Michigan

[swampducks]

Taprock, because the hawk is picking off your bantams I suspect it's a small one, perhaps a sharp shinned hawk and so is taking the easiest. A red tail I would think would have no problem going for whatever presents itself. If this is the case unless you lock up your bantams it's going to take one after the other till they're gone. I suppose any other larger hawk may also grab the smallest first and then go on to larger birds as they present themselves.

Whenever I notice hawks or eagles flying in my area no one gets to free range for days (my runs are covered) until the hawks go off to find more readily available food. They'll just hang around as long as they are successful.

 

[Folly's place]

About rabies: the information about the lenght of time an animal is actually infectious comes from lots of data on dogs and cats, and some on domestic ferrets. the actual contagious period for infected wild species can be VERY LONG and isn't known. Skunks and bats at least can be contagious LONG. Mary

 

[jrsckn]

I woke up just before a nice little storm rolled through here. Lots wind, thunder and lightening.

The 2 roosters went on a road trip to freezer camp. So what does it cost when you don't have the skill or technique to process them yourself?

A 100 + mile drive,
Breakfast in town, $9.00,
Fill gas tank, $100.00,
Bag and another coffee, $4.00
Stop for chicken and bird feed, $80.00
Stop for kitten food, $20.00,
Actual price paid to processor...

$8.70

Thanks to Opa for telling me how to get to Livingston Feed & Seed. That is a very nice place to get your supplies from. They have food grade DE if you need it.
They also had some chicks, a couple each of barred rock,salmon faverolle (sp), ameracuna, and something else I forgot. Their number is (517) 546-2720.

The folks at Munsell's were extremely nice. Because I only had 2 birds and had driven so far, they processed mine first so I would not have to wait all day to pick them up. The normal routine is drop off at 7-8 am and pick-up between 4:30 - 6:00 pm.

It's nice to know that you can still find quality customer care.

Oh no don't tell me they have chicks, I'm going to LF&S tomorrow for feed and grain, hopefully they'll be gone by tomorrow lol. They're the best feed/seed store around, they know their stuff and are sooooo helpful no matter what you're trying to grow- chickens, grass, pasture.....

 

[Opa]

For the last week I haven't had much going on. I've been pretty close to home most of the time. But wouldn't you know it, this morning when Raz called I was just heading out to meet with a subcontractor to go over a job. I would have much preferred staying here in the air conditioning and inviting Raz to come and have coffee and hang here till his birds were done.

Over the years I have tried to stay in reasonably decent condition. Most of my buddies haven't and they have allowed themselves to become overweight. My best friend teases me about my weight conscientiousness asking if I'm trying to insure that I'll be the heartthrob of the nursing home. However, today I discovered photographic proof that it would have been possible for me to consume as much beer as I wanted and still have had six pack abs.

 

[RaZ]

For the last week I haven't had much going on. I've been pretty close to home most of the time. But wouldn't you know it, this morning when Raz called I was just heading out to meet with a subcontractor to go over a job. I would have much preferred staying here in the air conditioning and inviting Raz to come and have coffee and hang here till his birds were done.

I should have just popped in and filled out a job application.

 

[Chickmate]

The 2 roosters went on a road trip to freezer camp. So what does it cost when you don't have the skill or technique to process them yourself?

A 100 + mile drive,
Breakfast in town, $9.00,
Fill gas tank, $100.00,
Bag and another coffee, $4.00
Stop for chicken and bird feed, $80.00
Stop for kitten food, $20.00,
Actual price paid to processor...

$8.70

Thanks to Opa for telling me how to get to Livingston Feed & Seed. That is a very nice place to get your supplies from. They have food grade DE if you need it.
They also had some chicks, a couple each of barred rock,salmon faverolle (sp), ameracuna, and something else I forgot. Their number is (517) 546-2720.

The folks at Munsell's were extremely nice. Because I only had 2 birds and had driven so far, they processed mine first so I would not have to wait all day to pick them up. The normal routine is drop off at 7-8 am and pick-up between 4:30 - 6:00 pm.

It's nice to know that you can still find quality customer care.

I took three of my roosters to Brown's Processing in Washington at 27 Mile and Van Dyke. It looks like it would have been just as far for you, about 94 miles round trip from Garden City to them. They also did my three birds in an hour since I had driven so far and it cost me $2 per bird. Very nice people as well. PH: 586-337-0781. It was one of my babies that hatched out on Jan. 19 and I was expecting him to be very tender but he was kind of stringy and had lots of fat (dressed out at 4 lbs.) and a bit of a bitter taste, kind of like the skin of a cucumber. Don't know what that's about. He was a BR who free ranged everyday.

 

[RaZ]

I took three of my roosters to Brown's Processing in Washington at 27 Mile and Van Dyke. It looks like it would have been just as far for you, about 94 miles round trip from Garden City to them. They also did my three birds in an hour since I had driven so far and it cost me $2 per bird. Very nice people as well. PH: 586-337-0781. It was one of my babies that hatched out on Jan. 19 and I was expecting him to be very tender but he was kind of stringy and had lots of fat (dressed out at 4 lbs.) and a bit of a bitter taste, kind of like the skin of a cucumber. Don't know what that's about. He was a BR who free ranged everyday.

I didn't weight them. It might be on the receipt. I'll have to look. They were pretty decent size, 20/21 week, Silver Laced Wyandottes. I hope they taste alright. I kept the feet, hearts and gizzards for dog treats. (I like fried gizzards but it takes a lot to make a meal)

27 and VD might be about the same distance wise, but the traffic! Yikes! There is no good way to get there from here.

 

[NovaAman]

One thing I noticed about my cockerels versus meat birds, is the cockerel needs a slow long cooking, where as the meat bird... Well regular cooking is good. I cooked one of the cockerels Sunday dinner style, and it was just like you said yours was. I have decided slow cooker for those is preferable.

this touch pad... I caught it before posting... It changed cockerel to effers... What! It changes hell to he'll. But how the heck did it get THAT word out of cockerel?

 

[Totalcolour]

One thing I noticed about my cockerels versus meat birds, is the cockerel needs a slow long cooking, where as the meat bird... Well regular cooking is good. I cooked one of the cockerels Sunday dinner style, and it was just like you said yours was. I have decided slow cooker for those is preferable.

I do mine in a sous-vide machine at 170f for 8 hours and they come out really tender. Of course, himself says that if you can cook lions in them, you can cook just about anything. I don't know where to get lion meat.

 

[Totalcolour]