Maine

[buckabucka]

I really love having roosters, 100AcreWood, but I don't have guinea hens, so I can't answer that part of your question. While it is definitely not necessary to have a rooster, they do help protect the flock, and I love watching their antics and how they interact with the hens. You'll want to have enough hens that the rooster doesn't over-mate them. I also like having fertile eggs so I can hatch them.

As far as the feed goes, if your pullets are all the same age, I start the layer feed when the first one starts laying. I mix flock raiser and layer feed 50-50 year-round, plus leave out oyster shell free-choice. The reason I mix them is to give a higher protein content. Your leghorn will definitely want the oyster shell. They are egg-laying machines.

 

[The100AcreWood]

Thank you so much!

 

[lazy gardener]

My understanding is that guineas get quite aggressive during breeding season. Do you have any male guineas? If so, adding a roo, might lead to a lot of blood shed. The best you can do is try. Do you have room in your coop and run to put up a divider?

 

[lazy gardener]

FINALLY! I was able to harvest a handful of very tiny succulent yellow zucchini for my spaghetti sauce tonight. Of course, there were a dozen girls standing outside the garden gate, begging. So they got the first tidbits of the squash before i even got into the house.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Hubby and i processed 5 roosters today. I'm exhausted. he did the axe and kept the water going, I did the plucking... and all the rest of it, right down to packaging them, (cut up) to go in the fridge for a resting period. How long do you folks let them rest before freezing them? I have a dutch oven full of backs and necks that i will cook down and package up into quart sized containers of broth and meat. Just add veggies for an instant winter soup! I'm thinking i should throw some garlic scapes into the pot. What do you all think? Garlic, or plain??? I have 7 more roosters to process, as well as about 4 pullets.

I fashioned a catching hook from a plastic coated metal clothes hanger. It works quite well.

First of all, congratulations!

You've likely already made a decision, but you have more left to do!

I let them rest for at least 48 hours prior to freezing them. I let them rest in their freezer packs.

As far as making stock, this is what I do: bake the leftovers with some celery, onions, garlic, carrots, salt and pepper until they begin to brown (depending on how much you have 350ish for 40 to 120 minutes). Then all of it goes into the crock pot, add water up to the top of the stuff, and simmers for about 24 hours (stir every few hours, don't add more water) until I can't stand the greasy chicken smell in the house any more and the meat falls off the bone. Then I pick through it, saving the meat to freeze for stew meat (be very careful to look for small bones - I tend to "squish" the meat between my fingers to feel for bones), and strain the stock. The biddies get the bones (the smaller bones get soft and the biddies eat it), veggies and whatever meat I couldn't get out to pick through. I put the stock, covered, in the fridge for at least overnight (but usually can't get to it until 24 to 48 hours), which causes the fat to rise to the top. Skim the fat off, save it for cooking or for something else. Bring the stock back to a boil, and then pressure can it or freeze it if you don't can. It's good for about a year. I find it to be a very delicious stock for starting soups and stews.

I don't even get fancy with the veggies. Grab from the garden, rinse them off and throw them on top prior to browning.



Hope this helps.

 

[The100AcreWood]

@lazygardener I am entirely positive of the sexes of the guineas yet.they are only about 1.5 almost two months old. I do think I have male and female but it's hard to tell. I do have room to block in both the run and coop. It wouldn't be too terribly hard if I needed to. Right now my hens are picking on the guineas- it has improved a lot though. Little do they know those guineas will pick on them later! I was concerned about the roo and male guinea situation. I only have 6 hens and I'm not sure if that is even enough girls for one roo.

 

[lazy gardener]

Keep us posted about how it works out for you.

SCG, your broth sounds wonderful. I'm too lazy to do all of that work! My plan is to just boil the stuff, pick out the meat, strain the broth, let the fat rise to the top, and then put it all back together in freezer containers or quart freezer zip locks. My freezer desperately needs to be defrosted... of course it does, right at the peak of processing time.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Keep us posted about how it works out for you.

SCG, your broth sounds wonderful. I'm too lazy to do all of that work! My plan is to just boil the stuff, pick out the meat, strain the broth, let the fat rise to the top, and then put it all back together in freezer containers or quart freezer zip locks. My freezer desperately needs to be defrosted... of course it does, right at the peak of processing time.

It's not that much work - the premise is the same, I just let the crock pot do all the work. Canning it also means it can be stored at room temperature - saving that precious freezer space.

 

[Tnic]

Keep us posted about how it works out for you.

SCG, your broth sounds wonderful. I'm too lazy to do all of that work! My plan is to just boil the stuff, pick out the meat, strain the broth, let the fat rise to the top, and then put it all back together in freezer containers or quart freezer zip locks. My freezer desperately needs to be defrosted... of course it does, right at the peak of processing time.

And to answer your earlier question.

GARLIC is a very wonderful thing. Can't put too much in.

 

[Tnic]

I've been meaning to tap the collective wisdom here, but me being the airhead I am....

I'm looking for info as to what gummit hoops I may have to hop through if I was to sell my excess eggs, garden produce, etc from an on site farm stand/shop kinda deal.

Appreciate any insights you all may have,
Tim