Larkwell Valley (2023)

[troyer]

Lost a Swedish drake today. Something came down and snagged him in the middle of the day

Eagle? That's the only aerial predator that bothered our ducks.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Eagle? That's the only aerial predator that bothered our ducks.

We're thinking coyote. Whatever it was came down by the house, grabbed the drake and then took it part way up the hill by our house to pluck.

I'm just glad that it took a drake (my 1st pick of course out of the young ones) and not any of my females or muscovies

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Lost my colorful onyx yesterday morning. Found her smothered in the sage brush, not sure what happened. She had absolutely no health issues before. We did have a dog loose in our area though, so I wonder if that's what happened, in which case I'm just glad it was only one bird.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Have 3 little males to cull tomorrow morning. I found some yarn ideas though I can use their feathers in though, so at least I don't feel too bad with them being too small to process meat from.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Have 3 little males to cull tomorrow morning. I found some yarn ideas though I can use their feathers in though, so at least I don't feel too bad with them being too small to process meat from.

Why are you culling them this early, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Why are you culling them this early, if you don't mind my asking?

I have far too many males (almost all my clutches this year were very male heavy), and most are bantam or bantam mixes, so they won't be big enough for me to process for meatnuntil far after they start getting hormones.

 

[fuzzi]

Have 3 little males to cull tomorrow morning. I found some yarn ideas though I can use their feathers in though, so at least I don't feel too bad with them being too small to process meat from.

Can you use them for soup?

 

[Canadian Wind]

I have far too many males (almost all my clutches this year were very male heavy), and most are bantam or bantam mixes, so they won't be big enough for me to process for meatnuntil far after they start getting hormones.

I'm sorta in the same boat. Lots of cockerels. And some pullets that I don't want. I processed three of the males (okay, dispatched three, processed one; the other two are chilling to age before I finish them). My other cockerels are also bantams, and I'm just not sure what to do with them either. They're costing me money to feed, which I can't afford right now. I may just put them in my midden ditch.

Daughter is keeping one EE, and I have a half-Dorking I'm hanging on to, unless something better comes along.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Can you use them for soup?

It would still a lot of work to get them to that step. I'd have to pluck and gut and portion out birds the size of song birds.

All in total, I have probably close to 20 this size to cull, and I still have a handful of larger ones to process that I didn't get to before my trip. Some I'll be seeing if my friend wants the meat for the dogs since it's dark colored and my dad won't eat it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Welp, found where my sexlink is sleeping every night