Maine

[buckabucka]

Ashandvine, so sorry for the loss of your favorite hen.

 

[buckabucka]

Ideally, I would like to be the kind of person who slaughters their own birds, but I am not. I'm one of those people who passes out if they take a little blood out of my arm. I had to put my head down in biology class after taking just one drop of blood from a classmate's finger. Even if I did not know the bird, I think I would be vomiting through the entire slaughtering process. Pathetic, I know. I even look the other way when I chop the hornworms in half with scissors. Nasty! It would take some serious desensitization classes for me to get to the point of slaughtering.

I do feel badly gathering up the roosters and stuffing them in a cage to transport for slaughter, but so many of them are jerks, which helps me to deal with it. We wimped out on taking the older hens this fall. They were our first chickens and are kind of like old friends. I don't even really care for meat, but eat it occasionally because I live with a meat eater. I love eggs, though, so something will have to give here eventually!

 

[quailtrail]

((Hugs)) to everyone! !!!!! Wow tough past few weeks. I read a post on FB about an increase in chicken deaths this fall. Looks like the state is doing testing due to the increased #s.

 

[MKandtheforce]

superchemicalgirl had me over once and I got to watch and help when I could. I'd like to try again at some point, so I can learn a bit more about the actual evisceration. I don't remember much, unfortunately, about that part. I won't have birds to process on my own for a while, but I like being able to learn for when I do.

So I bought what I was assured were two pullets at the Augusta swap this summer... well, one of them started crowing! Color me surprised! I'd still love to keep her (him???), but my mom isn't sure about having a roo. I know the person who sold him to me said they were willing to switch for a pullet if one did turn out male, but I'm a little attached to my Yellow-Footed B**** Chicken. I know it happens that a roo is sometimes found out later in the game, but he looked so henlike! Tiny comb, no wattle that I've noticed... Will those develop?

 

[CoopChick719]

Ohhh, I didn't know the Dollar Tree sold solar lamps! I had been planning on buying ~$40 ones on Amazon, but if they have some tolerable ones that are cheaper, that my save my pants.

Lol, from what I've seen, leghorns are such little demons!! We called one of them "Yellow-footed b**** chicken" when we first got them, haha. Until my brahma really grew, they ruled the roost. They still kind of do-- they duke it out with the brahma from time to time!

The solar lamps are the stake kind. I have 2 I bought last year after Christmas still going--not bad for 50 centers. My leghorns--1 was so mellow, laid her large white egg and didn't bother anyone. When the RIR's showed up, she joined her bossy, nosey sister in showing them who's in charge.
I saw in your sig you have a Siamese. I grew up with them and absolutely love them!

My husband got me a kitten when we were first dating. He used to bring her for rides in the truck. Quite the sight to see this big burly guy with a teeny tiny kitten riding on his shoulder. Knew he was a keeper!! We had 3 more after her. 2 of them lived to be 19 years old. They were my babies for my kids! I have 2 rescues now a gray tabby (found in a field at 4 weeks old) & a Maine Coon (that my DH & DD could not leave at the shelter) but will have another Siamese at some point.

It is incredibly difficult to take care of an animal for months, learn its personality and look it in the eyes as you're about to kill it. I am proud that I can slaughter and dress a bird but it's also something that I'm a bit ashamed of because it's so violent. There will never be a way for me to be completely at peace knowing I am eating someone I knew intimately but I've come to accept it and I'm thankful every time I look in my freezer and see the birds, or pull one out to use. However, I certainly cannot eat something that didn't have a good life or a good death. It is not feasible to keep all the roos that one hatches or to find good forever homes for them. Therefore, in my eyes, the best of all the situations is to hatch your own (or get straight run), give the roos a good couple of months and kill them as quickly and humanely as possible and use everything you can - make stock, use the organ meats. And this is what I do. However, you can only do what you can do. You're not me and I'm not you. You only have to reckon with yourself. I have been emotional when certain roosters, turkeys or ducks are slaughtered and even though we've done it for years it doesn't get any easier. Now, I grant you, there are certain roosters that I can't wait to slaughter, and I am quick to slaughter them when they're jerks. That being said, once the head is off I "turn it off" and can unemotionally scald, pluck and eviscerate the bird. That's just the way I am though, very task-oriented.
The following link is how we learned to butcher and it is really in tune with what I've said above: http://www.countrysidemag.com/94-4/homestead_poultry_butchering/
I also post a few times a year that I'm butchering and invite people to watch/participate/learn. If you're unsure if you can do it, coming to watch others do it (where you have no emotional attachment to the birds) might be a way of feeling out if you can do it or not. I won't be doing it again until probably May due to my hatching schedule.

On another lighter subject, isn't it odd that it was 65 degrees and sunny yesterday and it's grey and spitting snow today?

Well said SCG!!

Would be interested in visiting in May if I'm able. Had too much going on to take you up on your last invite.


Ash, So sorry about your hen.

We are off to Orono today with everyone from the freezer. Hopefully will have some answers by this next week. Will keep you posted when results come in from necropsies.

 

[ashandvine]

I can't wait for this winter thing to be over. I like seeing my birds on the grass and its about to be time for none of that. If that darn fox could have just waited another three or four days all the chickens would have been shut in anyway. Of course then he probably would have taken one of the few duck hens I have! Or my car. Or my favorite blanket or... never mind. Bitterness taints my mood. This also happens to be the time of year when we shut down one of the half baths and the ell so of course that means that the great and all powerful tv must come down stairs and take its esteemed place of dominion over the living room

with all its tentacles and toadies,7 otherwise called cords and pompous names like, "Wii," as if I want to be included!!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I can't wait for this winter thing to be over. I like seeing my birds on the grass and its about to be time for none of that. If that darn fox could have just waited another three or four days all the chickens would have been shut in anyway. Of course then he probably would have taken one of the few duck hens I have! Or my car. Or my favorite blanket or... never mind. Bitterness taints my mood. This also happens to be the time of year when we shut down one of the half baths and the ell so of course that means that the great and all powerful tv must come down stairs and take its esteemed place of dominion over the living room

with all its tentacles and toadies,7 otherwise called cords and pompous names like, "Wii," as if I want to be included!!

Thank you for the giggle.

I've got my quilt going on in the chiller... er, the closed off living room. It was okay until today. Now I can't feel my fingers in that room. Time to move it back out to the kitchen and try to keep the cats off it.

 

[buckabucka]

I can't wait for this winter thing to be over. I like seeing my birds on the grass and its about to be time for none of that. If that darn fox could have just waited another three or four days all the chickens would have been shut in anyway. Of course then he probably would have taken one of the few duck hens I have! Or my car. Or my favorite blanket or... never mind. Bitterness taints my mood. This also happens to be the time of year when we shut down one of the half baths and the ell so of course that means that the great and all powerful tv must come down stairs and take its esteemed place of dominion over the living room with all its tentacles and toadies,7 otherwise called cords and pompous names like, "Wii," as if I want to be included!!

Oh, dear! You can't be tired of winter yet. It has not even started!

 

[ashandvine]

Oh, dear! You can't be tired of winter yet. It has not even started!

Grumble grumble [tripping over cords] bah bah bah. See. I can, too! [Renaud's isn't helping.]

 

[lazy gardener]

Ditto that Ash. It hasn't even started, and I'm overly sick of it. Hoping that Hubby will be able to work with me this weekend to get the rest of the winterizing done.