"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[grambysfarm]

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Congrats on the processing. Sounds like you had your hands full since you were doing it alone. How did the hatchet work? How did you hold their heads down? I'm afraid of missing their heads and then the poor birds will have to suffer for a few more seconds or minutes while I re-position them. I don't want to torture the poor birds.

The hatchet worked well. I grabed them by the feet with my left hand & turned them upside down. I layed the head & neck down on a board. It didn't completely sever the head, but it did the job. From there I threw them into a 55 gal drum. They moved around for about 30 seconds, which may have been the worst part about it. The first one I definitely found my self saying "easy boy". It is definitely an emotional experience, but once they were dead, the rest was not bad at all.

You're absolutely right -- it is definitely an emotional experience. That's why I don't name my chickens. Without a name, I feel detached from them from the very start. I butchered my first ones last year. The first one is the hardest one to do. After the first one is done, you regroup and try to improve your method. For me, I like to use a utility knife and slit the main artery on their neck. I prefer that they don't jump all over the place so I just bleed them over a bucket holding them by the feet. I plan to purchase some of those "killing cones" to make the job a little more efficient for me. Growing up, my mom would just wring the chicken's neck. I never could do that because it's just too traumatic for me. Killing the chickens is definitely a mindset.

 

[Gracie9205]

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I had 2 buckeye chicks hatch while I was gone this weekend! I am hoping it's a pair

We made it back safe and sound, and it sure was gorgeous! Never been to the Rocky Mountains before, but I loved it. I can't wait to go back next year when we have more time to spend there.

I start the new job tomorrow! Hope everyone has a great week!

Good luck at the new job. Hey, what colors do you have in Silkies and Showgirls???

White, black, and splash silkies. I also have 2 black showgirl hens, and a partridge showgirl chick. I got my first egg from the silkies yesterday!

 

[TerriLaChicks]

Good morning everybody! Here I am at my last Monday at work, next Monday I guess I'll be standing in the unemployment line (still have a possible interview on the job with the oil lease company but for now..waiting...waiting...)

Omygosh Julie! what a HUGE snake! so glad you got that sucker!
Good luck on your first day Gracie, hope you have an easy day & nice people to work with. Vacation sounded wonderful!
Twiley how are the Orps doing? grown any more? lol my flock looks half the size it used to!

Everybody have a nice day!

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

kuntrygirl cool pics of the snake

Gracie9205 congrats on the hatch

New2TheCoop I use to cleen scovies alot when I had them dont get me wrong there has been some that I thought twice about processing but usually once I get it in my head that it needs to be done. I just dont think about it and do it.. and I dont name them lol.

I got rid of my mixed roo yesterday. I guy from LC found my add on Craig's List.
Pretty much finished my mini aviary/grow out pen lol.. just got to build a shelter with a perch. Ive got some tree cleering to do in the near future so Im gonna put a nice tree branch in there. I might post a pic later but its hard to tell whats what because I have a pen attatched to that one so its hard to make it out.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Good morning everyone. I"m back at work. Doesn 't feel like I had a vacation. No more taking naps and watching the Judge Shows on tv. Back to the real world.

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

Basically I had a 14'x7' pen. I put a couple of poles in the middle. Took some 4' netting and joined the two together with some nlyon rope. yes wove the the rope between every one inch square. Pain in the behind. and draped it over and ziptied it down.

 

[BayouPoules]

Julie,.. Goodness girl,.. those snake pics are great!


New2TheCoop,.. congrats on the processing,.. it gets easier!


Cadjien_De_Louisiane ,.. all my eyes focused on were your trees,.. we lost over 40 huge trees in Katrina,.. (5 on the house!) and It's what I miss most,.. I have tree envey,..


Right now it has been raining here for 4 days straight,.. and we are not near the Bayou,.. we are the Bayou,.. run and coop are flooding and roof is leaking,.. it's always something,.. aint it! still,.. it will dry ou eventually and leaks can be fixed,..

Hope ya'll have a good Monday

 

[grambysfarm]

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The Orps are doing fine. I love those birds!

 

[BayouPoules]

Ok,.. we're trying to have a good attitude,.. but it's getting harder,..coop and run are now flooded and it's still storming,.. there is water under the house for the first time since Katrina and I am pretty sure the family at the low end of the road has water in their house,..we're going to go see if they are OK,.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

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I hope the rain stops soon and that your neighbors, property, and animals are okay. This rain is ridiculous and you folks in the Lacombe area are getting the worst of it. Right now, a small lake has formed at the back of myicken coop and they have a pond in one part of their run.

Looks like I am going to be putting a rain gutter on the coop as soon as possible to at least drain the water away from the back wall. The only time we see water like this is after a hurricane: Didn't even have this much after Gustav.

I live in the Bush area and have a professional rain gauge. I emptied it on Friday and had 5.5 inches. I emptied it this morning and had 3.2, and it already has another 3 inches in it from just today. First, our gardens suffer and under produce because we get absolutely zero rain for the entire spring. Then, we get all the missing rain in less than two weeks time and flood. Gotta love mother nature.