Minnesota!

[scandiafowl]

Bert is  a mutt of my designing. Half CX, half Dixie rainbow.

Dixie Rainbow?

 

[duluthralphie]

Hey!! I just made overrun with chickens!! That was quick.

Made a what? You ran over your chickens? I am thinking you are British with your weird term!

 

[duluthralphie]

ARE. YOU. KIDDING ME?? I checked this afternoon and got caught up. I go take care of the turkeys and get them distributed, cut up, bagged, into the freezer, cleaned up, and come back and 86 new posts????? Is there a cash reward for getting the top thread??? Sounds like everyone is having a pretty good day all in all.

So, I loaded the 15 turkeys this morning. Hauled them to Dennison, and a kind gentleman that works there helped me pull them out of the truck where they sat and didn't want to come out. I had to pull the same trick with them this year to keep them in the truck while loading one at a time... lower the gate, then close the hatch to the topper, they are too stupid to know they could easily duck under and escape. I was smart enough to take my poultry hook with me though and we got them all in the stall to await their big surprise.
I knew that this year's were bigger than I have grown them before, but....
Last year, my biggest one was 19 pounds, most were around 15-17. I got them the first week in June and processed the second week in October. This year, exactly the same. I fed the same feed, the same amount, maybe less, put them on pasture at about the same age. Pretty much everything was the same.
3-25#
4-17#
all others were right at 22# give or take a few ounces.
OMG! they were not easy to get into the truck and they weren't any easier getting out of the coolers and weighing them when I got home! I didn't have 2 of them sold, but tonight, one person said she would take two more, so I think I have sold all but what I wanted to keep! YEEEHAW!!!
Then tonight after delivering them to the folks in town who bought them, I came home and proceeded to start cutting up the two that we had split. Chickens are SO SO SO SO SO much easier! I decided to keep one half in one piece and we can have it for dinner one night. I then removed drumsticks, wings (all the way back to the shoulder), thighs, backs, and breasts, leaving the bones in. Tomorrow I start a marathon stock cooking challenge. Let me stop and thank Coffee1st for two excellent ideas!!! First, I am going to pressure can my stock this time. Second, you helped me decide what to do with all the giblets from these goober birds! My dogs are going to get 7-weeks of a once a week addition of pate from the giblets. So, I got all done with cutting and bagging and shrink wrapping what I cut up and got it all in the freezer. Then I started cleaning the livers, which they at least took the gall bladders out of for me. Then I had to clean the hearts. Then I cleaned the gizzards, which are kind of gross but also I think they are fascinating! My favorite part is cleaning them and trying to extract the whole inside 'pouch' fully intact. I did stop feeding them yesterday, just gave them a snack early enough that I knew it would be gone before their 'appointment'. However, being that they were on pasture, they still ate grass, and that wasn't the most offensive smell, but not anything that made me drool either. After cleaning those, I proceeded to open each little gizzard pouch to look for treasure in the form of gizzard stones! Yes, I picked through the gross, smelly grass that was half ground up and pulled out some stones. I had a thought too GIZZARD STONE ART!! I could make a killing at craft fairs!! Some of them are as smooth as river rocks, but not others so much.
Okay, then I washed the necks, threw two away, and put those in the frig to make stock with too.
I should have written down weight totals, but I will do that tomorrow.

Oh, and in between a fella came and got 15 roosters to butcher. I had rounded them all up last night and put them in a pen. I screwed up the lock and it didn't latch, so guess who was running all over the pasture this morning? Yup, had to go catch them again after I dropped the gobblers.

Alright. I am caught up. I am tired and my feet are crying. You won't see me in the morning, so I hope there aren't 200 posts by tomorrow evening when I am able to come back. Take care folks!

Nice sized turkeys! I doubt the Meth Boys will be that large when undressed. But then with their meth habit I am sure weight loss is expected.



I never have a problem figuring what to do with the giblets, they are the best parts! My dogs will be lucky to get a left over one. It seems giblets ( or Liver in other animals) is one of those things people really love or really dislike, not a lot of indifferent people.

Rooster catching is not fun. I did not round up the guy going to live with Lala last night so I have to that this morning.

I did not know there was such a thing as gizzard stone art. What size stones do they want? With as many gizzards as I go through I must have a few of them in the gizzards. BUT with the sand I live on they may not have many rocks. Is it a good market for them? If I feed the birds washed pea rock from a quarry would I cultivate some?

Next year I am getting more BBB and BBW I will make a hoop coop for them. I think I really will need a hoop coop making school to get all the coops I want made. I should really earn Coffee's Dads respect if I can get his little girl out here building coops for me!

Scandiafowl, a Dixie rainbow has a ton of names, "red Ranger" is another I know. It depends on the hatchery what they call it. I think it is a 50/60s meat type or dual breed. They get large, but are a lot slower growing than a CX and not nearly as large, but taller.




Lala thanks for the heads up, I will make sure I stay at least 10 feet from your Mom. I am thinking of wearing running shoes just incase she comes at me.

 

[duluthralphie]

Holm I have no idea how you go about copywriting a picture, BUT I think you should learn and do it with that picture!

I can see that being used in lots of arts and crafts and even hanging on peoples walls.

I am not an artsy type, it would take redneck points from me, and the way people here have been taking them from me, I cannot afford to become artsy!

My Mom likes to do "Cross stitch" crap. ( a waste of time) I could see her paying 20 bucks for a pattern of that to make.

Now it is time to make another cup of dark roasted Peruvian coffee from my yuppie machine.

 

[KlopKlop]

Bert is  a mutt of my designing. Half CX, half Dixie rainbow.

Dixie Rainbow?

Some people call them pioneers. They are a meat broiler. I got mine from Hoovers in Iowa and they told me that they are not considered a hybrid like red Rangers/freedom rangers are. They are a pretty breed. No two look quite alike.

Conrad in his teenage rebel phase

 

[duluthralphie]

I found my roosters looked like yours but my hens did not have as pretty and varied colors. I had kept a rainbow rooster last year but he died over winter, before breeding season. He was a good rooster. It seems every time I have a bird I really want to live, it dies.

Luckily for me I have enough birds I am said and disappointed when one dies, but it is not like a pet dying. Or Maybe it is I grew up on a farm and know farm animals die or are eaten.


BTW mine came from hoover too.

 

[KlopKlop]

I found my roosters looked like yours but my hens did not have as pretty and varied colors.  I had kept a rainbow rooster last year  but he died over winter, before breeding season. He was a good rooster. It seems every  time I have a bird I really want to live, it dies.  

Luckily for me I have enough birds I am said and disappointed when one dies, but it is not like a pet dying. Or Maybe it is I grew up on a farm and know farm animals die or are eaten.


BTW mine came from hoover too.

My hens were slightly varied. They were/are different shades of solid reds and Browns. Some had black in the tails, some not. They also have different patterns in their hackle feathers.

You are right though, not as pretty or drastic as the Roos. They were pretty birds with barring and so many colors.

What was the demise of your rainbow roo? Just so I can avoid that if possible.

 

[duluthralphie]

My hens were slightly varied. They were/are different shades of solid reds and Browns. Some had black in the tails, some not. They also have different patterns in their hackle feathers.

You are right though, not as pretty or drastic as the Roos. They were pretty birds with barring and so many colors.

What was the demise of your rainbow roo? Just so I can avoid that if possible.

I have no idea, I did not open him up. He was dead, no signs he was sick. It happened to 2 roosters last year, Rick and Brutus. They seemed fine and just woke up dead.

It was winter so I doubt they got into poison. I had grass hay on the nests so I wonder if I got impacted crop and did not notice it. So anyone's guess.

This is the reason I try to keep more than one rooster of the breeds I really want.

 

[KlopKlop]

Today is a release day for a piece of software I have been working on for over 6months.... It is exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.

I will have to babysit it as it processes through the whole day and most of the night. If things go well I will probably be posting as usual today since I will be bored watching the status monitor or I will be absent because SHTF...

Fingers crossed!

 

[duluthralphie]

Today is a release day for a piece of software I have been working on for over 6months.... It is exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.

I will have to babysit it as it processes through the whole day and most of the night. If things go well I will probably be posting as usual today since I will be bored watching the status monitor or I will be absent because SHTF...

Fingers crossed!

Do you need my techie skills to help you through the day?

I take cash.