NY chicken lover!!!!

[Cydney83]

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That is the nice thing about having the barn, I was able to build acouple more pens this weekend. The juvies need a bigger area for when we go camping in a couple weeks. You should stop by Lowes or Home Depot and look for "mistake paint" We got a 1 gallon can of Tompsons waterseal for $5. Looks great on the dog house I had to build.

Ok I will check it out...but I did just remember I have a gallon of dark green...now how to I make it cover to barns that are...well I think 8x10ish....

 

[meepitqueenie]

Hatched 3 btb and a wtb... 2 are very short legged.

 

[meepitqueenie]

oh yea and the birds are at the fair as of today.... its an APA judged show. there I think are 30 or more japs there. I think Michaella's are the nicest though there was a black roo that looked nice. now to get a nice coop and pens and expand her poultry for next year.

I'm showing a silver spangled hamburg hen

 

[demp4]

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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.

I bartered with a farm who was processing their meat birds if I help them for the day they can help me with my 4 roosters I had to cull. It was actually a good day and I learned a lot!

 

[shay20]

Hello, Chickenstock in townsend ma, check out the link
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=313926

 

[featherz]

Anyone hatching in about two weeks that's somewhat near me? Might need to purchase a couple of chicks, any variety ok. Have a broody sitting on a few eggs, but there's another hen that pushed her out and damaged two of the eggs. I hate to separate her - it's a pain to reintegrate and last time she did really well with the chicks in the coop. The 'other hen' (an obese pushy brahma) will be up on CL next week if she doesn't stop being so pushy!

Anyways, if the three eggs I have left don't hatch, would like to get just two or three day old chicks if anyone's got eggs going?

 

[meepitqueenie]

my hatches are all supposed to be by the 11th. quails and mystery chickens .... LOL from a swap.
though i am getting eggs hopefully monday if the po is kind to them.
then i will put them in the bator.

I have quail hatching now- not planning to keep them sooo will be trying to find a home for them.

I am north of you 2 hrs so kinda far unless you are desperate for some babies

 

[In His Service]

I should have some hatching in 2 weeks. RIR BR maybe EE.

Should have had some hatching first of next week, but most did not make it to lock down, only a turkey maybe 2 and 2 other eggs, forgot which ones. Almost all my shipped eggs were clear...bummer

 

[Cydney83]

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How is it going!!! Hope well!

 

[featherz]

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Oh good! I will let you know. She still has three of the eggs you gave me, but we shall see if she manages to keep them. She's got a perfect little hidden nest but I've got a very biatchy chicken who forced herself in there yesterday. Grr.