Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

[aart]

Also to avoid straining, look into soup socks.

I just use a colander...with ~1/8" holes.

 

[drumstick diva]

I'm hungry already

 

[Kris5902]

Hi everybody! It’s been a bit, sorry, but I really haven’t had too much to update on... it’s mostly been keeping busy with farm chores and getting things organized. We’ve had alternating sunny hot days with rain, sometimes torrential, which we of course had for our Saturday market last week. Andrew is off to the laundromat, Dr., then two days work at the Abbatoir on the other island, so it’s just me here again. The new pacemaker (#8!) is doing fine. We will be helping with the sheep shearing on Friday.

Well, I got three more chickens on Sunday... CX that I’m hoping I can keep healthy enough to breed. One is a runt and extremely active, for a CX, and the others aren’t huge at almost 8 weeks old. They are about to go on a diet and exercise plan! The Runt is named Shanti and likes to be sung to. Their sisters and brother are heading in to the processor today, so they are the lucky ones that will have a chance at getting old and reproducing. Today I’m finishing up the hardware cloth on the second meat tractor and separating out my ranger girls.

So, @rjohns39 about that stock story when you have time? I have used the socks/cheesecloth before, but because I also pick the meat off the bones (I leave a lot on them) I’ve found they really don’t help me a lot, I usually use a colander then pick out the meat from it. I ended up with over 20 quarts of stock once I had reduced it, so it was more the volume than anything else that made this an effort.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Hi Kris! Wanted to know... what are the dynamics of the flock when a rooster is involved? I have a young Cochin bantam who will be the roo of my flock ... I have 12 standard gals and 1 Silkie and 3 Cochin girls and him... was wondering does the leader remain the leader and how does she deal with this new little punk

 

[aart]

I usually use a colander then pick out the meat from it.

Do you then cook the bones longer?
I pick out all meat when it's done, then cook the bones and veg longer.
Pressure cooker 15psi...meat ~1hour, then everything else another 2 hours.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi Kris When I do mine, there's very little meat and I use a 160 qt pot. I quickly bring it up to a boil and then turn it back to a simmer. I simmer a minimum of 12 hours, but longer is better.

 

[Kris5902]

Hi Kris! Wanted to know... what are the dynamics of the flock when a rooster is involved? I have a young Cochin bantam who will be the roo of my flock ... I have 12 standard gals and 1 Silkie and 3 Cochin girls and him... was wondering does the leader remain the leader and how does she deal with this new little punk

Well, my Mr Marans grew up with his girls, but he was a very nice boy, a little rough at first figuring out his whole mounting technique, but good to the girls. He’s protective but respectful of people, and there wasn’t really much of a flock dynamic change there, except it got more peaceful once I pulled the other guys out.

Now, my problem child on the other hand, Chickie Hawk, is another story. He was getting very aggressive to me (still is a bit) and I introduced him to 7 girls I liberated from the farm’s outdoor pen. When I first put them together feathers were flying, on both sides! He attacked them, they attacked back, it was awful... I stuck him in a milk crate and made a 2’ hardware cloth box for him. He went in with them in that for the afternoon. At night I put him in to roost with them, and the next day they were ok with each other when I let them out.

The flock dynamics haven’t changed much there. Except his favorite hen has moved up a little on the pecking order ( the one white Columbia’s rock in with 6 production reds) the top hen will still occasionally show him who’s really boss if he comes at me when I’m bringing them food, she was also the last to accept his courtship attempts. They still love the food bringer (me) and he’s now almost more concerned with them than he is me, which is a good thing.

I think it mostly depends on the personalities of the hens, and the cockerel. But I really like having the boys in there. Watching Mr Maran with his girls is a joy, and seeing Chickie Hawk starting to develop some manners is a relief, although he’s not quite off the maybe dinner menu yet!

 

[WhoDatChick]

Well, my Mr Marans grew up with his girls, but he was a very nice boy, a little rough at first figuring out his whole mounting technique, but good to the girls. He’s protective but respectful of people, and there wasn’t really much of a flock dynamic change there, except it got more peaceful once I pulled the other guys out.

Now, my problem child on the other hand, Chickie Hawk, is another story. He was getting very aggressive to me (still is a bit) and I introduced him to 7 girls I liberated from the farm’s outdoor pen. When I first put them together feathers were flying, on both sides! He attacked them, they attacked back, it was awful... I stuck him in a milk crate and made a 2’ hardware cloth box for him. He went in with them in that for the afternoon. At night I put him in to roost with them, and the next day they were ok with each other when I let them out.

The flock dynamics haven’t changed much there. Except his favorite hen has moved up a little on the pecking order ( the one white Columbia’s rock in with 6 production reds) the top hen will still occasionally show him who’s really boss if he comes at me when I’m bringing them food, she was also the last to accept his courtship attempts. They still love the food bringer (me) and he’s now almost more concerned with them than he is me, which is a good thing.

I think it mostly depends on the personalities of the hens, and the cockerel. But I really like having the boys in there. Watching Mr Maran with his girls is a joy, and seeing Chickie Hawk starting to develop some manners is a relief, although he’s not quite off the maybe dinner menu yet!

Thanks! Well, he is growing up in there with everyone... he is one of the babies I gave to my broody Silkie to raise... they are all integrated... so he will come of age within the group of older gals.. teenage girls.. his “mama and sisters”... and the new little flowers that’ll be integrating in about a month.. he is almost nine weeks old. So, I’m really hoping for a good boy! He is very sweet now but I know that could change with hormones... the Cochins are so sweet though.. that I’m hoping he stays that way...

 

[Kris5902]

Do you then cook the bones longer?
I pick out all meat when it's done, then cook the bones and veg longer.
Pressure cooker 15psi...meat ~1hour, then everything else another 2 hours.

Hi Kris When I do mine, there's very little meat and I use a 160 qt pot. I quickly bring it up to a boil and then turn it back to a simmer. I simmer a minimum of 12 hours, but longer is better.

Well, my cockerel leg meat was a little more flavorful/toothsome than even we like, but the breast meat was wonderful! Yes @aart you were right, they didn’t get much bigger, just more contrary, and I should* have done them between 16-19 weeks... so I did all the legs, thighs, backs, wings and bones. I brought it up to a boil, reduced the heat and just simmered it for about 14 hours, then cut the heat and let it cool overnight.

It was still barely warm when I got to it in the morning, after round one of chicken chores, so in my mini kitchen using a small saucepan like a ladle I scooped it out straining the broth into my stock pot and spaghetti pot, and picking out all the meat in my mixing bowl. I returned the stock to the large pots, brought it back to a boil and reduced by 50% Over about another 3 or 4 hours. I let it cool a bit, Saran wrapped the tops, and prayed a lot as I drove very carefully down the really rough road 2 miles to the walk in cooler.

I also had about 8 months worth of frozen store bought wings and backs as well as my 7 cockerels. When we buy chickens we almost always get whole ones and part them up ourselves, I don’t save the cooked leg bones from meals, but I do keep all the rest for soup (I’m just too lazy to cook chicken wings!). Having a Butcher as a husband comes in handy... he can perfectly part up a chicken in under 2 minutes. I used my stainless steel 24Qt/L soapmaking pot and my new taller aluminum 40Qt/L pot (bought it for soups/scalding because it’s taller than my soap pot) it was mostly time consuming and awkward with my tiny RV kitchen, my sink is a whopping 12”x12.5” and 6” deep. And there is no counter/prep space. I’m fixing that with the table top from the dinette I ripped out very soon...

 

[Kris5902]

Thanks! Well, he is growing up in there with everyone... he is one of the babies I gave to my broody Silkie to raise... they are all integrated... so he will come of age within the group of older gals.. teenage girls.. his “mama and sisters”... and the new little flowers that’ll be integrating in about a month.. he is almost nine weeks old. So, I’m really hoping for a good boy! He is very sweet now but I know that could change with hormones... the Cochins are so sweet though.. that I’m hoping he stays that way...

With just one boy and the older girls there to teach him manners I’m sure you'll Do well with him. I think some of Chickie Hawks issues came from not having ladies around for him as he came into those hormones. And the girls I introduced him too had never had a Rooster, so there was confusion all around. I think bringing them up together will help, and having so many girls. I didn’t plan on keeping as many boys as I did initially, and I also planned on hatching out double the number of pullets/chicks I got. 14/48 eggs, only 7 girls and I lost one to coccidiosis then there was my spectacular cockerel purchase with 10 boys to 4 girls. Straight run week old chicks

Speaking of eggs, we candled earlier in the day than I wanted to... kiddo has an 8 pm bedtime, so we pushed it back as late as we could, but it was still quite light out when we did it. so no good pictures. But right now, it’s looking like Chickie Hawk has 33 babies on the way, and Mr Maran has 8! My incubator temp might be a little low, but I’ve got the humidity better controlled this time (it’s so humid/wet here I don’t need to add any water!)