***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Jeansrie]

I'll also have some young double-laced barnevelder cockerels if anyone is interested in capons or whatever. I have 10 chicks all together, they are 2-3 weeks old and half are already looking like boys. I only want to keep 2 pullets so will have the others available. I can't tell the blue-laced from the black too well yet. They are from Muddy Feathers Farm in Arkansas.

 

[gigiok]

I have 40 guineas but I live in Edmond

Any little keets? I'd be happy to buy 7 or 8 if you had any. I'd like to get babies so they learn to hang around "home".

 

[Kassaundra]

Something similar happened about a month ago to my first-time broody hens also. There were two brooding the eggs, and one was VERY attentive. Only one chick made it out, two pipped slightly, one pipped almost all the way out, the rest were bad. My theory is that partly because they were laid in the very cold weather, and partly because there were maybe too many to be completely covered all the time, the weather was a factor. We all know that chickens rotate the eggs, and when they can't quite cover them all, the ones that spend more time on the edges can be damaged in various ways. I think they may have been damaged just enough they didn't have the strength to hatch fully. Also, a couple had been thrown from the nest. I feel sure some first-time broodies (especially if they're outdoors even 'though protected well) have seen mice and mistake the sounds of hatching and newly-hatched look of their chicks for mice. Had this happen with a guinea one year. She killed the first three or four until she seemed to realize what they were. After that, she was VERY protective of them.

I have trouble NOT interfering, and would probably have started in when I could no longer hear them peeping. I've "saved" more than I've lost, but it is really tricky if you start too soon.

Same here, I would have helped in a heartbeat if they had been in the incubator. I have another broody setting, you can bet I won't be as hands off on this upcoming batch.

 

[margaret8]

Any little keets?  I'd be happy to buy 7 or 8 if you had any.  I'd like to get babies so they learn to hang around "home".

I have 13 in the bator now they have about 3 weeks to go.

 

[NanaKat]

Quote: It was really a lot easier than I first thought....although doing 4 heads in one day was a bit much. I spent a day cooking and cleaning 5 heads and then it took time to reduce 4 gallons of broth to the gallon we used for the head cheese and the soups. We canned the remaining broth.

Head Cheese (Brawn)
Pressure cook 2 skinned, cleaned pig heads with jowls in 1/2 cooker full of water for 90 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure . Begin timing from when the rocker begins to move.
Cool down the cooker and remove the heads to a pan to cool.
(You can substitute a 4 - 5 pound pork roast and 4 ham hocks to get the same result.....You need the bones cooked with the meat to get the gel factor in the broth...chunk cut the roast and then.roast it in a deep pan with water to cover at 350 for 2 hours or until the meat falls off the bone.)

In the meantime, strain the broth to remove bits of bone and meat. Add the ingredients and boil down to 1/2 gallon or 1 quart. You will make enough broth to make soup as well as the brawn. let it cool and dip off the fat that rises to the top....this seasoned lard will make great fried potatoes.... Strain the veggies and reserve for soup for tongue and noodle soup...recipe to follow.

Ingredients:
1st for flavoring the broth as it reduces:
3 c coarse diced onions
3 c sliced celery with leaves
2 bell peppers chopped I used green and red for color
4 carrots sliced 1/2 inch rounds
1/4 c sliced garlic (5 or 6 big cloves)
2 whole bay leaves
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp whole black pepper corns

When the meat is cool enough to pull apart and separate from the head, pick out all the meat from the fat and gristle.., separate it into a large bowl...you will have about 4 pounds of meat to shred or coarse chop. (The chickens and pets liked the fat, We tossed the skull and bones etc). Reserve the tongue for Tongue and Noodle Soup

To the shredded meat add:
1 c fine diced green onions
1/2 c fresh parsley fine chop (or 1 T dry parsley)
1 red Bell pepper chopped fine
Salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp crack black pepper
1 tbs crushed red chili pepper (optional) we like it
Toss well to mix the spices in with the meal
Now add 2 cups of the strained broth and mix to coat. Add another 1/2 c to 1 c if needed to make a moist mix.

Fill containers and pack down the meat tight...should have no air bubbles and a little fluid on the top. seal and refrigerate. We used plastic freezer containers, but any plastic sealable container will work. Glass loaf pans lined with plastic wrap work too.

The left over broth can be canned in pint jars in your canner for 10 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure or water bathed for 20 minutes. be sure to add 1/2 tsp of canning salt to each pint before you seal the jars and a little lard in the broth will not be a problem.

Tongue and Noodle soup.
Peel the membrane off the tongue, and slice/chop into thin chunks. Add enough broth to cover in a slow cooker. When fork tender move to a sauce pan , Take out the bay leaves and pepper corns from the reserved veggies reserved from the broth earlier and add to the tongue with 2 - 3 cups of broth and 2 cups of egg noodles and cook until noodles are tender. Serve with crackers or garlic toast. My family likes to season at the table with salt or crushed peppers.

 

[Kassaundra]

@NanaKat I saw you post in the mods thread, think about what today is.

 

[SharkmanDan]

Update on the new/old cabinet incubator.
It seems that the photo I showed my friend, of a GQF, and asked him "does it look like this?" was similar enough, that he figured that it was the same brand, just older. Well, I'm not sure GQF was even in business yet, when this cabinet incubator was made. Now, that's not to say I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth, but, this was a "pig in a poke". We just didn't have to buy it, it was given to us, and it is well made enough, that it puts me WELL ahead of the game. Five racks, that each looks like it would hold 100 eggs. But, the heater is ANCIENT. The fan, may or may not work. The thermostat, is older and crustier than me, and the mechanism for the automatic egg turner seems to be completely missing. There are turners in the racks, but no mechanism to operate them, and the levers to do so, are not accessible, manually, unless the racks are removed.
But, it is every bit as nice of a cabinet, as we could have ourselves, so, we are WAY ahead of the game. We'll happily take a gifted pig in a poke, and fix up the dental work, on the gift horse.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Wow Dan that is amazing! I love that is has a door in the back- I've wished so many times down on my hands and knees scrubbing out my cabinet incubator that it had a door in the back!

If anyone can fix it- you can!

 

[gigiok]

I have 13 in the bator now they have about 3 weeks to go.

Oh, can I buy some of them? Or all? That would get me time to get my brooder set up. Just let me know what you would like.
Thanks,
Shari

 

[margaret8]

Oh, can I buy some of them?  Or all?  That would get me time to get my brooder set up.  Just let me know what you would like.
Thanks,
Shari

I just found another 7 eggs I will set them too! I will sell you the ones that hatch. They should hatch between now and 3 weeks from now.