***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[NanaKat]

Neighbor was cutting hay, accidentally took out a turkey that was sitting on a nest. They are bringing 10 eggs for me to set in the incubator. Now the real question is what do I do with them if they hatch?

I fully understand the concerns Bfrancis has discussed.
We did the same thing when we were clearing part of our 160 acres in Prague about 10 years ago. I checked with the State wildlife department and Martin Nature Center in OKC. I was told as long as I was hatching the eggs to return the birds to my own property, I was okay to hatch them. Of 7 eggs, only 4 hatched and we were able to raise them, teaching them to free range and released them when they were young adults. One was blind in one eye and "Tom" stayed on the home place. We ended up having to butcher him when he began booming at/challenging our little nephew..

 

[NanaKat]

We have been trapping crawdads for several days now and have batches in different stages of flushing their systems. I can't find any information on freezing them...I'm thinking I can do them fresh/whole in water the same way shrimp is frozen. Live crawdads can be packaged without water and as long as they are kept moist, can be sold in bags. They are capable of breathing oxygen thru their moist gills outside of water. I can always freeze the tails.
Also have been catching bullfrogs and cleaning them for the freezer. Three huge bullfrogs wieghed 3 pounds when cleaned!!! These guys are big!

how did your friend bring crawdads from Louisiana...were they alive or frozen? If frozen, were they done like the shrimp?

 

[jcatblum]

Nana I believe you would need to boil them prior to freezing them. When the crawfish die before hitting the boiling water its tail straightens out. Was always told to toss the ones with straight tails. When we buy them frozen they come 2 ways--- just the tails already cleaned or the whole crawfish. We usually blanch the already frozen whole crawfish in a seasoned pot. We have never frozen them whole ourselves, but I know you can purchase them way.

On the turkey eggs, I hate that the nest was destroyed. But I also hate slamming on my breaks as those crazy turkeys are running across the rd! Seems like every wk I see turkeys in the rd. I think we have a thick turkey population already around my place.
I do understand not trying to domesticate a wild turkey. And illnesses could be a HUGE issue. Pretty sure they ones the hatcheries offer are not anything like the wild ones we have here.

Tonight for dinner I am making chicken patties. Basically crab cakes with chicken. I seasoned the moist chicken breadcrumb mixture & set it in the fridge all afternoon. Curious to see how it turns out & if my family likes it.

 

[Elwood Lightfoot]

We have been trapping crawdads for several days now and have batches in different stages of flushing their systems. I can't find any information on freezing them...I'm thinking I can do them fresh/whole in water the same way shrimp is frozen. Live crawdads can be packaged without water and as long as they are kept moist, can be sold in bags. They are capable of breathing oxygen thru their moist gills outside of water. I can always freeze the tails.
Also have been catching bullfrogs and cleaning them for the freezer. Three huge bullfrogs wieghed 3 pounds when cleaned!!! These guys are big!

how did your friend bring crawdads from Louisiana...were they alive or frozen? If frozen, were they done like the shrimp?

I had a friend once bring back a 50 pound burlap bag of live mudbugs LOL we cleaned them and removed the tails then froze them didn't have anyone to ask if that was the right way or not but it worked out well, we ate them till we thought we were gonna grow pinchers

 

[Kassaundra]

The vines should shade them enough, well what the chickens don't eat!

Everything I plant I can allow or deny access to all the chickens, well except yeta.

 

[Nektosha]

First I want to say thank you for all the compliments on the earrings. I'm very happy y'all didn't think they were too corny to wear!

Now I have a question... a couple weeks ago my lone chicken went broody and has been sitting on 1 egg. Today she managed to get out of her coop and into the yard for the other girls and couldn't get back to her nest. I think the door to her coop wasn't latched and the wind probably blew it open, then closed it again after she got out. How long can an egg go un-sat on before it's no good anymore?

 

[jcatblum]

First I want to say thank you for all the compliments on the earrings. I'm very happy y'all didn't think they were too corny to wear!

Now I have a question... a couple weeks ago my lone chicken went broody and has been sitting on 1 egg. Today she managed to get out of her coop and into the yard for the other girls and couldn't get back to her nest. I think the door to her coop wasn't latched and the wind probably blew it open, then closed it again after she got out. How long can an egg go un-sat on before it's no good anymore?

I bought 5 guinea eggs at the last Blanchard auction-- candled them Sunday & one was about a wk ahead of forming. It had to be 24 hours that it went without being at the correct temp. I wouldn't worry too much about the egg. It was pretty warm out today. Hopefully it will be good. If not I am sure Simone close by has a few they could rob from their incubator to give you. Chicken cakes came out way yummy. Oldest DD ate 2. Served them w broccoli & rice. Yummy. Yummy.

 

[Oakieridge]

Here are our sweet banty cochins that hatched this last week. All but one black one hatched at Carl's the other little black one was our lone hatch here. We know the brown ones are buff brahmas since that is what Jackson raises, but the black and light colors all came from eggs marked "black banty cochin" on the egg carton we bought from the auction. Anyone want to guess their colors?

 

[Elwood Lightfoot]

Quote:

LOL I have some that are hatching as we speak and some that will hatch next week if you need a few

 

[mjgigax]

Jcatblum - I'm putting each doe on the milking stand once a day. I'm not taking much, just getting them used to being up there. Naomi has not kidded yet, so I brush her and check her feet. She also gets a snack so she knows that's a perk of being on the milking stand. All three babies are doing great. Milagra's twins are butting heads with Galen's doeling, so everyone is getting along when they're out during the day.

Kass - I'm hatching from my own flock: Barnevelder, Chantecler, NN, Sussex, and Cornish. I also have some shipped eggs: Cream Legbars. I hope they do well. They were theeeee mooooossssstttt expensive eggs I've ever bought, but I've got a good feeling about them. They all candled as viable on day 10, and when I put them in lockdown they were all still looking good.

That is really great for shipped eggs!