Just ATE my first raised chicken....and

[geepy]

6chickens in St. Charles :

Quote:
what does it mean to "age the birds" please?

We either put them on ice or refrigerate them for 4 or 5 days before we freeze them. We think that makes the meat a little more tender. We're going to try turkeys for thanksgiving now. ​

 

[NonnasBabies]

Quote:
I have a question about this. We processed some black sex links at 5 months and the largest one dressed out at 3.3 lbs and the smallest was 2.4 lbs. If I would have butchered any sooner they would have been so tiny. Do you think maybe it was becuase it was a sex link breed?? Or maybe becuase we didn't feed a high enough protein feed? They recieved a chick/grow out feed till they were about 17 weeks old and then they just ate the layer pellets like the rest.

Thanks

 

[sablevulpe]

Quote:
I have had "help" from the kids next door this summer, and one of the little girls has proven to be a "chicken whisperer." she walks up to the chickens and picks them up, no problem. Well, a couple days ago, she went into the run wearing flip flops, and one of the hens (called "Little" was feeling a bit "peckish" and bit her on the foot. When she came home to show her bruise, she very solemnly told her mom, "I think we should eat Little tonight."

From the mouths of babes.
Pics of Cindy Lou Who, my chicken whisperer:

 

[deerman]

Quote:
I have a question about this. We processed some black sex links at 5 months and the largest one dressed out at 3.3 lbs and the smallest was 2.4 lbs. If I would have butchered any sooner they would have been so tiny. Do you think maybe it was becuase it was a sex link breed?? Or maybe becuase we didn't feed a high enough protein feed? They recieved a chick/grow out feed till they were about 17 weeks old and then they just ate the layer pellets like the rest.

Thanks

Yes you should feed a high % grower, have seen some sexlink that are smaller like redstar, which they use breed hens like white leghorns. Now black sexlink should be cross of BR and RIR or NH . Which should be good for larger roosters. Golden comet they use white rock hens and NH or RIR.

Rooster at that age should be roasters.

 

[NonnasBabies]

Quote:
I have a question about this. We processed some black sex links at 5 months and the largest one dressed out at 3.3 lbs and the smallest was 2.4 lbs. If I would have butchered any sooner they would have been so tiny. Do you think maybe it was becuase it was a sex link breed?? Or maybe becuase we didn't feed a high enough protein feed? They recieved a chick/grow out feed till they were about 17 weeks old and then they just ate the layer pellets like the rest.

Thanks

Yes you should feed a high % grower, have seen some sexlink that are smaller like redstar, which they use breed hens like white leghorns. Now black sexlink should be cross of BR and RIR or NH . Which should be good for larger roosters. Golden comet they use white rock hens and NH or RIR.

Rooster at that age should be roasters.

Thanks for the info. I'm going to hatch some more the first of the year and I'm going to try feeding a higher protein and hope I can get some better results!!

Thanks again!

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

hmmmm.... the one we ate last night was a bit tough..... he was about 7 months old??? Browned it, boiled and made chicken and gravy.

 

[Redcatcher]

I grew up on a farm where butchering animals for food was a way of life. We knew not to make pets out of or get attached to the animals. The exception to this rule was the flock of laying hens that my mom kept. We got attached to our "girls" and they lived long and productive lives. We had a few roosters and they were such fine birds (buff Orpingtons) that people wanted to borrow them to start their own flocks. None ever ended up in the stewing pot. In honor of my mom who passed away many years ago, I will not eat a bird that I have raised. I am still a farmer through and through but eating an animal that was more of a pet than livestock does not set well with me. On the other hand, when I was over in Vietnam as a combat solider, I sat down with an elderly papa san who was preparing some meat in an open pit. I smelled so good, I was nearly starving, that I began to drool. I had an idea that it was dog and then saw some dogs in some bamboo pens. Did I eat the meat? You bet! And it was very tasty but it was not my dog or even one that I knew. As far as I was concerned it was livestock. No different than a pig or a cow.