"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Hey Julie, I've been out and about the last couple weeks. My husband changed jobs and we've been moving apartments from Ponca City, OK to Texas City, TX. Our home is Louisiana but hubby's work is where ever the money is

He used to be contracted but now he's a permanent employee so hopefully this will be the last move til retirement. Now, I'll be spending lots of time in Kemah and Galveston. There's lots to do there.

My son is doing great. He's actually doing too good. It's been almost 4 weeks since he broke his leg. Last week, I had to fuss at him to take it easy. He rode a bicycle to see if he could use his leg. Kids!!

He's young (30ish) and anxious to recover.

My poor little turkey was doing great up until yesterday. I opened the hutch to feed and the turkey flew out. I didn't know that it could already fly. Before I could catch it it ran under the house, then came out on the other side of the house, then ran under a utility trailer, and before I could catch it one of my cats pounced on it and ran off with it. The cat would not give up the turkey -- the cat ran under the house and ate my turkey.

Sometimes the foodchain just stinks!

Glad to hear that all is well with you and your family. Moving is so much fun ya know.

I have never visited Kemah but I have heard it is fabulous.

I am soooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry to hear about your little turkey.

That is so sad. Sorry for your loss. I was so hoping to see pic of your turkey. Bad cat, Bad cat!

The food chair certainly stinks.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I hope that everyone is having a great morning. I woke up at 5:30 AM and started on my weekend chores. It was a little warm outside but still nice out there. It looks like about 5 more babies have hatched. I tried to get close to take pics but the moms are ruffling their feathers and fussing. Will try to get pics later today.

The guinea pen was completed on yesterday with the exception of building a small covered run. The measurements are 8 feet wide, 12 feet long and about 6 feet tall. I took a few pics. All of the materials were given to me, so I was able to recycle and re-use. I didn't have to spend any money on anything. Someone gave me a large dog kennel, so we took the sides off and used 2 sides (one side with the door) and used pallets and pieces of tin from a construction site and added on. We use recycled PVC site and other pieces of tin from a construction site to make the feeders. We still have to make about 4 more feeders and a few waterers.

We will use the remaining 2 sides of the dog kennel and build another pen. Both pens will have runs attached. The pen in the pic only took a couple days (a few hours a day) to build.

The baby turkeys are testing out the inside.

This is a side view. All of this wood is from broken down pallets.

The feeders will be attached to the wall. The waterers will be built this weekend (I hope

).

The top roost is about 5'6" tall. The wood used for the roosts are from pallets that we separated.

I still have a while before the 10 guineas that I purchased this week are big enough to live in this pen. When I finally move them to this pen, they will only live in there about 8 weeks so that they will know where "home" is. After that, the door to the pen and run will be open during the day so that they can free range every day and return to their pen or another pen to roost at night. I just don't want them running off into the wooded area and roosting in the trees. In the meantime, I will let the turkeys live in here, since they are growing.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

Guin Pen looks great Julie! another awesome recycling project completed!
You know, you should write a book about how you do all of this!

Twiley, glad your son is better but sorry about your turkey.

Hope everybody has a nice weekend! I woke up at 4 a.m. to the sound of thunder & lots of lightning - which put me back to sleep until 6 - we needed the rain.

Now it's sunny & humid but I'm inside anyway, blanching snap beans for the freezer. I cleaned & trimmed & snapped beans for over an hour last night! This is the easy part now!

 

[grambysfarm]

Quote:
Julie, I love the guinea pen. I am looking to do something similar to that to move my chickens to our property. I like the way that you did the roof. The roofs on my kennels leak. I think when I move my kennels I will do a better roof like yours.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

I DID IT!!! WE did it! We processed our first roo!!!

Ya'll, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Mind you, I have read the meat bird thread here, researched, etc. & thought about this a LOT the past few weeks.

Two weekends ago, I actually cooped up the roo & "fasted" him overnight - gave him water but no food. The next morning, Jim said, I'll buy you a chicken at the grocery store, let him go. So he went back in the "bachelor pad"- where the two extra Orp roos are staying -- which, I badly need that space now, for my Ameracauna chicklets. BTW, he crows nonstop & is very aggressive. That helped.

Anyway, fast forward to today, I spent the day fooling with snap beans & my new vac sealer & in between times, I went outside & told Jim, "give me the hatchet & go sharpen your knife, Butcher Boy, because I am taking that roo to freezer camp right now". And I did.(before I changed my mind)! (Jim's Dad was a butcher & Jim grew up on a farm in Wisconsin, so he really does know this stuff).

I took him down to the bayou, whopped his head off, let him bleed out, & dry plucked him. I just kept remembering, when I was a little kid & stayed with my grandparents, my Grandmother Letha Belle would go out to her chickens & point out one to me to catch, then take it to the bayou & wring its' neck & bleed it out & pluck & gut it right then & there, no boiling water, no fasting, nothing-- & we'd have it as dumplings or fried for dinner. Mind you, if she had 4-5 to do, then Papa Ming would set up the boiling water & all that, but for only one, no-- just do it. So I did.

It plucked clean w/no problem whatsoever & I cut the feet & wings off (wasteful! I know! but it was my first time so I wanted to keep moving & not think about it too much) & when I got back up to the house, Jim had a "processing table" set up & he proceeded to prove that he was indeed, a son of a butcher, gutting that bird fast & cleanly while I watched & helped. It went so smooth & no problems. We opted to skin it. It was larger than most grocery store carcasses, & it had a higher & longer breast & body - really nice!

Now I have it "resting" in the fridge & tomorrow will freeze it for a week or two & then we'll have chicken & dumplings -- an ode to my Letha Belle, whom I'm sure was smiling down on me.

I'm going to keep the remaining 2 roos & 2 hens & see how they do in our La. heat & humidity this summer. They are so much larger than my other breeds. (On the other hand, I expect big things from the Wellies cooking in the bator right now--they were my original choice for a dual purpose breed)

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
WOW Terri! Great read but not great for that roo. Congratulations on your first processed bird. Sounds like you get an A+ AND a gold star. I wish I had the strength and nerve that you do. You and Jim saved a few bucks today. He didn't have to buy a store bought bird.

Thanks to Grandmother Letha Belle and you being there to watch her when she processed.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Julie, I love the guinea pen. I am looking to do something similar to that to move my chickens to our property. I like the way that you did the roof. The roofs on my kennels leak. I think when I move my kennels I will do a better roof like yours.

Thanks Twiley. I think the guineas will appreciate it. Craigslist ads sometimes post FREE dog kennels or some at a VERY low price. Some of the kennels are as high as $250.00. That is too high for my budget. I'm frugal, so every penny saved makes me a happy girl.

I should soon stop having coops and pens built. I won't have any more room on the property.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

Julie, if you can just get the nerve to do that first one - don't think about it, just go do it. I'm going to do the other extra roo today & move the chicklets into the grow out pen this evening. Have to go visit a friend in the hospital first, and have - yes - more snap beans to do today.

I scored an old double sink so Jim is going to build me a regular processing table to put out back for when I do the extra roos. LOL now I have an excuse to keep hatching chicks!

edited to correct my atrocious spelling!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I will try. What did you use to "do the deed". A hatchet?

Here are a few pics of some of my extra roos that I have to process. I already put them up in the holding cage. Now it's just to get up the nerve to do it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Here are a few Sunday Pics.

My sheep.

Here are the twins(young ram and young ewe). They were born in January 2011.

The peas.