Helpful hints for building coops

[jvls1942]

Looks great What is the biggest bird it can handle? How many hours does it take to build? if you don't mind me asking , about how much in parts?

I just have a yardbird plucker, around $400 now. I bought mine on sale a while back, don't remember what I paid.. Works good on chickens and ok on turkeys... I did a 2 1/2 yr turkey last week that dressed out at 20lbs.... turkeys I have to remove the long feathers on the tail and wings, neck and feet.. even then i need to shut it off and flip the bird... stil less than 5 min with all the fussing for a turkey.
Best luxury item I bought

I sell mine for $1200.oo..
The frame is solid clear oak.
Mortise and Tenon construction. No nails or screws..
The motor is a one HP Marathon.
It is chain and sprocket drive.
I can do three chickens at a time,
one 20 pound turkey without having to reposition it... I do ducks and geese one at a time.. (I also do chickens one at a time) it fits with my rhythm of killing, scalding and plucking.
after doing ducks, I do wax them, .
to tell the truth, the last time I had 9 geese to do, I took them to the Amish processor.. It was minus 20F and I couldn't bring myself to work outside ..
the most difficult bird is a large Muscovy drake. One fall we were stuck with 70 muscovys.. we did 10 per weekend until they were all in the freezer..
Annie said, never again.. no more muscovys .. We had to buy a small freezer just for them,,
In my memory bank, I think the cost of material is around $700.oo to build one of these..
the fingers alone are about $100.oo
......jiminwisc.........

 

[CapricornFarm]

Here too...it's like a 'heat' wave.

Abnormally hot here for this time of year here as well.

 

[aart]

It got up to like 85 and humid, nice breeze tho and short day made it bearable...
.....oh and the fact that I didn't do a damn thing all day but read, nap, and eat.

 

[Molpet]

I sell mine for $1200.oo..
The frame is solid clear oak.
Mortise and Tenon construction. No nails or screws..
The motor is a one HP Marathon.
It is chain and sprocket drive.
I can do three chickens at a time,
one 20 pound turkey without having to reposition it... I do ducks and geese one at a time.. (I also do chickens one at a time) it fits with my rhythm of killing, scalding and plucking.
after doing ducks, I do wax them, .
to tell the truth, the last time I had 9 geese to do, I took them to the Amish processor.. It was minus 20F and I couldn't bring myself to work outside ..
the most difficult bird is a large Muscovy drake. One fall we were stuck with 70 muscovys.. we did 10 per weekend until they were all in the freezer..
Annie said, never again.. no more muscovys .. We had to buy a small freezer just for them,,
In my memory bank, I think the cost of material is around $700.oo to build one of these..
the fingers alone are about $100.oo
......jiminwisc.........

Thanks for the info... you probably should get more for them, a lot of work with no screws.
The amish are 2.5 hrs away from me and they want you to have at least 25 birds, make an appointment, drop them off by 8 and pick up the next day.
I was thinking of Muscovy, supposed to taste like beef... I think I will pass on them LOL

 

[aart]

I was thinking of Muscovy, supposed to taste like beef... I think I will pass on them

I think a lot of folks just breast 'em out with no skin?

 

[Molpet]

I think a lot of folks just breast 'em out with no skin?

if they are that hard to pluck, I can see why... seems like a waste not to use as much of the bird as you can... although I never had duck soup, and that's what I do with the chicken/turkey back and necks.

 

[jvls1942]

Hi all,
just sitting in my basement retreat with my computer waiting for the tornado watch to begin
also for it to end.. from 8PM to 12 midnight.
I have never breasted out any kind of bird.
ONCE I tried skinning a chicken..
the muscovy ducks pluck ok, the big drakes are the tough ones. they have some protective feathers on their back that have to be pulled off by hand.. only a small group of them.. all of the muscovys have to be waxed.. they have those small dark follicles that would have to be plucked with a sharp knife and thumb.. after waxing, they are as smooth as a baby's hinder..
I have butchered hundreds of ducks. Never had duck soup..
Guineas make the best soup..
Muscovy meat is dark..and if prepared right, not greasy..
I could understand breasting out a goose.
we cut our chickens into pieces before freezing.. no sense in wasting freezer space for a bunch of cavities..
In fact, now we split the chicken in half to get the innards out. easier than fishing around through a small hole for them.
I better end this, it is starting to lightning and the lights just went off and back on..
.........jiminwisc........

 

[Molpet]

Hi all,
just sitting in my basement retreat with my computer waiting for the tornado watch to begin
also for it to end.. from 8PM to 12 midnight.
I have never breasted out any kind of bird.
ONCE I tried skinning a chicken..
the muscovy ducks pluck ok, the big drakes are the tough ones. they have some protective feathers on their back that have to be pulled off by hand.. only a small group of them.. all of the muscovys have to be waxed.. they have those small dark follicles that would have to be plucked with a sharp knife and thumb.. after waxing, they are as smooth as a baby's hinder..
I have butchered hundreds of ducks. Never had duck soup..
Guineas make the best soup..
Muscovy meat is dark..and if prepared right, not greasy..
I could understand breasting out a goose.
we cut our chickens into pieces before freezing.. no sense in wasting freezer space for a bunch of cavities..
In fact, now we split the chicken in half to get the innards out. easier than fishing around through a small hole for them.
I better end this, it is starting to lightning and the lights just went off and back on..
.........jiminwisc........

I was wondering if you were under a tornado watch... stay safe
I just started parting out the chickens this time. I had been doing it with the turkeys to save space and I have a dozen or so cockerels to do and many more in a month

 

[jvls1942]

I am as safe as I can get I guess.. this room in the basement is not touching any of the outside walls.. no windows..
when we part the chickens, I cut along the tips of the ribs all the way around from back bone to back bone, then break the chicken in half where the spine meets the rib cage.
split the soft belly skin and cut carefully around the butt hole.. then reach into the rib cage and get a handful of the squishy stuff an pull it gently out..
then it is easy to get at the lungs and wind pipe and crop if it didn't come out with the first pull..
.....jiminwisc.......

 

[aliciaplus3]

I was stationed in Colo Springs for a few months. every day just before sunset, the air would cool on the mountain and we would get a thunderstorm. It would knock out our computers. at about 4:30 we each would sit at a computer and wait for the lighting to strike.. IDK if this went on year round, but it did when I was there in late winter until early summer..
........jiminwisc......

I am on the other side of the continental divide from Colorado springs. Lol we sit right at 6000 feet in a valley so sometimes we miss some of the storms that come through.