First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[mountain mom]

KMOLisa- Mine are headed to camp the 2nd weekend of November. They will be 8 weeks on the 31st, but my daughter has a soccer tournament all that weekend and there will be NO time to process chickens. With our first meat birds (they were not CX, they were freedom rangers) we withheld food for the night and next morning, but for sure letting them have water. We fed them about 40 minutes before culling so their crops had a bit of food in them so they were easier to find.
Our very first time (never having killed or butchered ANYTHING) took us 4 hours from set up to vodka for 5 birds. Yeah, it was a slow process. But after the first couple it really went much quicker. Once you get a feel for what is going on, it will go much faster. We have 15 this time, and I imagine it will take about the same amount of time... we know what we are doing now.
How many do you have? I suggest getting all set up that can be done prior to camp day, done the night before. It makes it a bit smoother, I think. Be sure your knives are SHARP! Seems like a no brainer, but just be sure

http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-properly-scald-chicken-my-never.html
This website provided us with the most detailed info for scalding and eviscerating.
Hope it helps ease some worries!!

 

[duluthralphie]

I would just withhold food over night. 12 hours is long enough to empty the crop.


On a sad note, I lost a meatball today. I think it was a young eagle. I went outside at about 9:30 this morning and there was a young eagle, still mottled and no indications of a white head. It was flew under the high lines here on the farm. I Immediately looked at my birds and they were all under cover. I went and checked the meatballs and they were under cover. I thought I had got by unscathed.

I was wrong, When I put the meatballs away I was one short. I found him in my potato patch. His head was messed up and he had a gash ripped in his back. I feel so bad, I should have let the dogs out earlier. I know people caution against dogs and chickens mixing, but my dogs pay no attention to the chickens. They know to touch a chicken is to risk bodily harm. They would have never allowed the eagle into the area. Young eagles scare me. They have no perfected their hunting yet. They have not learned to be afraid of humans and dogs.

I may not let the meatballs out until later tomorrow, Like around noon. I will be letting the dogs out at sunrise, they will complain, but they need to earn their keep now.

I think the eagle was shocked if he tried to fly away with my meatball. I bet it weighed over 10 lbs.

My meatballs are getting so big I am getting them expanding spandex sweaters for Xmas!

 

[Double Kindness]

We're going to be caponizing this Sunday, which might lead to early freezer camp send offs.

In the morning I'm grabbing up 20 3.5 month old pullets to take to the chicken swap to sell or trade for roos or chickens big enough for freezer camp and/or ducks/bunnies. The need to fill the freezer is growing strong. We have gone through a LOT of that grass fed cow, but while I'm dealing with chickens my bf is picking up a whole hog we're splitting in half with friends.

I'm ordering that table from Amazon tomorrow. Next... we decided not to rent a plucker but build one. Freezer camp is 3 weeks away, or this weekend if we kill any roos we are trying to caponize.

Mountain mom- let me know when you're getting another order of meat birds and I'll go in with you, either cx or rangers.

I'm looking into turkey breeds. Since I have black meat chickens, I was wondering black meat ducks or turkeys? Does that exist?

A couple chicken tractors are in the works in the back of my mind, or even moving a brooder box out as a tractor

these are my 2 brooder boxes built out of closet doors, 2 x 4 and 1/2" hardware cloth.

I was thinking maybe a tarp over one end to use like a tractor coop thing? Would turkeys fit?

 

[Betsy57]

My chicks will be 4 weeks on Monday. They now weight between 14 oz up to 1.9 lbs. They're free-ranging today in the beautiful sunshine, finally!
There's 15 of them and they're getting about 9 cups of feed a day.

 

[LindaB220]

Chickens all packed away. Love it! I traded out a few chickens with some people that raise free range beef today too, so the door shelves are stocked with beef. Now I need to find someone that raises pigs to trade for pork!

Wow, I missed this. Incredible. I like the idea of trading for pork and beef. My fellow is coming tomorrow to finish the 2nd big coop. So excited to get room for CX's. It's so warm in La that I'll be raising them early winter.

 

[LindaB220]

On a different note, how does everyone keep their water from freezing in the winter? This will be our first winter with chickens, I have a 5 gallon bucket with poultry nipples. I'm considering getting an aquarium heater for it and running electricity.
Or just the good ole fashioned, take water down in the morning. That's what we did for our horses when I was a kid.

Buy the horizontal nipples on Ebay from Rich, he's the only Solway distributor. He's on this site. Then put your bucket on one of the heated cookie tin heaters. Easy to build. Doesn't freeze

 

[LindaB220]

I'm with you, Ralphie! Why do they have to be so hilarious and spunky? I need to know who I can complain to. I was led to believe that I would be so sick of these filthy, disgusting, fat pig, stupid poop machines by 8 weeks that I would gleefully process them without remorse. I have been lied to!! Meatballs are awesome! I have one that jumps on my foot and rides around everywhere I go. Another one always walks in between my legs so he can grab any crickets that I stir up as I walk. I love watching them all fly/run/waddle all over the place. Next week is going to be sucky for me for sure!

For Christmas, you should definitely hand-knit them these chicken sweaters I found on Etsy!

You will have to make them yourself because I don't think she makes XXXL!

That's the cutest picture of the day. Love it. I'm sorry it doesn't get cold enough down here for my babies to wear something like this. Of course, we have a small white Diva Chihuahua Poo that sports sweaters, dresses and coats. My DD wants her baby to stay warm in the 30ish weather.

 

[KCMOLisa]

Mountain mom - I have 24. Gulp! My brother can only come down for one day, so we are going to try to get through them all. I drew up a diagram of how we're going to set everything up. Hopefully we will be faster than your first time or we're in trouble!

Ralphie - That stinks about your meatball! Birds of prey are the worst, especially since it's a federal offense to even "harass" one of them. I guess it's fine for them to harass us, though. I have read that eagles are the absolute worst because they'll go for small dogs even. It sounds like he was too heavy to carry away. Maybe that will stop the eagle from trying again! Luckily we don't have very many eagles around. I have had a hawk circling for a few days and I run out there every time I see his shadow swoop across the yard, but he hasn't tried anything yet.

Betsy - Thanks for the update! It sounds like they're growing fast now!

 

[duluthralphie]

Another tragedy today.

A guinea fowl attacked one of my babies. I do not know which one as they all look alike. Lucky for the offender. I chased the guinea fowl away but could not catch it.


Then one of my sweetest baby meatballs was raped in front of me. It was violent. I almost had the pedophile. However, lucky for me and not so lucky for him, I only have one red sex link rooster left.

I will not have any red sex link roosters in the morning. I was wondering what to have for Tuesday supper, now I know.


After witnessing the attack by the guinea, I am wondering if I did not falsely accuse the Young Eagle the other day. The guinea had the meatball by the back of the head and was relentless until I broke it up. I may have to carry a shotgun out to do chores, just incase the guinea thinks he/she can do this again. I still know the eagle was up to no good, and the meatball did have a ripped up back, I doubt a guinea would do that.

Anyone else have guineas? Are they all mean or just this one?

 

[Double Kindness]

Oh ralpie, you have definitely gotten me away from guineas in the spring! I'm sorry to hear about your meatballs being molested.

The dynamics have changed in my yard this weekend. I took 16 pullets and got 10 roosters and 4 muscovy ducks yesterday and some red warty things pumpkins.

We processed 1 rooster, he dressed out at 7.3 lbs with no giblets. The chicken vet is coming over in a few hours to pick up my ac roos for decrowing and to walk us through caponizing. I hope for less deaths this way, but the scalding pot is on standby.