NY chicken lover!!!!

[Cass]

Quote:
Did you dip the chickens in 180 degree water?

We just did 2 and the feathers really weren't bad. I had a bag in a trash can right beside where I was doing it and dropped the feathers in as I pulled them out (by the handfulls). Once in a while I had to wipe my gloved hands inside the basket to get the feathers off that stuck to my wet hands, but other than that it went pretty fast. (hated the big wing feathers tho. They didn't pull hard, just were so "chicken"....kinda made me teary)

 

[demp4]

Quote:
Did you dip the chickens in 180 degree water?

We just did 2 and the feathers really weren't bad. I had a bag in a trash can right beside where I was doing it and dropped the feathers in as I pulled them out (by the handfulls). Once in a while I had to wipe my gloved hands inside the basket to get the feathers off that stuck to my wet hands, but other than that it went pretty fast. (hated the big wing feathers tho. They didn't pull hard, just were so "chicken"....kinda made me teary)

Yea we did but it seemed to take forever if I can't find some place within 20 miles I will probably try again. How did you kill them?

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Did you dip the chickens in 180 degree water?

We just did 2 and the feathers really weren't bad. I had a bag in a trash can right beside where I was doing it and dropped the feathers in as I pulled them out (by the handfulls). Once in a while I had to wipe my gloved hands inside the basket to get the feathers off that stuck to my wet hands, but other than that it went pretty fast. (hated the big wing feathers tho. They didn't pull hard, just were so "chicken"....kinda made me teary)

Yea we did but it seemed to take forever if I can't find some place within 20 miles I will probably try again. How did you kill them?

We used a knife to cut their artery and let them bleed out. Placed them head down in a "killing cone" Ray made , over a bucket. Since I didn't raise them, I didn't have any emotional attachment to them, so it seemed easy....time will tell when it comes time to send 2 I raised from a week old to freezer camp.

I had read somewhere that if you start at the legs and work up, it goes faster, so I started feather removal on the tail and then worked up the back pulling large handfuls off at a time. The pin feathers? (those little hairs that are left) I am going to use a twisted piece of newspaper and singe them off when I take the chicken out of the freezer to cook. I am going to do that while it is still frozen and OUTSIDE on the back porch, over a metal bucket so I have a place to drop the burning paper when it gets close to my fingers.

It took us 40 minutes for the first one, and 20 minutes for the second. I am figuring we will get better at it as time goes on and be able to do it in about 10 minutes. Given that butchers charge 3 bucks and UP for each bird, I'm willing to take 10 - 20 minutes each. (that's 18 bucks an hour, and I don't earn that much)

Do you have an electric drill? There are plans online (and this site) for an homemade feather plucker.

 

[greymane]

The Amish down the road will do it for $2 per bird. That is hard to beat.

 

[Sachasmom]

I might have gotten my chicken killing predator, no losses for a couple days now. Still have traps set but nothing in them. Still kinda anxious about it, like maybe they are just trying to lull me into a false sense of security?

I have some "Ameraucana" chicks available, I should preface this with saying they are either poorly colored or my really old Roo who is missing part of his feet is breeding some of the hens (I thought he wasn't, that he was missing too much of his feet and the other Roos beat him up now. The hens WERE locked up, but I have Houdini Chickens who never ever stay where I put them! ) I have one thats like a month old, two that are about two weeks old? Black with red leakage, $2.50 each.

I also have a couple cuts from the next older batch (about three months old) $5.00 each, one is def some funky ressesive color, I'm not sure if its a Roo or a pullet yet though. One nice looking Black Roo, one Black Pullet I don't think I like the comb on.

I probably will have a couple from the next younger batch, mostly blacks and a blue, just waiting for them to grow out a bit to select a couple pullets from for next years breeding pen. There is even a Lav in there, and nope, ya can't have it, lol


I have week old Cayuga/Buff crosses too, $5.00 each. Both my Buffs and Cayugas are great layers and all but one has been broody. Too soon to tell color on them, I'm leaning towards blue tho.

Oh, and Bait is looking for a home, he's free if you would like him. (Bait is a white call drake) He is doing a REALLY bad job at his job, so he'd like to go explore other employment opportunities... The other calls don't like him and beat him up if I put him in with him, heck, even the silkies beat him up. Poor Bait...

 

[meepitqueenie]

My flock got NPIP tested today... now waiting for the paperwork to come back

 

[happycountryhens]

Quote:
Congratulations!

I'm cleaning out coops today. Really, not half as exciting, but

Enjoy the nice day everyone.

 

[greymane]

Walked out to see the live trap tripped this morning. As I walked over to see what we had caught, I quickly noticed the distinct black and white pattern. A very young skunk had wandered in. Fortunately, it is a "quick set" trap and I was able to lift the handle from a distance with a long pole. The little bugger just wandered off into the woods. Crisis averted!

 

[featherz]

Ugh.. just spent over 2 hours doing a 'terminal clean' on the bedroom I was using to brood chicks - would have put them outside earlier but with the heat felt it wasn't safe. They are out now but yuck, the dust! after two seasons of 'in house' brooding, next time they stay in for three days and then out they go, into the barn if necessary (with heat if needed). Yuckies.

greymane: we have a skunk living under my barn that I may have to trap one of these days. I have a live trap, but what does one do with a live skunk?

I'm certainly not going to shoot it and I don't think drowning is humane, so I was thinking I'd just call my pest guy and see if he can 'take care of it'. Only if skunkie makes a nuisance, of course.

 

[rancher hicks]

Feather - I hear that . I'm still working on my office. Never again.