Maine

[superchemicalgirl]

That would be awesome! I have an appointment tomorrow at noon, so let me know! I'd like to see how it's done, maybe help if I can. Hands-on experience is better than reading how-tos online.

Ok BF is home from work and the weather has been checked... looks like we're going to attempt to do a few roos and maybe some ducks tomorrow. He said we can take 1-2 people to watch/participate. He's worked all weekend so I anticipate we won't get started until 10 or so, and that's just getting the stuff set up. That takes about an hour. We'll be going for a few hours so you can stop by whenever (call first) and see some done.

I'll PM you my name, address and phone number.

Anyone else seriously interested? We probably won't get them all done tomorrow, there's 11 chickens and 3 ducks ready to go, plus another 10 roos that won't be ready for at least another 2 months, so there will be plenty of opportunity.

 

[mountaintopsilkies]

Just wanted to share my Best of Breed at the Windsor, Maine show yesterday!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Gorgeous bird!

 

[hoppy]

very nice! I never got a chance to go back to see who won what, I missed the awards cerimony. any idea who won best in show?

Just wanted to share my Best of Breed at the Windsor, Maine show yesterday!

 

[MKandtheforce]

Man, today's been so busy!! This afternoon was a big family get-together/dual birthday BBQ, and I spent this morning learning how to slaughter, pluck, and disembowel chickens (Thanks for the awesome time, superchemicalgirl!). Then tonight, I'm going to try and finish readying one of our garden plots before the bugs get super terrible. I'm exhausted, but I love everything I'm doing right now. Tomorrow, I'm going to price chicken coop stuff and then, Wednesday and Friday, I'll be volunteering down at Hatchet Cove Farm. I'm so excited to get my own chickens! I just wish I had my own land so I could start a small farm for myself, hah.

mountaintopsilkies, Congratulations on the win!! That is one beautiful little bird.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Man, today's been so busy!! This afternoon was a big family get-together/dual birthday BBQ, and I spent this morning learning how to slaughter, pluck, and disembowel chickens (Thanks for the awesome time, superchemicalgirl!). Then tonight, I'm going to try and finish readying one of our garden plots before the bugs get super terrible. I'm exhausted, but I love everything I'm doing right now. Tomorrow, I'm going to price chicken coop stuff and then, Wednesday and Friday, I'll be volunteering down at Hatchet Cove Farm. I'm so excited to get my own chickens! I just wish I had my own land so I could start a small farm for myself, hah.

mountaintopsilkies, Congratulations on the win!! That is one beautiful little bird.

You're welcome, it was a pleasure to meet you, too. Hopefully you got some good stuff out of it that'll help you when you do your own! We ended up getting 6 chickens and 1 duck done. Not a lot, but enough to make it slightly more peaceful here, and a couple of good dinners. We're having the last of Octobers birds tonight for supper.

We'll have at least one if not two more days of homestead butchering in the next few months. We're not experts (MKandtheforce can attest to that!) but we can get the job done so if anyone else wants to learn the skill, let me know.

Someone who lives down the road stopped by when we had the duck pretty much done (it was the last bird we did). That thing was heck to pluck... it took about a zillion dunks in the scald plus the plucker, plus me plucking... and the girl had the nerve to ask me if she could buy the carcass from us. Sorry, honey, this thing is priceless, but I'll give you some eggs you can hatch, and you can learn how to do your own. That's how we roll. Amazing how many people want to partake in the eating of it - and not in the hatching, raising and butchering.

Off my soapbox, now.

 

[MKandtheforce]

You're welcome, it was a pleasure to meet you, too. Hopefully you got some good stuff out of it that'll help you when you do your own! We ended up getting 6 chickens and 1 duck done. Not a lot, but enough to make it slightly more peaceful here, and a couple of good dinners. We're having the last of Octobers birds tonight for supper.

We'll have at least one if not two more days of homestead butchering in the next few months. We're not experts (MKandtheforce can attest to that!) but we can get the job done so if anyone else wants to learn the skill, let me know.

Someone who lives down the road stopped by when we had the duck pretty much done (it was the last bird we did). That thing was heck to pluck... it took about a zillion dunks in the scald plus the plucker, plus me plucking... and the girl had the nerve to ask me if she could buy the carcass from us. Sorry, honey, this thing is priceless, but I'll give you some eggs you can hatch, and you can learn how to do your own. That's how we roll. Amazing how many people want to partake in the eating of it - and not in the hatching, raising and butchering.

Off my soapbox, now.

Let me know when you'll be doing this again! I'd love to come help out some more, and now that I know a little more, I might be able to help you finish things through a little quicker and I'd be able to keep figuring it out in the process. I'm also intrigued with the ducks-- is slaughtering them much different than slaughtering the chickens (apart from the hellish plucking)? Of course, if you get some more people wanting to learn, by all means, let them go first! Haha.

Ugh, some people! It's not like you raise poultry as a business, so why would you sell one of your ducks to just anyone? Especially considering you don't have as many of them! Was it just some random stranger stopping by to meet the neighbors or something? If it was someone you didn't know very well, that would be even more awkward.

Anyway. Does anyone here know of anyplace local that sells Delaware chickens? I'd be interested in chicks, full-grown, or anything in between. I've looked into a bunch of breeds, but Delaware chickens seem like the best fit. I just haven't seen ANY here in Maine. Of course, I wouldn't say no to a couple Easter Eggers, or even a Silkie to keep more as a pet than anything else (though I'd prefer the Silkie to be female!).

 

[PollyC]

Let me know when you'll be doing this again! I'd love to come help out some more, and now that I know a little more, I might be able to help you finish things through a little quicker and I'd be able to keep figuring it out in the process. I'm also intrigued with the ducks-- is slaughtering them much different than slaughtering the chickens (apart from the hellish plucking)? Of course, if you get some more people wanting to learn, by all means, let them go first! Haha.

Ugh, some people! It's not like you raise poultry as a business, so why would you sell one of your ducks to just anyone? Especially considering you don't have as many of them! Was it just some random stranger stopping by to meet the neighbors or something? If it was someone you didn't know very well, that would be even more awkward.

Anyway. Does anyone here know of anyplace local that sells Delaware chickens? I'd be interested in chicks, full-grown, or anything in between. I've looked into a bunch of breeds, but Delaware chickens seem like the best fit. I just haven't seen ANY here in Maine. Of course, I wouldn't say no to a couple Easter Eggers, or even a Silkie to keep more as a pet than anything else (though I'd prefer the Silkie to be female!).

I have Heritage Delawares that are 14 weeks old. I am selling 3 pullets with a rooster for $45.

 

[mountaintopsilkies]

very nice! I never got a chance to go back to see who won what, I missed the awards cerimony. any idea who won best in show?

Hoppy, I was there, and I am not sure, but the lady with the White Crested polish, I think won Show champion or reserve. Who would know for sure who won? Fran maybe? if you find out let us know!
I loved seeing the look on all the Jrs. when thry got their trophies!

 

[mountaintopsilkies]

Hoppy, I was there, and I am not sure, but the lady with the White Crested polish, I think won Show champion or reserve. Who would know for sure who won? Fran maybe? if you find out let us know!
I loved seeing the look on all the Jrs. when thry got their trophies!

I can't spell either! LOL! "THEY"