapers, too. I always keep around 100 diapers here at the house to mail out or restock. You don't need very many, and the same diapers you buy today can be used for the next baby you have. I have diapers I have just thrown out, because I used those very diapers for all 3 kids of mine. By that time, they get pretty well worn, but think of all the money you save doing that! Cloth diapers are not cheap-- the materials and cost it takes to put them together is not simple, but once you have them, you're pretty well done. I've passed on and resold cloth that was in good shape. There is a big market for that, too believe it or not, so you can get a part of your investment back. But even if not, consider it an investment in the safety of your child. Flats are "sheets" of fabric that are folded into easy or complicated ways to make the old fashioned diapers your grandma used. I would not recommend it unless you like extra work! LOL That's why I said Michelle was a saint for using those!

Actually the outgo is high for cloth diapers, but consider how many thousands of dollars people spend on paper diapers over a couple years! And lots of people with new babies just don't realize how much that costs when you are normally experiencing a change in finances due to a baby in the first place. If my middle son and his wife ever decide to have a baby I intend to buy at least a good starter set for them. I would love to see my little grandchild have an opportunity to wear cloth. This is going to be such a spoiled grandchild if it ever happens. Not that I don't love my other children and grandchildren. But this is my very special son whom I was closest to of all my kids, and his wife is like my own daughter and a dear friend all wrapped in one. I've spent a ton of money just buying stuff to make a complete bedding, curtains, everything for their nursery when the time comes. I haven't started on it because I don't want to get impatient with them. She is pre med and going to go to medical school in another year so it could be a long wait. I just hope you stay in business Hawkeye until they get ready!

Quote:

Good morning fellow Kansans. Could someone explain to me the proper way to "stretch" hardware cloth ? I mean since it comes in rolls, how do you get it nice and flat? Should I attach it between two T posts and then cinch it up for awhiles?

Also - any swaps or shows coming up in the near term? Anyone planning to be at the State Fair? I'm scheduled to show a horse there and would love to me any of you in person! Thanks all .

Marc good to see you back on! It's been a while. I unroll my hardware cloth on a flat surface, normally the ground here cause I don't have a cement driveway. As I unroll it I simply step on it to flatten it out. Once it is flat it doesn't really need stretched. I staple or wire it on as I go along bit by bit rather than try to pull the whole length at once.

We went to Topeka last night and it cost me over $100 to get out of TSC and I still didn't get everything I wanted. It's amazing what dog food and chick starter adds up to! I did find a great pair of rubber slip on low top boots on sale for just $10. I paid over $40 for a pair before on sale on line, and they are so stiff they are hard to get on and they make my feet ache after I wear them for a while. My Muck boots are great when it is really cold but it is also like wearing a 10 pound weight on your feet. These have an elastic insert and slip on easily and a nice cushioned sole. Perfect back door shoes for when the weather starts cooling or to do gardening in. They also had some rubber boots on sale for $15 but remembering those as a child they always chaffed my legs where the top rubbed on them. I love finding a bargain I can actually use a lot.
We got home really late so I am running later than normal today.
At least I got some shavings so if my back will hold up maybe I can get the brooder cleaned out today. I have a buyer for my young Melanistic mutant pheasants but he won't be getting them for a few weeks. Sure wish he could come get them now.

 

[chicken danz]

My mother always just chopped off heads. I learned from my ex MIL to lay a board over the chickens neck on the ground, stand on each end and make a quick pull. The head comes right off. I tried cutting the head off once and missed and it made me feel sick to partially injure a bird. I want the quickest possible way. I've checked into the cone method but have never tried it. I would love to have a chicken plucker. I had an old washing machine here I was going to make one out of until I discovered that it has a plastic tub rather than a metal tub. If I were going to process a bunch I might buy a plucker. But taking them to be done just seems like a better deal to me. I haven't had to worry about it since my meaties all died from the heat this year. I would think if you are processing them yourself fall birds would be perfect. The problem here is the people that do it near me, close at the end of summer. I don't want to process my own birds.
Trish I raised cornish cross in the 70s. I like them so much better than the ones they have now. Sometimes they would break their legs from weight but they didn't kick off from heart attacks like those do today. It took a little longer to get them to butchering size but they also tasted a lot better.

 

[cherwill]

i was reading about animal cruelty charges at the butterball factory. I need to talk with Dh about getting some meat birds so we can do our own processing. Maybe if i watched a few times i could get up enough nerve to do it. We mainly eat chicken anyway i have heard about the plucker things sounds much easier. Does anyone know of a place that process poultry for you? I've asked two meat processing places and they said know one does it anymore

Someone on the board here, I think it was Shotah? (she hasn't been around in a long time) was going into the mobile processing business. She had found a guy who was going to teach her how it worked. I don't know how that ended up, but that might be something to look into.

If I had a place to raise meaties, I would do it. 25 would be just right for us, I think. However, I'm a loooong way from being able to process them myself. I'd happily pay someone else to do it! My dad remembers his grandmother wringing the necks of her chickens to kill them, and DH says his grandfather chopped their heads off but he doesn't remember how. All he really remembers is that, as the youngest, his job was plucking and he hated it.

 

[Trish44]

cherwill, yes Shotah or Shana is her real name is still processing birds for people in Marion, so if anyone wants to have some done, you might contact her. She also has been teaching other people to do it if they want to learn, she had a very good teacher I hear. She doesn't get on the computer that much because her DH works from home most of the time & is on it for work.

Danz, yeah the birds they used to have for meat chickens were much different than the ones now. I think they have bred them to grow way too fast these days & that is what causes a lot of problems with them. I don't think it's that healthy for them to grow that fast. When we processed birds before the guys did just chop off heads & it was kind of traumatic to have to watch & hear. We bought a killing cone, but haven't used it as of yet since we haven't processed any birds.

Sunflowerparrot, thanks for offering to add birds to your order, but I just don't think we can do the meat birds this fall. I have way too much going on right now & no pen to put them in either at the present and besides we're going on vacation the first two weeks of November so the end of October is going to be crazy for me getting ready to leave. If you will be going some in the spring I will go in on an order with you then. I would be much more ready to do that at that time than now.

Well I was a little worried with the GPs not being here last night that a predator would notice & launch an attack, but maybe the dog's smell around here was enough to deter them for a night. It seems like everyone is here & accounted for, so that's good. I will be glad to get my girls back home this afternoon, I'm sure they will be sore, but they're young so they should bounce back pretty quick. This Vet I took them to didn't seem to know much at all about LGDs or their function. He is kind of a fall back guy for Vet care because he's cheaper for some shots & things & was for surgery, but I have not been all that impressed with him overall. It seems like the Vets are either too eager with wanting to do every shot & test in the world or like him just kind of lackadaisical about things. I do like the Vets in Mulvane & Derby, but for routine things it's just too far to drive & especially with these dogs that are so hard to take anywhere. I would hate to have to drive them for 45 minutes in the car drooling all over my head like Lily was yesterday morning because she was nervous & scared.

Well I had better get around, I have to go cook lunch early & get ready so we can go get the girls & bring them home before my DH has to go to work. There is no way I can lift those dogs by myself.

Oh by the way I don't think anyone answered you MarcAustin, there is a swap meet this coming Sunday morning starting at 7 a.m. at the Mulvane Saddle Club grounds. It's usually a pretty good swap meet with lots of birds & things. I may be there with some rabbits this time. There also is one coming up in Arkansas City the 2nd Sunday, I would have to check the swap list if you're interested in that one for time & location. Those are the two that I know of that are coming up soon & are close to Wichita.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Actually the outgo is high for cloth diapers, but consider how many thousands of dollars people spend on paper diapers over a couple years!

She is pre med and going to go to medical school in another year so it could be a long wait. I just hope you stay in business Hawkeye until they get ready!

They also had some rubber boots on sale for $15 but remembering those as a child they always chaffed my legs where the top rubbed on them. I love finding a bargain I can actually use a lot.
We got home really late so I am running later than normal today.
At least I got some shavings so if my back will hold up maybe I can get the brooder cleaned out today. I have a buyer for my young Melanistic mutant pheasants but he won't be getting them for a few weeks. Sure wish he could come get them now.

It cots on average about $300-500 to get a really large stash of cloth diapers. It can cost well over $1,000 to buy paper diapers over the next couple of years for one single baby, and that starts all over again for the next baby. At least with cloth, you can use it on the next kid, save money and not have all those chemicals they say are causing the latest surge in infertility in young couples now. Yes, I imagine I will have this business a long time. I'm just going at a much smaller pace, but I might ramp it up again if I can find someone to manufacture for me for a reasonable quote. Otherwise, I'll be plugging away at it. Those boots sound great!! I need a pair of rubber muck boots. I bought a cute pair from Walmart last winter when it got mucky out, and guess what!??! The darned things LEAKED!!! I took them back and got my money back on them. Obviously I'm going to have to spring for a little nicer pair. Sigh.

My mother always just chopped off heads. I learned from my ex MIL to lay a board over the chickens neck on the ground, stand on each end and make a quick pull. The head comes right off. I tried cutting the head off once and missed and it made me feel sick to partially injure a bird. I want the quickest possible way.

My dad had a railroad tie that was cut down to about 2 feet in length. and then he screwed a board onto the top of it. So that was a nice height when you kneeled on the ground, or sat on a stool (my dad sat on a stool). He would just lay the bird down and they naturally stick their head out. Then he'd just chop and us kids would hand him another bid. I don't remember any noises or any commotion with this method, other than the bodies do flop around a bit--but not for long. I sure wish they didn't do that. But it was a fairly quiet method and certainly very fast.

Well I was a little worried with the GPs not being here last night that a predator would notice & launch an attack, but maybe the dog's smell around here was enough to deter them for a night. It seems like everyone is here & accounted for, so that's good. I will be glad to get my girls back home this afternoon, I'm sure they will be sore, but they're young so they should bounce back pretty quick. This Vet I took them to didn't seem to know much at all about LGDs or their function. He is kind of a fall back guy for Vet care because he's cheaper for some shots & things & was for surgery, but I have not been all that impressed with him overall. It seems like the Vets are either too eager with wanting to do every shot & test in the world or like him just kind of lackadaisical about things. I do like the Vets in Mulvane & Derby, but for routine things it's just too far to drive & especially with these dogs that are so hard to take anywhere. I would hate to have to drive them for 45 minutes in the car drooling all over my head like Lily was yesterday morning because she was nervous & scared.

Well I had better get around, I have to go cook lunch early & get ready so we can go get the girls & bring them home before my DH has to go to work. There is no way I can lift those dogs by myself.

Oh by the way I don't think anyone answered you MarcAustin, there is a swap meet this coming Sunday morning starting at 7 a.m. at the Mulvane Saddle Club grounds. It's usually a pretty good swap meet with lots of birds & things. I may be there with some rabbits this time. There also is one coming up in Arkansas City the 2nd Sunday, I would have to check the swap list if you're interested in that one for time & location. Those are the two that I know of that are coming up soon & are close to Wichita.

Glad the girls are okay and your birds were all fine this morning. Interesting how vets are so different. I really like the Mulvane vets and of course, I use the Derby (El Paso Animal Clinic) for my dogs. I got my baytril for the chickens from them, too. I didn't know that Mulvane has a swap this Sunday. Too bad it's on a Sunday during church! sheesh. It should be Saturday, then I could go, I'd love to see what all is there!

I think I need to sell another little boy. His wings are looking weak and I'm not sure if they will grow out okay or not. Going to give him another week maybe... I need to get another look at his wings and really evaluate him. He is VERY typey!! I mean, he is amazing looking!! Has a HUGE crest, nice S shape. If he does have bad wings, I'm going to be so, so, sad to get rid of him.


Funny--- the little cockerel I just mentioned-- he tried to crow for the first time this morning. He sort of sounded strangled and garbled like "ARGHarrrRGHhhhhh". My 4 yr old daughter was outside with me helping me fill waters and she turned to me and said, "Mommy, I think that chickie is sick!". I laughed, because yeah, it did sound like he was being strangled to death. hehe

 

[sunflowerparrot]

Q My friend's husband made it - amazing... works like a charm and 99% of the chickens are about 99.9% plucked and without any bruising or broken bones. I think we had about 2 broken wings out of 200 chickens.. You are more than welcomed to come down (Oxford/Winfield) and watch or help with our next batch.. should be sometime end of October. They also have a weighing and bagging system that uses PVC and a shop vac for extracting air from the bags.

 

[michelleml]

How far are you from Winfield? We could do it together if we plan and time things right..

I think Winfield is about 155 miles from me

 

[HEChicken]

I grew up watching my dad and grandparents just hack off heads. Very fast, and you can do like 20 birds in a matter of just a few minutes so long as they are caged-- you can do them as fast as it takes to grab the next one. Curious--- why slicing the neck and why draining them? I'm not saying hacking heads is a better method, just wondering why people prefer to do it the other way. It seems less stressful to just "off with the head" in one clean motion and done. ???

Anything I know on this subject I learned from the meaties sub-forum while researching in preparation for doing our first birds. Supposedly, cutting the artery and bleeding them out gives you more tender meat, because the heart is still pumping, and pumps ALL of the blood out. When you hack off the head, the heart stops instantly, so blood ends up pooled in the bird. Honestly, I don't know how big a difference it really makes. Because we had interrupted the fox and our birds had only JUST been killed, we decided not to let their little bodies go to waste, so we processed them all immediately. We've eaten a couple and I couldn't tell you the taste was any different, even though they hadn't been bled out properly.

Actually the outgo is high for cloth diapers, but consider how many thousands of dollars people spend on paper diapers over a couple years!

Yep, and cloth diapers don't decompose well in landfills either. So all those hundreds of diapers that are used once and then disposed of for every single baby using them, will still be in landfills when those babies are adults!

All he really remembers is that, as the youngest, his job was plucking and he hated it.

I hate the job of plucking too. The last few times we have skinned and that goes much faster.

.... I use the Derby (El Paso Animal Clinic) for my dogs.

Haha - I've been going there for years too, although I had an experience last year that means I probably won't go back. I started going there originally because one of my pet snakes had a prolapsed rectum and they were the only area vet I could find who would treat a snake. Later, I took a couple of pet rats there and they didn't laugh at me for paying a small fortune to treat a RAT. And, when I had two female kittens who needed to be spayed, I called around vets more local to me and they wanted almost $250 for each kitten! El Paso charged only $45 so that was an easy choice. So, although they were a long drive for me, I kept taking my pets to them. However last June, we knew it was time for our dog to be put to sleep as his hip dysplasia had made life unbearably painful for him. It was an incredibly hard decision and one we certainly did not make lightly, however when we got there, we had an unpleasant surprise. They practically refused to do it. Instead they exerted a LOT of sales pressure to get us to agree to a $4000 hip replacement for him. It was one of those times where emotionally we were so fragile that it really put us on the spot to have them act like we were bad pet owners for trying to end his misery, and for not being willing to spend that kind of money. We wound up going away with the dog and $150 worth of pain meds and steroids, with the promise we would "think about" the surgery. However we researched it thoroughly and our dog was really NOT a candidate for the surgery due to his weight, degree of atrophy of the muscles etc. Plus, both of his hips were bad. If we did the surgery on one hip, the other would need to be done within about 6 months. And, having just spent $4000 on one hip, who is going to want to turn around and euthanize at that point, so then we would have had to come up with another $4000 to do the other.

I know they are animal lovers and that is why they are in the business but I think vets also have to understand that when people have made as difficult a decision as that one, they are NOT helping by trying to talk them out of it. As it was, the meds bought our dog another 3 months and then we went somewhere else to have him euthanized, since the experience had left kind of a bad taste in our mouths.

My friend's husband made it - amazing... works like a charm and 99% of the chickens are about 99.9% plucked and without any bruising or broken bones. I think we had about 2 broken wings out of 200 chickens.. You are more than welcomed to come down (Oxford/Winfield) and watch or help with our next batch.. should be sometime end of October. They also have a weighing and bagging system that uses PVC and a shop vac for extracting air from the bags.

I would love to see pics and to know how he made it/what he made it out of? I had looked at buying one at one point but they are so danged expensive that we could never have justified it for the small number we would process every year. Skinning is much faster than hand plucking but does take longer than 20 seconds and of course you lose the skin, which is always nice to have on a roast.

 

[chicken danz]

There is a fairly local place, Olathe I think, that manufactures the rubber fingers for the chicken pluckers. They have the best price I could find when I was researching it. If I were going to do a bunch of butchering I'd definitely be building a plucker. I've also considered skinning cause most of what I use are boneless skinless breasts. But I do have a couple of recipes where I really need the skin on the chicken. I guess I'd rather be able to choose which way I want it at the time I would be using it. For making stock or something the more parts present the better.