NY chicken lover!!!!

[Breella]

Either Pearl laid a very thinly shelled egg or the youngins are starting!! I went in the coop to find a crushed shell, it was small and thin. Pearl was broody yesterday but I threw her off the nest as I have nothing to give her to hatch.

Hopefully it's that very manly looking red sex link.

 

[ChickPrincess]

What do you sell?

I make goat milk creams (my specialty!), shower gels to match, some soy massage candles, foot scrubs and facial products. Most of my stuff is made from scratch and I like to play around with good-for-the-skin extracts.

 

[ChickPrincess]

Chicks - I have tubs of water for the chickens and put AVC in it, will that prevent mosquito larvae from living in it? . I do change it on occasion.

I'm thinking probably not. Those darn things are so hearty and could live just about anywhere. I have somewhere around 55 chickens now, and they all share the same large stainless steel bin for water, so I empty it and wipe it down pretty much everyday just because it gets too nasty if I don't.

 

[Sally8]

Hi all! It is so darn wet here. Flood warnings out again. Brings me back to our 1972 flood. It did nothing but rain then too. Some of my chickens don't mind being out in the rain. My concern. Do they dry out after being wet day after day? The coop is well ventilated and dry. They look so , well, wet.
This is my first year of having my garden in by the end of May in a long while. My corn is 2 feet tall but with all the rain, the stalks keep falling over. I keep taking a gob of mud to support them back up again.

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm thinking probably not. Those darn things are so hearty and could live just about anywhere. I have somewhere around 55 chickens now, and they all share the same large stainless steel bin for water, so I empty it and wipe it down pretty much everyday just because it gets too nasty if I don't.

I too wash waterers and tubs. I have a brush that holds a small amount of dish soap and wash them thoroughly when they look like they need it.

 

[Cass]

Pharm - thanks for the info. They say do one thing that scares you or something like that and gutting a chicken is one of them for me. I don't faint at the sight of blood, but guts and all that aren't appealing. What with all the chicks being born it's a pain to have to find homes for the roosters. The plan is to let the grow and then do them in the fall.

.

Well take care,

Rancher

Rancher and Pharm: I don't gut mine when I slaughter. I pull the breast meat off (sometimes with skin and sometimes without, depends on age of bird and how many tiny feathers I couldn't pluck are left on the skin) and then I use a meat cleaver to remove the thigh and drumstick (still attached to each other) In doing so, I don't have to gut the bird and the only meat I don't get is the meat on the back of the chicken. Of course I don't have the whole carcass to stew for soup, but I don't eat that much soup, so that doesn't worry me much.

When we started to butcher for food, we DID gut them. It turned out that either it is very hard to do without rupturing something you don't want your food exposed to or our knife isn't sharp enough to do the job properly. If you ARE going to gut them so you have a "roaster" be sure to keep them from eating for 12-24 hours before doing so, so there is little to nothing in their digestive tract. Believe me, you will be happy you did if you happen to open up something you shouldn't have....and relieved when that "something" is empty and not contaminating the meat you plan to eat.

 

[Lynzi777]

Hellooooo Everyone!
Posted this morning but my stupid router lost connection and I lost my entire post.

Vaca was great and I even came back home kid free! Kids wanted to stay on a vacation of their own at my parents house and it works out because everyone is coming up here Thursday to celebrate the kids' birthdays. So everyone will be arriving Thursday morning and I don't have to hear all week: "When is everyone coming?" over and over and over again.

Hubby did a good job taking care of all the animals. Everyone is alive and counted for. Came back to that witchy BR being broody and in her nestbox, sitting on about 8-9 eggs. I dont think I'm going to leave them. Don't want anymore chicks outside that I'll have to eventually separate from the other hens. Especially since Stella and her 4 are still in the "brooder pen" and I'm not sure how much longer they'll stay there. Well obviously the chicks will have to remain there for a while. My splash silkie's egg should be hatching in the next few days. She's only sitting on the one. When it hatches I hope I can move that chick in with Stella and she'll raise it with the others.

Baby bunnies are getting big and are soooooo cute! I don't know how I'm going to manage letting them go. They are just so adorable and I love their colors.

Ducks are fully feathered now. Still thinking I have two ducks and a drake. Haven't heard too much noise coming from that one with the yellowish beak. funny DH and I were standing on the porch last night talking while he grilled and he says to me "The ducks are so much better than the chickens". So I said, yea, I'm thinking if I had started with ducks, I never would have added chickens. So then he adds, "And they much less messy than the chickens too!" I laughed and told him how everyone thinks ducks are so messy but I have to agree with him, the chickens leave more mess in the yard than the ducks. I don't know if people who have ducks and say they're messy, don't let them free range?? But that is the best thing I ever did with them! Love those duckers! Can't wait to get more!

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Welcome back Lynzi and enjoy your free time! I always enjoyed those little moments alone to get things done.

Cass--Never had a problem gutting. I sharpen the knives before we begin and dh and I have gutted enough game to get the job done right. I like the carcass as there is enough meat left on it for the soup I am making.

Lots of rain here earlier and we are in a lull right now. I set up the pump just in case. Ran the gauntlet of mosquitoes to collect eggs and fill feeders. I have been eaten alive. I got an earfull about the rain from the cheeps. Coaxed the two silkie chicks out from under momma with some food. They look very healthy. I was right...Eowyns sister Arwin is also trying to mommy the babies. Legolas, of course, was oblivious. The terrorist girls are getting their feathers back slowly. I think they are happy that Olaf is gone.

I hope that you all are safe and not flooding.

 

[County Boy]

It looks as if I will be settling on this boy for breeding Lemon Blue's next year. I can't seem to get a boy with the correct color shades I want. If I do get one they will be to young to use around set up time for breeding pens.


Still debating on whether or not I should sell Peanut Butter and honey. I really like them but would like to have the extra room just in case I need it. Peanut Butter is the nicest roo and Honey just lays eggs all the time. I have gotten an egg from her everyday the past 3 weeks I think. That's pretty good for a bantam cochin.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: You can do one of 2 things. Either let them sit out for 3 days in the refrigerator beforefreezing, or freeze them immediately and then, let thaw out in the freezer for 3 days. Either way, it takes 3 days for the rigor to go out of the meat. I usually let them sit for the 3 days and then freeze. I'm afraid that I'd forget to let them sit for 3 days after thawing by the time I use them.
Does this apply to just eating them too ?
Should you let them set 3 days in the frig before using them ?

Pharm - thanks for the info. They say do one thing that scares you or something like that and gutting a chicken is one of them for me. I don't faint at the sight of blood, but guts and all that aren't appealing. What with all the chicks being born it's a pain to have to find homes for the roosters. The plan is to let the grow and then do them in the fall.

I've hay coming today so that means removing last years bales to the compost. I love bartering.

Well take care,

Rancher

What did you trade ?

Quote:
It does help... I have seen old standing water with Mosquito Larva in it . good fish food if you have fish .
That is what they give betas ..can you imagine drying those things out ? LOL