INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Dish chickens]

You need to wait for them to go through rigor. Also crowing males will be tougher and dark meat is from muscle that gets used. So a cockerel needs to soak through rigor and needs to be cock potted (this is my info from my cockerel I just processed. Blrw have surprisingly nice looking xarcasses. White skin and no dark smudges.

So I take the chicken out of freezer put in fridge to thaw...last one that was better was in fridge for 5-days what do I need to do different and do I need to process sooner then 18 weeks on the cockerels?

 

[PeacefulWalls]

So I take the chicken out of freezer put in fridge to thaw...last one that was better was in fridge for 5-days what do I need to do different and do I need to process sooner then 18 weeks on the cockerels?

Let the meat rest in the fridge for a few days right after butchering before you freeze it. We do the same thing with our rabbits when we process them. I leave them in the fridge after cleaning them well. Then after a couple of days I take them out, rinse them well again & debone the parts I want for chunk & ground meat & then either freeze the rest or cook in the crock pot until it falls off the bone & then freeze the meat/broth in freezer boxes. I love having the meat all ready to thaw & use. Speaking of, I have a turkey in the freezer I need to thaw & cook & then debone. My previous supply ran out. Something else for the to do list....

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

HI GUYS!! i just read well over 40 pages... yep that many and finally got caught up. Quiet evening with the rain. Some very sad posts

I am terribly sorry for those who have had losses the last few weeks.
Also congrats for all the new babies in your flocks!
New members...a BIG

AND OUR THREAD

very exciting to see so many new members! You can be from the UK and be a member, Its not important where you live. I think its fantastic to meet other people and learn their methods of keeping poultry and other livestock. We have a fantastic supporting group of people here and I am grateful to know you all.

About our thread...My rules are pretty basic and simple.
This is OUR thread, and there is no restrictions on discussions as long as it adheres to BYC guidelines. Family clean posts, no foul language. We have children and young adults reading and participating. And personally I don't feel its necessary to make a point or voice anger using profanity..
Some topics, like religion and politics can get messy, and I prefer we don't discuss it, but as long as we can agree to disagree and be respectful... I see no reason it can't be discussed. If there is a rule prohibiting it per BYC guidelines, please pm me quoting the rule and we will adhere to it.
Mother2Hens periodically posts our thread info and rules, watch close for a posting soon.
Also keep in mind we do have a work co-op thread started by racinchikkins :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/872322/indy-area-chicken-work-co-op/140#post_13594590
Need help with a project? Join the co-op!

Chickenfest 2014 is a go! Saturday July 19th

More info coming shortly! Anyone wanting to camp, I recommend reserving a campsite asap. Brookville reservoir is a beautiful and popular place.
There will be a playground for the kids, and the barn I am renting has modern restroom facilities. I apologize for those that won't be able to work this date in. Its my hope to have another even this year.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I wanted to chime in on the meat bird discussion..
I have processed year old + roosters. I noticed the bones are harder to work with, tendons etc. even the skin is very tough! they usually are deboned/ground and that's been my best use of them. I always brine at least 3 days. Honestly, birds past 6 months are a lot more work to process. DH isn't much on roasted/crock pot chickens, so If I use them for that purpose, its more a wintertime thing. I prepare it for my parents often. Lot of flavor, but a LOT of work on heritage adult roos.
Cornish cross (CX) are a good choice if you want tender fryers, but I free range them. They get to weight slower, but makes a big difference on the flavor. I have a 2 year old hen from the last batch that lays eggs, goes broody and acts like a "normal" chicken. She is big, and lumbers like a CX, but her legs are fine and she even roosts. I have a hen from her egg that is a splash, and is a normal chicken also. I don't hatch hers anymore, most of her eggs are jumbo double yolkers.
I was very impressed with racin's Bresse, I was at a processing day and had a hands on opportunity to see the finished product! I have an absolute desire to add them for my flock.
Hear a lot about the dixie rainbows and do want to try them once. They may be more of what I am looking for too.

 

[brian5161986]

So I posted a picture of the chicken plucker. Here is a video of the plucker in action. It does show the scalding process as well so it can be graphic depeding on your definition of graphic. As you see in the video it does an amazing job only leaves a few end feathers which you cut off anyways.

 

[number9]

My three hens combs were losing there color. I know as they get older and as they lay eggs that the comb would do that. My hens are at least three years old or older but I thought that they combs should not be that light. I then remembered some one say that stress would cause color loss and heat is stressful. Someone else posted that they put electrolytes in the water to help them handle stress. Well I finally added the electrolytes to the water and in less than a week it has made a tremendous difference. The hens combs are as red as the roos now. Thank you all.

 

[Minminme]

Sorry about Po. He was such a beautiful Boy

He was an amazing looking Roo! I hope he's just hiding and shows up in a day or two.

 

[number9]

So I posted a picture of the chicken plucker. Here is a video of the plucker in action. It does show the scalding process as well so it can be graphic depeding on your definition of graphic. As you see in the video it does an amazing job only leaves a few end feathers which you cut off anyways.

Our plucker we built works better with 2 or 3 chickens than it dos with one.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have a couple of you that I planned to take in roosters from. Haven't forgotten you! My parents health has been a roller coaster and am trying to fit it into my schedule. I have been getting a little more free time and hope to pick up the boys from those waiting on me very soon. Started making good on my promises, lol..
I wanted to thank Kab & Brad, I was able to meet with Brad and added a few wonderful additions. Cannot thank Brad enough for his chicken trains, you are awesome~~

Gus and Jules are doing fantastic, and actually joined the flock fully yesterday! He and Red had a squabble, but it ended quickly. Both boys had scratched up combs but otherwise have "agreed" to be tolerant! The fight starts if Red flirts with Jules, or if Bunny runs over to see Gus. Red is currently dominant but I can see that changing as Gus matures more. They look quite impressive standing together watching over the flock! They seem to herd the girls to the center and guard form opposite sides. I have 3 other adult roosters, Rene, Bruce and #2 LO roo (unnamed) that take outer edges also.
I also added my new laying pullets and misc LF "littles" that were past the chick stage, about 14 weeks old. Since the grow up coop is positioned between the waterfowl pen and the main coop, it went perfectly fine. 9 Pekin joined the Ducks/Goose coop. 30 young adults to the main coop! I was down to about 20 adults...Have no "extra" roos or hens. Exactly where I want to be

. I will have extra pekin if any one is interested, ugh a lot.

 

[Minminme]

Busy weekend for me! I hope the tractor build at Racinchickens went well, sorry I wasn't able to attend but I was nursing Gregor (he seems to be moving his legs more, but still has yet to stand). Yesterday I started building my last run. Here is my progress thus far. My goal is to get it painted this week, get the door built and then hang the hardware cloth next weekend. I also hauled hay yesterday. I am feeling pretty sore today! So, filed away under the "this would only happen to me" category, I have a mouse problem in my shed. I have been resisting using poison (which I could put up in the shed loft and the chickens couldn't reach, but I don't want a poisoned mouse to somehow make it into the chicken pens and get consumed) and I don't have the stomach for any trap where I have to see the dead bodies. So I made a humane bucket trap to catch and release them a couple miles down the road. Yesterday I caught one, came back an hour or so later to take it down the road and it had given birth in the bucket! It literally multiplied in less than an hour. What does one do in such a situation? I felt awful dumping it along the road with new babies (eyes not open), and even putting it back in the shed wasn't an option because i didn't know where she would nest. I eventually dumped them all down under the hay (also infested with mice) where a lot of them seem to nest. I'm sure she abandoned the babies and I am not down ANY mice after releasing her back in my barn, but i felt better putting the family somewhere protected and not out in the sun to die. Who else would this happen to? Gaahhhh, I really don't want to use the poison but I am getting closer to doing it, the mice are such an issue and catching them one at a time is not going to help my problem when they are having litters like rabbits (which I also have a problem with). Another thing I wanted to share with the group is my low feed alert system. I built several of the pvc feeders for my pens, but wanted an easy way to see when they started getting low on feed. I tied a "flag" on one end of a long string, drilled a hole into the feeder and fed that string through and tied a weight on the end that is inside the feeder. The weight sits on top of the feed and as the feed level drops, the weight also drops and pulls the string. When the "flag" gets near the top of the feeder I know it is time to add feed. It enables me to know what the feed level is without going into each pen. I need to fashion something similar for the waterers. Anyway, I am proud of it and it was really easy to do. It could be added to most DIY feeders.

That's a neat idea I think I'm going t try it! What did u use for a weight inside the feeders?