Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Fancy Favie]

Good evening Michigan, I now have 7 Faverolle chicks that have hatched, and i'm already taking pics just thought i would share a few with you ENJOY!!!!

 

[taprock]

As you start removing the inedible parts like hide, head, and horn, the weight drops even further and you will start processing a carcass that is roughly 50% of the live weight. This doe was neck shot so there was minimal loss due to bullet destruction of tissue. A shoulder shot can often ruin a substantial portion of both front quarters. A healthy doe carries a lot of fat and I probably removed 5 lbs of hard fat before I started cutting.

My preferred method of processing is boning. Not having to waste valuable freezer space storing bone makes perfect sense to me. Also it allows me to remove as much tendon and sinew as possible. My thinking is that if the Indians used it for bow strings and sewing thread it is something I don't care to eat. Additonally, as you break the meat down into muscle groups you will encounter pockets of fat that you can remove.

Hopefully this information will give those of you who are new to all of this, reasonable expectations.

It is so true. The deer I got was live weight 150# and my son's 125#. We cut, boned and trimmed and ground it ourselves, we ended up with just under 100# of meat but we also added beef fat to the hamburger. My son's doe had fat on it 1/2 in to almost an inch thick in places.

Good evening Michigan, I now have 7 Faverolle chicks that have hatched, and i'm already taking pics just thought i would share a few with you ENJOY!!!!

Adorable!

I am rethinking using a light. I have for the past two years. But three days ago my one rooster was looking hen pecked and had a bloody spot on his head. I didn't want early morning picking so I unplugged the light. I forgot to plug it back in. So they haven't had the light for three days. Yesterday the number of eggs went up from 2 large fowl to 8.

So now I'm not sure if I should bother plug it back in, except for when it gets really cold.

 

[Opa]

I have big plans for today. I intend to do absolutely nothing. In reality that is much more difficult than you think. If you're not real careful you do something and then you have to start all over.

 

[mrcush]

I have a chicken laying eggs that have a soft shell. I have read that chrushed oyster shell works so I went and got some yesterday. Should I just put it in a bowl and give it to them or mix it with they're food?

 

[Opa]

I have a chicken laying eggs that have a soft shell. I have read that chrushed oyster shell works so I went and got some yesterday. Should I just put it in a bowl and give it to them or mix it with they're food?

I keep oyster shell available in a separate section of a box feeder I built. The birds will free feed from it as they sense is necessary.

 

[RonEstrada]

Oxford update. I finally took the rooster by the comb and arranged the first meeting of the Oxford Planning Commission "Urban Agricultural Committee," otherwise known as the "Chicken Committee." I'm planning on a meeting for December 13th. I wanted to get one in before the end of the year. Hopefully, we'll get our plan together and bring it to the Board of Trustees before spring. Regardless, my coop construction will begin in February or March. Hopefully, I won't have to hide it.

I'll put out the call for Oxford residents again. If you know of anyone in Oxford who would like a backyard coop, please send them my way. I'll want a good showing of support when we go to the trustees.

 

[mrcush]

I keep oyster shell available in a separate section of a box feeder I built. The birds will free feed from it as they sense is necessary.

Cool, thanks Opa. A small plastic bowl will be sufficient, right? At least for now until I can get something else?

 

[mrcush]

Also, out of curiousity. How do people in general on this thread store they're eggs? I've just been washing them and putting them in the fridge but I've heard other ways.

 

[Opa]

I keep oyster shell available in a separate section of a box feeder I built. The birds will free feed from it as they sense is necessary.

Cool, thanks Opa. A small plastic bowl will be sufficient, right? At least for now until I can get something else?
Oyster shell can be placed in any accessable contain which will allow you to monitor its consumption or it can even be strew in the run.

Also, out of curiousity. How do people in general on this thread store they're eggs? I've just been washing them and putting them in the fridge but I've heard other ways.

The last thing that happens in egg production is the application of a fluid called the "bloom". This occurs as the egg exists the bird. It is also when a brown egg receives its color. If you pick up an egg immediately after laying you will find it to be wet and the brown color can be smeared or even wiped off. Once an egg is washed you have removed the protective coating (bloom) from the egg and it will need to be refrigerated. However, an unwashed egg can be stored safely at room temperature for several weeks and not spoil.

Rather than wash eggs I use a Scotch-brite pad to gently remove any crud. When I want eggs for hardboiling I intentially allow them to set on the counter for 2 to 3 weeks. That allows the membrane to weaken making them easier to peel.

 

[1muttsfan]

My eggs go unwashed into a basket on the counter. But I have been eying those egg skelters lately...