Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

[BlueBaby]

@Kris5902 How's your flock doing now after getting rid of that owl?

I'll be minus 3 cockerel's on this coming Friday. A guy that one of my neighbor's work's with is coming by to get them. He has been asking my neighbor if I had anymore boy's available. He got 2 Splash Australorp cockerel's from me 3 year's ago for his flock, and need's boy's with new blood. He will be getting 2 Naked Neck cockerel's (that hatched from different colored egg's), and an Olive Egger cockerel too. The hormone's haven't kicked in yet.

 

[Kris5902]

@Kris5902 How's your flock doing now after getting rid of that owl?

I'll be minus 3 cockerel's on this coming Friday.~
The hormone's haven't kicked in yet.

So far so good, Barney and his girls seem a little confused by the lower testosterone levels in their flock after we had their 7 cockerels processed. Having less cockerels is always a nice thing. Selling them is even better. So far no further issues/losses. Everyone is doing ok with our recent cold snap warming back up. Everyone was very happy to move to fresh grass today (the ice around the chicken tractor wheels having finally melted enough to move them!) A thorough “coop cleaning” is due soon. The waterers have also almost defrosted too!

We processed 9 of our boys at a plant on Friday, at $6 a bird, just selling the breasts covers the fee with a slight profit; we are only netting about $6 per bird on these guys, but we are donating the wings, necks, bones etc. to our local soup kitchen, so not too bad for some skinny “layer” boys! Add in the cost of the boys I was going to process for my co-hatcher and we won’t nearly break even (merry Christmas) but, when you figure in all the work/trade/barter for propane I’ve accomplished with drywall and painting I’ve been up to instead, it is probably not quite as “bad” as it seems For our margin. Time=money/propane, processing cost=time saved and a legally saleable product, so I’m still ahead... I’m sure. My work/barter may also be leading to “paying” $$$ work as well, my proficiencies and reasonable “rates” are being noticed locally.

As for hormones kicking in... I will have to look up my datesdor you, but the older boys testicles were significantly larger than their hearts. The plant we used this time uses a mechanical eviscerator, which missed some bits on my layer-type boys. I also processed two of the younger boys from Sammys flock, to replace the owl kills, and theirs were only the size of my pinky fingernail! I’m quite certain most of the cockerel/rooster “aggression” issues are 200% due to testosterone poisoning. Those hormones seem to hit hard in chickens. I am toying with the notion of letting a junior cockerel live and grow up in with Barney and Sammy’s flocks. To see how they evolve in a more natural group/setting. Plus, I have a real soft spot for the boys...

I’m getting about a dozen eggs a day now, and going to be needing to try out that pickled egg recipe @mixedUPturk shared over on Bob’s thread... if it’s a water bath canning thing I can probably make it work? My first attempt at canning since my early teens seems eminent though tiny pullet chicken eggs are probably somewhat different from quail eggs... it never hurts to try, eh?

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning Kris

 

[aart]

They burn quite spectacularly... and older docks, like the one in those pictures, were treated with creosote for waterproofing and pest proofing... just if @aart or anyone is wondering where the tie in to chimney fires was there.

Didn't think of the waterproofing, but did think of fuel storage.

 

[mixedUPturk]

So far so good, Barney and his girls seem a little confused by the lower testosterone levels in their flock after we had their 7 cockerels processed. Having less cockerels is always a nice thing. Selling them is even better. So far no further issues/losses. Everyone is doing ok with our recent cold snap warming back up. Everyone was very happy to move to fresh grass today (the ice around the chicken tractor wheels having finally melted enough to move them!) A thorough “coop cleaning” is due soon. The waterers have also almost defrosted too!

We processed 9 of our boys at a plant on Friday, at $6 a bird, just selling the breasts covers the fee with a slight profit; we are only netting about $6 per bird on these guys, but we are donating the wings, necks, bones etc. to our local soup kitchen, so not too bad for some skinny “layer” boys! Add in the cost of the boys I was going to process for my co-hatcher and we won’t nearly break even (merry Christmas) but, when you figure in all the work/trade/barter for propane I’ve accomplished with drywall and painting I’ve been up to instead, it is probably not quite as “bad” as it seems For our margin. Time=money/propane, processing cost=time saved and a legally saleable product, so I’m still ahead... I’m sure. My work/barter may also be leading to “paying” $$$ work as well, my proficiencies and reasonable “rates” are being noticed locally.

As for hormones kicking in... I will have to look up my datesdor you, but the older boys testicles were significantly larger than their hearts. The plant we used this time uses a mechanical eviscerator, which missed some bits on my layer-type boys. I also processed two of the younger boys from Sammys flock, to replace the owl kills, and theirs were only the size of my pinky fingernail! I’m quite certain most of the cockerel/rooster “aggression” issues are 200% due to testosterone poisoning. Those hormones seem to hit hard in chickens. I am toying with the notion of letting a junior cockerel live and grow up in with Barney and Sammy’s flocks. To see how they evolve in a more natural group/setting. Plus, I have a real soft spot for the boys...

I’m getting about a dozen eggs a day now, and going to be needing to try out that pickled egg recipe @mixedUPturk shared over on Bob’s thread... if it’s a water bath canning thing I can probably make it work? My first attempt at canning since my early teens seems eminent though tiny pullet chicken eggs are probably somewhat different from quail eggs... it never hurts to try, eh?

Ive done bantam chickens eggs before! Same difference. Yes ma'am straightforward water bath ordeal, all of mine sealed for me all of the three times ive done it now Please remember what Mr Robby told me about the garlic though! Cant wait to see how it comes out!

 

[Kris5902]

Didn't think of the waterproofing, but did think of fuel storage.

Yes, they were very lucky the gas didn’t go up as well! Our gravity feed gasoline tanks are right by the dock. And there was the line down for the boat gas pump on the dock. It has been shut off for three years now due to environmental concerns, which has been a challenge for fuel pricing and the owner of the “gas station”. Most of the fancy boaters aren’t willing to walk the 100 feet to the pump even withthe gas attendant wheeling the gerry cans down for them on a dolly. Which is a system far more prone to spillage than the pump was.

 

[Kris5902]

Ive done bantam chickens eggs before! Same difference. Yes ma'am straightforward water bath ordeal, all of mine sealed for me all of the three times ive done it now Please remember what Mr Robby told me about the garlic though! Cant wait to see how it comes out!

Will do and thanks again for the recipe! I think it is a botulism thing with the garlic... scary stuff! At least that is what the aunt in law who does a lot of canning said regarding it.

 

[BlueBaby]

So far so good, Barney and his girls seem a little confused by the lower testosterone levels in their flock after we had their 7 cockerels processed. Having less cockerels is always a nice thing. Selling them is even better. So far no further issues/losses. Everyone is doing ok with our recent cold snap warming back up. Everyone was very happy to move to fresh grass today (the ice around the chicken tractor wheels having finally melted enough to move them!) A thorough “coop cleaning” is due soon. The waterers have also almost defrosted too!

We processed 9 of our boys at a plant on Friday, at $6 a bird, just selling the breasts covers the fee with a slight profit; we are only netting about $6 per bird on these guys, but we are donating the wings, necks, bones etc. to our local soup kitchen, so not too bad for some skinny “layer” boys! Add in the cost of the boys I was going to process for my co-hatcher and we won’t nearly break even (merry Christmas) but, when you figure in all the work/trade/barter for propane I’ve accomplished with drywall and painting I’ve been up to instead, it is probably not quite as “bad” as it seems For our margin. Time=money/propane, processing cost=time saved and a legally saleable product, so I’m still ahead... I’m sure. My work/barter may also be leading to “paying” $$$ work as well, my proficiencies and reasonable “rates” are being noticed locally.

As for hormones kicking in... I will have to look up my datesdor you, but the older boys testicles were significantly larger than their hearts. The plant we used this time uses a mechanical eviscerator, which missed some bits on my layer-type boys. I also processed two of the younger boys from Sammys flock, to replace the owl kills, and theirs were only the size of my pinky fingernail! I’m quite certain most of the cockerel/rooster “aggression” issues are 200% due to testosterone poisoning. Those hormones seem to hit hard in chickens. I am toying with the notion of letting a junior cockerel live and grow up in with Barney and Sammy’s flocks. To see how they evolve in a more natural group/setting. Plus, I have a real soft spot for the boys...

I’m getting about a dozen eggs a day now, and going to be needing to try out that pickled egg recipe @mixedUPturk shared over on Bob’s thread... if it’s a water bath canning thing I can probably make it work? My first attempt at canning since my early teens seems eminent though tiny pullet chicken eggs are probably somewhat different from quail eggs... it never hurts to try, eh?

My 3 cockerel's that are getting pickled up on Friday are free. I give away my extra boy's, just to get rid of them. I really don't like having to off them if no one takes them. The temps here to day is supposed to get up in the 70's-F.

It's amazing what you have noticed with the testosterone thing when you took your's in for processing.

If you try that recipe that was given on Bob's thread, it had been mentioned not to use the fresh garlic, but to use the pickled type instead. I don't know if you had caught that part or not.

 

[rjohns39]

Will do and thanks again for the recipe! I think it is a botulism thing with the garlic... scary stuff! At least that is what the aunt in law who does a lot of canning said regarding it.

Pickled would be safer. Garlic is one of those things prone to botulism.

 

[Ribh]

Am reading...just struggling to comment @ present.

The jetty here used to be twice as long as it presently is. My farm friend, who grew up here, tells me they were partying on the jetty one winter night. It got so cold they decided to light a fire. In.The.Middle.Of.The.Jetty. What can I say? I can only wonder how much tequila they'd actually had to think that was a brilliant idea.