First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Betsy57]

This is four of the first five I did on this past Saturday. Did 2 more on Sunday and just bagged them a bit ago. Gave one away (took care of the chickens when I needed to be out of town). A co-worker wants one but at about $20 a pop for organic feed per bird, I'm not feeling too generous to sell or give them away! There's still a few feathers on 'em but I'm fed up with trying to get them completely clean. Quite a challenge to do them by hand and just me doing this. Not sure when I will get to the others but I'm ready to have this done!

 

[LindaB220]

This is four of the first five I did on this past Saturday. Did 2 more on Sunday and just bagged them a bit ago. Gave one away (took care of the chickens when I needed to be out of town). A co-worker wants one but at about $20 a pop for organic feed per bird, I'm not feeling too generous to sell or give them away! There's still a few feathers on 'em but I'm fed up with trying to get them completely clean. Quite a challenge to do them by hand and just me doing this. Not sure when I will get to the others but I'm ready to have this done!

Yes, I'd keep them all. After all, that's why you got chickens in the first place. To eat healthier, right? That's an expensive chicken.

 

[Betsy57]

This is four of the first five I did on this past Saturday. Did 2 more on Sunday and just bagged them a bit ago. Gave one away (took care of the chickens when I needed to be out of town). A co-worker wants one but at about $20 a pop for organic feed per bird, I'm not feeling too generous to sell or give them away! There's still a few feathers on 'em but I'm fed up with trying to get them completely clean. Quite a challenge to do them by hand and just me doing this. Not sure when I will get to the others but I'm ready to have this done!

This is four of the first five I did on this past Saturday. Did 2 more on Sunday and just bagged them a bit ago. Gave one away (took care of the chickens when I needed to be out of town). A co-worker wants one but at about $20 a pop for organic feed per bird, I'm not feeling too generous to sell or give them away! There's still a few feathers on 'em but I'm fed up with trying to get them completely clean. Quite a challenge to do them by hand and just me doing this. Not sure when I will get to the others but I'm ready to have this done!

Yes, I'd keep them all. After all, that's why you got chickens in the first place. To eat healthier, right? That's an expensive chicken.

Yes. I ordered from Countryside Organics. The shipping is what kills ya. $50 a bag for 50 lbs. If I do chickens again, I probably won't do organic. Wish I could find organic feed locally.

 

[KCMOLisa]

They look great, Betsy! I feel the same way about giving mine away. I feel kind of selfish, but everyone just expects me to give them one so they can try it. I didn't buy expensive feed, but I spent quite a bit building everything from scratch, buying waterers, feeders, etc., and I did all the work caring for them for two months. I had to invest a lot physically, emotionally and financially to raise them, so, darn it, I'm going to be the one to eat them.

One tip I probably should have posted a few days ago since it looks like a lot of you guys are processing. I bought some cheapo gloves with those little rubber dots all over the palm. They made plucking by hand a million times easier! After scalding the chicken, I would hang it by its feet and just rub it like crazy with the gloves on. It really got the pin feathers. If I got the chicken scalded just right, I could get them looking like they went through a plucker in about 2 or 3 minutes. It was a shoulder workout for sure, but it made everything go much faster. My brother somehow lost his gloves after the first few chickens, and the ones he plucked without the gloves were a mess. They still had little feathers everywhere that I had to pick out one by one. I had to spend 10 minutes cleaning them up after he was "done" with them. Amazon had a 12 pack of the gloves pretty cheap, so when one pair got too wet and nasty, I just switched them out. I also wore latex gloves underneath.

 

[Betsy57]

They look great, Betsy! I feel the same way about giving mine away. I feel kind of selfish, but everyone just expects me to give them one so they can try it. I didn't buy expensive feed, but I spent quite a bit building everything from scratch, buying waterers, feeders, etc., and I did all the work caring for them for two months. I had to invest a lot physically, emotionally and financially to raise them, so, darn it, I'm going to be the one to eat them.

One tip I probably should have posted a few days ago since it looks like a lot of you guys are processing. I bought some cheapo gloves with those little rubber dots all over the palm. They made plucking by hand a million times easier! After scalding the chicken, I would hang it by its feet and just rub it like crazy with the gloves on. It really got the pin feathers. If I got the chicken scalded just right, I could get them looking like they went through a plucker in about 2 or 3 minutes. It was a shoulder workout for sure, but it made everything go much faster. My brother somehow lost his gloves after the first few chickens, and the ones he plucked without the gloves were a mess. They still had little feathers everywhere that I had to pick out one by one. I had to spend 10 minutes cleaning them up after he was "done" with them. Amazon had a 12 pack of the gloves pretty cheap, so when one pair got too wet and nasty, I just switched them out. I also wore latex gloves underneath.

There are still some feathers on my birds but I'll pull them out later or maybe not. I don't plan on eating the skin so whoopee. I like the idea about those gloves tho. Thanx.

 

[JessicaThistle]

This is four of the first five I did on this past Saturday. Did 2 more on Sunday and just bagged them a bit ago. Gave one away (took care of the chickens when I needed to be out of town). A co-worker wants one but at about $20 a pop for organic feed per bird, I'm not feeling too generous to sell or give them away! There's still a few feathers on 'em but I'm fed up with trying to get them completely clean. Quite a challenge to do them by hand and just me doing this. Not sure when I will get to the others but I'm ready to have this done!

Betsy those are some beauties right there! I'd keep them too. Now is the time to enjoy the fruit (or meat) of your work.

I don't bother with organic feed for my chickens. I most certainly wouldn't do it if I had to ship it in. If you give your chickens free ranging time to forage for good healthy yummies, they are going to be healthier for you than supermarket chicken whether you feed them organic or not, in my opinion. You will know the life your chicken had, the condition it was in at processing time as well as the condition of the processing area. That speaks volumes. Ever buy a chicken from the market and wonder if it was sick or dropped on the floor (yes it happens) during processing? Maybe it's just me but some things are way more important to me than whether they ate organic feed. I prefer to know my chicken lived a happy life full of love and respect!

 

[duluthralphie]

It was weigh-in day for my meaties. One day shy of 6 weeks, and 3 random birds were 3 lbs, 11 oz, 4 lbs, 1 oz, and 4 1/2 lbs for a big roo. It's looking more and more, like I'm going to be processing at 8 weeks, rather than at 7.

I've been loving all the turkey stories. We've thought about raising a few turkeys, but my husband read some where that you're not supposed to raise them side-by-side, as turkeys can get diseases which will wipe out your chicken flock. I'd be interested if anyone else has heard that, or had trouble raising them together.

Holm -- congrats on your first egg!

CoHomestead and DoubleK -- how did the processing go?

I raise my turkeys and chickens together, they are friends. When I moved my chickens into the covered run and coop the turkeys moved themselves. They now live on the top of the run and hang out with the chickens in the run.

You can get blackhead in turkeys from chickens if it is in the soil/area. I have not had a problem with that. However, there is something in the turkey dander/poop/feathers that prevents some disease in chickens. I gave a bag full of turkey poop to a gal on the Minnesota thread for her chicken to stop some disease. I am having a senior moment and the name of the disease is just not in reach.

Betsy:
Some nice looking birds in their pajamas all ready for camp. It is amazing how many people want you to give them birds. None of them seem to realize the cost we have into the birds in money without considering our time. I do not do organic, but I do drug and medication free, which means I have to keep the birds and their area cleaner. I free range which cuts down on costs some, but the CX's still take a lot of feed from the mill.

I have sold some on craigslist but not many most people want to try and beat me down in price. I am so tired of hearing I can buy them in the store for that. MY response is "so buy them in the store"...... I do not add " see if I give a @%!t." But I want to.


oh well, I like chicken and will eat them all in time.

 

[LindaB220]

I raise my turkeys and chickens together, they are friends. When I moved my chickens into the covered run and coop the turkeys moved themselves. They now live on the top of the run and hang out with the chickens in the run.

You can get blackhead in turkeys from chickens if it is in the soil/area. I have not had a problem with that. However, there is something in the turkey dander/poop/feathers that prevents some disease in chickens. I gave a bag full of turkey poop to a gal on the Minnesota thread for her chicken to stop some disease. I am having a senior moment and the name of the disease is just not in reach.

Betsy:
Some nice looking birds in their pajamas all ready for camp. It is amazing how many people want you to give them birds. None of them seem to realize the cost we have into the birds in money without considering our time. I do not do organic, but I do drug and medication free, which means I have to keep the birds and their area cleaner. I free range which cuts down on costs some, but the CX's still take a lot of feed from the mill.

I have sold some on craigslist but not many most people want to try and beat me down in price. I am so tired of hearing I can buy them in the store for that. MY response is "so buy them in the store"...... I do not add " see if I give a @%!t." But I want to.


oh well, I like chicken and will eat them all in time.

Was that you? Good going. She talked about it on another thread. Maraks disease? My senior moments are coming closer together.

 

[holm25]

We got another pullet egg yesterday from a different hen!!!!!

Hope you all are doing well in the cold I know we are managing to get threw molt just fine but one barred rock bantam has been better.

 

[mountain mom]

Betsy those are some beauties right there! I'd keep them too. Now is the time to enjoy the fruit (or meat) of your work.

I don't bother with organic feed for my chickens. I most certainly wouldn't do it if I had to ship it in. If you give your chickens free ranging time to forage for good healthy yummies, they are going to be healthier for you than supermarket chicken whether you feed them organic or not, in my opinion. You will know the life your chicken had, the condition it was in at processing time as well as the condition of the processing area. That speaks volumes. Ever buy a chicken from the market and wonder if it was sick or dropped on the floor (yes it happens) during processing? Maybe it's just me but some things are way more important to me than whether they ate organic feed. I prefer to know my chicken lived a happy life full of love and respect!

We don't use organic feed either. I figured with the foraging, scraps, love and care they receive, they are still so much better than organic store bought. And they sure as heck taste better!
We also have two feed mills in Fort Collins that source local grains and ingredients, which I find awesome!

Betsy- Those birds look great!

KCMOLisa- The gloves sound perfect! I'm headed to Amazon now to locate them!

On the eviscerating topic: My husband is a bit stubborn. He is going to test it out anyhow. Last time we processed, we had another person to help, and only 5 birds. My hands just can't take too much tedious work. They actually stop working. Thus his remedy to making things go quicker.
I will be sure to let you know how it goes! Hopefully it won't be as messy as the drill with the dish scrubber attached

And on the Turkey topic: Ralphie, you should start a turkey thread for us

I am so excited for spring to come! I am already talking about it and trying to convince my husband we should keep a turkey too, not just to eat at Thanksgiving.
You mentioned the turkeys live on top of the chicken run... do they not need a coop? We live on a fair amount of land, but I am a bit concerned our coop and run would be too small with a turkey added for times when they have to stay locked in.