Like I said Thank God that nobody was home. Family is so turned off on processing, I couldn't do it with them there. Next time I will be better prepared. Cone and chair to sit in for plucking. On another thread a lady said that she has a tall sawhorse and hangs them after getting out of the cone and dipping them. She sits with garden gloves on and the feathers just fly off.Hi to my fellow La peeps!I've been thinking about ya'll and praying for everyone. LindaB you cracked me up!! lol. For I too tried the broomstick method (it looked sooo easy peezy) So I huffed and I puffed and I pullled broomstick came off a bit so no "deed" done. So I repositioned the broomstick all the while talking to the poor dear. I pulled back to far fell a bit backwards, and gave a harder pull... and I fell backwards, the poor things head was on one side of the broomstick and his body ran across the yard as I sat on the ground, traumatized! Ah, but alas I was not alone and my family after making sure I was okay, busted up laughing to tears! The dirty birds, lol! And as some of you mentioned the chicken math I found out today that I really have no chickens!
I have 4 Tom Turkey's 6 Guinea fowl, 1 goose, 61 birds from 12 to 9 weeks old, and 8 8 month old birds (6 that currently give me eggs almost everyday). It seems that a chicken is not a chicken until after 1 year of age... I get the egg before the chicken lol! And now for the best part of chickens... pictures lol!
The 1st photo of our BLRW (Blue Laced Red Wyandotte's) these are great birds I love their personality, and along with our Cuckoo Marans they IMHO are some of the best conversationalists around! They were being moved in a dog pen to their NEW breed specific pen. So excited I'm getting about 30 more and choosing the best of these for a pullet breeding pen (maybe rooster's too we shall see). The next few are the Blue Andalusians, with Red the feather eater (1 of our EE males photo bombing in front). The Black Austrolourps came to see us with the Blue Andalusians in the third picture. And the picture with my GS (and foot lol) is the grow up pen/yard. we built with reused fencing, pallets, one role of harware 1/4" ($86.00 ) misc hardware laying around screws ($24.00 OUCH but used box for this house and 2 more so it's good!) Reused windows and tin and fence posts - GOD is good! Total cost around $130.00 We will be putting in nesting boxes so the mismatched boards mark the spots lol! I put a better picture so you'd see the fencing and netting. I got deer mesh from TSC to cover the top and keep turkey's from jumping in it was on clearance for $20.00. My birds are pretty much watched through out the day so it would give them a chance at running away from hawks and things. 1 of the Guinea's in the dog run/Guinea house, they free range in groups of 4 leaving 2 in (usually my hope hen lavender) and her twin lavender (hope boy)! A picture of the Royal Palm and his faithful compadres the Red Burbon Boy'sA snake in the hen house I killed - I was so brave Ya'll would have been proud! And a last grainy picture of my Welsummer boys 2 stay (if they are nice) and the rest are going to the freezer camp, they are nice so far but only 13 weeks so we shall see. Thanks to everyone for helping us get this far and I'll be lurking unless you PM me and want to see more pictures lol! Happy Holidays we shall be eating our own turkey or maybe one mean ol' goosie for Christmas. God Bless us all Creatures great and small
Today I went to the Cobb 500 girls coop and cleaned it out. Sooo much for my compost. Woohoo. Now I've got to go out again later and put in pine shaving and a bunch of crushed leaves. I was going to pay someone to rake for me but we have so many leaves and it not's hard so I'm going to do a couple of bags a day. Easy peasy. There are no trees at the dog grooming shop or our yard. Just back in behind of my coops, so raking is not a family thing.
walked down the hall at lunch just now & heard a chick peeping. (My husband and dogs are SO observant). Sure enough, one RIR out & already dry! I did see a couple more eggs pipped, so hope to get a few chicks anyway. When I candled 2 nights ago, a lot of eggs were clear so I do not have high hopes for this hatch. I hate fooling with shipped eggs! never again!
