Mission Control...we have LIFTOFF!!! Ooops, I mean LOCKDOWN!

[CALI CHICK]

WWC- I got B/B and B/B/S eggs from Mary Robbins in GA....but none of the BBS eggs were either fertile or didn't hatch and the B/B eggs/chicks seem to be all Blue silkies. That's the reason I went ahead and bought 2 more little black silkies at the feed store yesterday.

It's interesting that you prefer the bantam breeds and seem to lean on having "pets" or show chickens. I like the silkies very much (obviously) but I have some favorite LF as well. -Do you notice how quick I've caught on to the BYC "lingo" - LOL! We originally got chickens for eggs only! In the process of time, I've come to realize that they are very much my "pets".

Here is MY game plan (which will be implemented as soon as we move to a bigger property):
-I plan on hatching about a dozen Plymouth Barred Rocks for a flock that will be kept together. Some roosters can be either sold or eaten but I want to keep at least 1 or 2 strong roos to reproduce the flock. I love the big, brown eggs that "Rocky-girl" gives our family and I want to use these eggs to sell to others. I may feed this group organic feed, but I'll research that when the time comes.

-The second group I want to have is called my "Color Collection". I want to have a group of maybe 10-12 hens that lay an assortment of different egg colors. Right now, my Buff Orpington lays an almost pink egg, the RIR lays a beautiful rust colored egg. My PBR lays a beige colored egg. I want to add some Easter Eggers, Olive Eggers, Copper Marans and a White Leghorn for sure to this group. Egg colors is something else I will have to research when the time comes. I won't have a rooster with this group. I may also offer a "color mix" for sale to see if there is any interest...If not, our family will eat them and/or give them away to family and friends.

-Last of all will be my "hobby chickens" which will include my precious silkies. I will raise these for pets, to show, for 4-H, and to sell the chicks (or adults as deemed necessary). At first, I'll just start with my Black and Blue Silkies but someday -if space allows- I might get white and even the buffs. So, that's my chicken plan.

I also want to raise either Cashmere or Angora goats, Nigerian Dairy goats and I may allow my son to breed Golden Retrievers. BUT-right now we only have 6 silkies, a RIR, a BO and a PBR. Oh, and an old Shih-Tzu.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

I think I don't like LF mainly because all we have are Rhode Island Reds and there are 23 girls and two roos and the dominant roo is MEAN sometimes. He will attack me just whenever. Some days are better than others and now that the weather is nice and we have gotten our fence fixed he seems to be a little better. They have 1 1/2 acres in the back of our property to roam on. The other roo has only gotten me once. But the main roo, he is HUGE!!!!! I bet if I were to be around some nice roos, I would like them. This has been my only experience with chickens. I told my DH if he were to die tomorrow, I would get rid of his chickens the next day. We were going to get rid of the boys, but a few weeks ago the main roo called the alarm when a hawk came over and so that has pretty much sealed his spot here forever.
Do you remember ggarrett that we hatched with? She does the BLRW and I really like those. I had been looking around on chicks or eggs, but have decided to wait and just work on the SOP standard with what I have.
I thought you can't eat a roo because they were too tough, but I have heard others on here talking about eating them...have you done that yet? I wanted to hatch some RIR eggs just to play with and we could keep the girls, but I just do not want another one of those roos around here and would consider sending them off to the processing plant!
And I didn't mean to sound like a chicken snob. You would probably laugh if you knew all the chickens I drool over. I really have to work on keeping myself in check. That's why I said this was my plan for now, but that doesn't mean by next week I won't have changed my mind!!!!! I really like almost all the chickens I see, little and big. I just don't like getting bit on the back of my leg as I walk by or having my feet attacked and having to walk around those guys with my rake!!!!!!!
I tried to take pictures of my little baby that is about a month old, but it moved too much. I guess I need a camera that can take pics on a moving target.

 

[CALI CHICK]

I can understand about not liking the roosters. I almost didn't get our RIR because I'd heard they had a bad reputation of being mean. Our Rhodie is the bottom of the ladder though.

As for eating roosters...you can eat ANY chicken-LOL! The older they are the tougher they will taste. If you were to hatch out some RIRs which turned out to be boys, you could fatten them up and then pop them in the oven--yum!

Nothing beats fresh chicken! We actually raised 2 cornish cross chickens just to experiment with the whole chicken experience. They were crowing by 8 weeks and ready to slaughter. You should have seen my DH and me watching the YouTube videos on "how to butcher a chicken"..............while we were butchering it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't have a problem taking the feathers off or gutting it, but that first cut to kill it was really hard for me to deal with. We raised the 2 meat chickens right along with our other chickens so they were almost like pets. However, they had a purpose...thus their names: DenDen and Stew!

Oh, what does BLRW stand for?

 

[wholewheatchicken]

I can understand about not liking the roosters. I almost didn't get our RIR because I'd heard they had a bad reputation of being mean. Our Rhodie is the bottom of the ladder though.

As for eating roosters...you can eat ANY chicken-LOL! The older they are the tougher they will taste. If you were to hatch out some RIRs which turned out to be boys, you could fatten them up and then pop them in the oven--yum!

Nothing beats fresh chicken! We actually raised 2 cornish cross chickens just to experiment with the whole chicken experience. They were crowing by 8 weeks and ready to slaughter. You should have seen my DH and me watching the YouTube videos on "how to butcher a chicken"..............while we were butchering it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't have a problem taking the feathers off or gutting it, but that first cut to kill it was really hard for me to deal with. We raised the 2 meat chickens right along with our other chickens so they were almost like pets. However, they had a purpose...thus their names: DenDen and Stew!

Oh, what does BLRW stand for?

And here I thought you were out at the beach every day. NOT KILLING THE CHICKENS!!!!! That is too funny that you were watching the video on how to kill it while you were attempting to kill it. How did you get the feathers off.....and how do you gut one?
BLRW is blue laced red wyandottes. Look at Paul's Poultry because, from my understanding, they have the best quality. Please look and tell me what you think because I had to work really hard at NOT wanting one anymore. I will take three dozen, please!!!
Do you have a dream chicken or do you pretty much own the ones you want?

 

[CALI CHICK]

I used to stereotype "California" people too.

I like the beach, but the closest one is about 2 hours away from me. The Pacific Ocean is so cold and rough compared to the Atlantic-IMHO! Our family took vacations down to Myrtle Beach or the outer banks of NC when I was a kid...and then I've visited FL and the Bahamas and I just like the Atlantic much better. If I was a surfer, I'd probably like the west coast better!

When my DH tried to cut the throat of the first chicken he discovered that the knife was too dull to cut through the feathers and flesh.....go figure! My son and I were in the house pacing back and forth until the duty was done. When DH came inside we realized the chicken was still hanging in the tree, upside down-ALIVE and DH actually drove to Walmart to get some sharper knives! Once it was killed things got better, but that was very traumatic for me to see the chicken suffering most likely. I hate animal cruelty, even the accidental kind. To get the feathers off, DH dipped the chicken into very hot water and then we just rubbed them right off. We had to pluck some of the pin feathers, but it really wasn't that difficult. We started with the "skinny chicken and then did the fat chicken the next week. Here are some pictures of the process:

My son was sort of upset^

DH hung them upside down in a slip knot and slit their throats....

Their feet and legs can be used as handles when putting them in the HOT water...Then pluck away!

 

[CALI CHICK]

BLRW are very pretty birds. Are they regular size or bantam size? I think the Silver Laced ones are real pretty too with their striking white and black scallops. I'm not sure I have a dream chicken. Someday I'd love to win Best of Show with my Silkies, though! I like the ones I have and try to be content with them, for now!

If I ever move, I'll have fun adding some "pretties" to my backyard flocks.

And here I thought you were out at the beach every day. NOT KILLING THE CHICKENS!!!!! That is too funny that you were watching the video on how to kill it while you were attempting to kill it. How did you get the feathers off.....and how do you gut one?
BLRW is blue laced red wyandottes. Look at Foley's or Paul's Poultry because, from my understanding, they have the best quality. Please look and tell me what you think because I had to work really hard at NOT wanting one anymore. I will take three dozen, please!!!
Do you have a dream chicken or do you pretty much own the ones you want?

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Your son is cute and he does look a little upset. My kids would probably be bawling their heads off!!!! And I feel like if I went to kill a chicken, my experience would probably go a lot like yours

I have the unfortunate ability to mess absolutely anything up, no matter how much I try to plan it all out. Just for instance, I too school at home. We do a charter school online. My daughter had a research paper due Friday and for the last two months the teacher said to save the presentation as PowerPoint 97-2003 presentation. I thought, how odd. How is she going to know whose paper is whose???? But who am I to question the voice of authority. So I tried to rename the paper and send it. Only it can't upload. So I kmail the teacher and let her know it won't work. Then it occurs to me......................maybe I'm supposed to save it in that format. I think I must have missed a couple of wires when someone put my brain together. At least I always have something funny to laugh about and I keep my family in stitches.
P.S. You didn't post the picture of the chicken dinner you had that day!!!!!

 

[CALI CHICK]

Oh, I guess I didn't explain about gutting the chicken. We again followed the YouTube video, pausing and replaying it whenever the process wasn't clear. We had a laptop outside with us at the picnic table where we were working. This part seemed very natural and wasn't anymore disgusting than fixing a turkey for Thanksgiving. It was like Cooking 101 meets Anatomy 101! It was actually pretty cool. I was afraid my son would be ruined for life, but he actually did some of the photography and he ATE the chickens right along with us.

DH cut up the first chicken,but the 2nd one I let rest and I baked it in the oven whole. I thought about posting a picture, but didn't. Here it is.....!

 

[wholewheatchicken]

You're definitely making me hungry! And you make it sound so easy to do I'm thinking about putting some Lucy eggs in (that's the name of our RIRs since they all look alike) and eating the roos that hatch out. I didn't think we would be able to process them ourselves, but you honestly make it look/sound so easy I think I could talk my DH into killing them!!! Uuuummmm, did I tell you that on my first hatch I had a crippled chick? It was born Saturday morning and we tried to help it until Tuesday or Wednesday, I can't remember which. I finally had to really put my foot down and tell DH that he had to put the chick down. So I came into the dining room and he had the little chick trying to teach it to walk while he was holding his head up

I was like what are you doing????? He said, gosh, Kim, I hate to kill the little guy. Maybe if I work with it will be able to walk. I was like I just don't see it happening. Please take it to the barn and help it pass over. I wonder how he would be if I sent him into the backyard to get our Sunday dinner!!!! If you were here, you would hear myself and DS laughing hysterically over this.
I'll bring it up to him tomorrow and see what he says about this new plan.
BLRW, I think, mostly come in LF, although I have seen some banties, but I don't think that's the standard. I like the silver laced also....and the white....and the black laced....and the blue......ONE OF EACH, PLEASE!

 

[wholewheatchicken]

I wanted you to see what you have inspired in my daughter! This is Miss Pretty with our little EE friends we bought for her hanging out in the house and B-Que area.