Mahonri's 3rd Annual, BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[AK Michelle]

Nice plucker there!

They did a demonstration at a big BBQ, it was AWESOME! Hubby wants to make one.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

They did a demonstration at a big BBQ, it was AWESOME! Hubby wants to make one.

Sure beats hand plucking. I have hand plucked all the birds, so far. Takes me about 30 minutes each. It's the majority of the time it takes to process a rooster, too. We can do them in about 40 to 45 minutes so if it wasn't for the plucking, it wouldn't take all day. I am not looking forward to the ducks in a few weeks, I hear they're worse than chickens to pluck. We've contemplated making a mini plucker with a drill, kinda like this http://livingthefrugallife.blogspot.com/2009/07/diy-chicken-plucker.html

 

[BHep]

Kinda slow last night............caught up in no time.

I still have no idea what I am setting..... I am in the egg swap 2xs. But other then that

 

[Mahonri]

I suppose that's what makes it fun for a lot of us... We won't know what exactly is going into the bators until sometimes, the night before! And that is the case with me this time. I have an "idea"... I just don't know, how many... and with the "grab bag" I'm getting from Renee, WHO KNOWS!... Just makes it exciting!

 

[NotAFarm]

We have

days until St. Patricks' day

(more commonly known here as
the day we set chicken eggs!!).

Here
are the set dates for the different types of eggs you may be hatching on Saturday, April 7.
button quail: 16 days to hatch; set March 22nd
coturnix quail: 18 days to hatch; set March 20th
seramas: 19 days to hatch; set March 19th
other bantam and LF: 21 days to hatch; set March 17th!
bobwhite quail: 23 days to hatch; set March 15th
call duck: 26 days to hatch; set March 12th
mallard (derived) duck,goose, turkey, guinea: 28 days to hatch; set March 10th
goose: 28 to 32 days to hatch; set March 6th -March 10th
muscovy duck: 35 days to hatch; set March 3rd!

 

[buckabucka]

Quote:


Funny how in recent years, Massachusetts seems to get hit with more snow than we do in Maine. Maybe not this year, but it seems a lot of place lack snow this year (except Alaska where they got slammed!) AK Michelle, I love the photos of the Icelandics in their new space. So fun to put chickens in a brand new clean environment ( not for long. ) I hope to have Icelandics someday.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Dimmer switch mount.




It took about 45 minutes and $15 to build.

You should think about submitting that for ChestnutRidge's

Most Ingenious Chicken Design Contest WEEK ONE CONTEST!!!

Thanks for great photos, ChesnutRidge. Incredible. We talk about them all the time, but it's the first pore I've ever seen. Now ... how many pores on a large egg?

Let's see.. From that same article: "The average number of pores in the shell of a hen’s egg is usually more than 7500 (Rizzo, 1899; Penionzhkevich, 1933)."

 

[LarryPQ]

Is this prep for plucking?? Or a mystery method for plucking?

I boil water in the deepfryer (since it is big enough to hold a turkey), dunk 'em, and most of the feathers fall off. Those that don't pull out easily, like wiping bubbles off when you get out of a bubble bath. Teeny new feathers can still be irritating, but *meh*

 

[Arielle]

Sure beats hand plucking. I have hand plucked all the birds, so far. Takes me about 30 minutes each. It's the majority of the time it takes to process a rooster, too. We can do them in about 40 to 45 minutes so if it wasn't for the plucking, it wouldn't take all day. I am not looking forward to the ducks in a few weeks, I hear they're worse than chickens to pluck. We've contemplated making a mini plucker with a drill, kinda like this http://livingthefrugallife.blogspot.com/2009/07/diy-chicken-plucker.html

My first plucking effort was 6 geese. WHat was I thinking? Took all afternoon and most of evening ( til 10 pm). NEVER AGAIN. My hands were painfully raw despite rubber gloves. Experience and the right tools works wonders.

 

[Arielle]

They did a demonstration at a big BBQ, it was AWESOME! Hubby wants to make one.

I want to make this plucker!! Ihave an old washer in basement for it's parts. (Mainers don't throw away anything.) WIll check out the motor. Collected 2 sheets of 1/2 inch polyboard. Just made up the name--don't know what the correct term is fot his material. Waterproof and a bit flexible. Need a tub . . .hmmmm. . . .

THe fingers are made of what?? I have seen rubber bungees used in smaller versions.