Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[chiques chicks]

OK, it's cold.
Finally got a reason to wear the high boots I got at the beginning of winter!
TGFFWD (thank God for four wheel drive) saves shoveling my drive, just busy through!

On a dad note, I had a dead SFH this morning, laying stiff in the snow, on top, no tracks. I think she froze. The other night she was not in the coop at 10pm in the rain, just wandering the run. That's life. Not sure, but she may have been my first one, so three or for years old, weather probably got to her. Her organs were gone, perhaps the others scavenged. Not sure.

 

[SilkieSensation]

 

Hi everyone.  Excited to share that we got our first chicks over the weekend.  We got a cochin and a welsummer from Pickering Valley and a black sex-link from dheltzel, and all appear to be doing great.  The welsummer is about a week old now and the other two are a couple of days younger.  I have read that it's important that we handle them frequently when they're young so they become socialized - but whenever we reach in the brooder they scramble away pretty quickly.  I assume this is normal for really young chicks - just wondering how long it usually takes for them to get more comfortable with people.  Any thoughts?  Thanks.

[COLOR=0000FF]I find that offering meal worms from your hand as close to hatch as possible usually wins them over.


Anyone notice a difference in taste with the Red Ranger Broilers and the Cornish cross? We noticed a huge difference in turkey meat flavor and color last year between the commercial Broad Breasted White and the Heritage Blue Slate (compliments of Silkie Sensation). I was not impressed with the flavor of our pasture raised Cornish Cross, and really feel breed was the key with the turkeys. We processed the turkeys at 30 weeks, 10 weeks longer than the typical 20 weeks for commercial and they were a good weight.[/COLOR]

 

not sure where to begin...
when raising poultry of any kind, time is taste, you may not get the nice soft meat in an older bird but you will get a stronger flavor...it is a trade off and people like both sides...i prefer an older bird to be slow cooked over a young cornishx
now as far as the rangers and cornishx,  there's a slight taste difference regardless of age...with the rangers being a denser and stronger meat..

really, I could go on all day and give you guys a seminar... 

I have done broad breasted & heritage both on the turkeys. BB give more meat, heritage has more flavor.
I have done cornish cross, red broilers, black broilers & excess roosters. CX are the only birds that are tender enough not to slow cook, though I usually do anyway. As Wing said, the longer the bird grows out, the more flavor it has, but it also gets tougher with time as well. Slow cooking makes all the difference. As for flavor for any of the birds, but especially the cx & bb, I brine mine for 24-48 hours before freezing. Brine is equal parts salt & sugar, fresh or diced/minced garlic to taste, bay leaves, & water to cover all meat. Add other spices as desired. Quantities vary by the amount of meat of course. I go with 1/4-1/2 cup of salt & sugar for 2-4 birds.

 

 
I no longer have any Dominique hen's, I only have a few of the roosters left.
Glad to see so many converts to the Rhodebars, not sure what that says about me since I pawned them off on Dheltzel, they did not fit in and just were not what I wanted... that rooster was pretty though...
I really will not have much to offer this year with all the reconstructing.

Well, let me know if you want some RB eggs or chicks, wing. I can see why they didn't seem like a good fit for you, you're not particularly bothered by extra males and would probably grow them out anyway, but I can sell sexed pullets a lot easier than straight run chicks.

glad to see them work out for you,  what have you been doing with all the males if people only want hen's..are they worth growing out,

gonna take me awhile to get to where I want to be with breeds and seperation. but over the year's with different breeds does help you to decide which one's are best for you and which to leave alone..

now to add some guinea and geese for a better alarm system.....does it sound cruel when I say the guinea will be to sound the alarm and sacrifice if need be..... and the geese, I want the pilgrim because of autosexing at hatch, only want a few and the rest are for personal use as meat..

time to start asking everyone....What is your spring and summer project this year ??

Wing, my pair of pilgrims is for sale. You are welcome to them if we can set up transport for them.

So I am REALLY worried now. My white silkie rooster I use to breed is sick..... I think. I picked him up today like I always do because he is a sweetheart and loves to be picked up, but when I picked him up a WHOLE bunch of gooey saliva stuff came out of his mouth for like 20 seconds! I am worried he cant breathe. I watched him eat and drink when I put him back down. What is wrong with him?

Sounds like you experienced a puking rooster. It happens when they have a lot of liquid in the crop & it gets pressure on the crop or they get turned upside down. Nothing to worry about at all. You just squeezed his full crop is all.

 

[wingstone]

Quote:
time to put your feet up..if you had the same weather as us it should have made for a busy shift, least they feel like they go faster.....go out and get a nice big lunch with lots of to go extra's....that way you do not need to cook today. I still do not know how you do it, I could not be tired from those shifts and still deal with people, even injured people can be real j*****s at times...
Quote:

OK, it's cold.
Finally got a reason to wear the high boots I got at the beginning of winter!
TGFFWD (thank God for four wheel drive) saves shoveling my drive, just busy through!

On a dad note, I had a dead SFH this morning, laying stiff in the snow, on top, no tracks. I think she froze. The other night she was not in the coop at 10pm in the rain, just wandering the run. That's life. Not sure, but she may have been my first one, so three or for years old, weather probably got to her. Her organs were gone, perhaps the others scavenged. Not sure.

I am seeing way to many hawks, they are hungry and this ground cover is not helping...It does sound like age and weather got her and the rest took advantage of the situation..
you know the bunnies will do this also, vegetarians my a** they will eat anything also just not as much

 

[SilkieSensation]

I took the liberty of making a list for fisherlady...

Perfect!! I love it! I'm at work on my mobile, finally getting to check in...this weather has made for a miserable week on crew, I finish my 72 hours in the morning and am so ready for a break! hopefully I will be able to hibernate for the weekend! I don't want to have to go anywhere!

time to put your feet up..if you had the same weather as us it should have made for a busy shift, least they feel like they go faster.....go out and get a nice big lunch with lots of to go extra's....that way you do not need to cook today. I still do not know how you do it, I could not be tired from those shifts and still deal with people, even injured people can be real j*****s at times... Quote:

OK, it's cold. Finally got a reason to wear the high boots I got at the beginning of winter! TGFFWD (thank God for four wheel drive) saves shoveling my drive, just busy through! On a dad note, I had a dead SFH this morning, laying stiff in the snow, on top, no tracks. I think she froze. The other night she was not in the coop at 10pm in the rain, just wandering the run. That's life. Not sure, but she may have been my first one, so three or for years old, weather probably got to her. Her organs were gone, perhaps the others scavenged. Not sure.

I am seeing way to many hawks, they are hungry and this ground cover is not helping...It does sound like age and weather got her and the rest took advantage of the situation.. you know the bunnies will do this also, vegetarians my a** they will eat anything also just not as much

Totally know all about cannibal bunnies. Yuck!!!

 

[wingstone]

Silkie, I wish I could just get your geese but hubby insist on babies being raised up, somehow in his brain he is convinced that geese will be mean if not raised on the property...
have you ever tried the freedom rangers from freedom ranger hatchery...I really do like these over the one's they call red rangers...I guess different hatcheries use different breeds for breeding stock.... it takes me between 10 and 12 weeks for them but they have the same large breast as the CX but the flavoring of an older bird without being tough .. I have customers that buy a bunch of these yearly.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Silkie, I wish I could just get your geese but hubby insist on babies being raised up, somehow in his brain he is convinced that geese will be mean if not raised on the property...
have you ever tried the freedom rangers from freedom ranger hatchery...I really do like these over the one's they call red rangers...I guess different hatcheries use different breeds for breeding stock.... it takes me between 10 and 12 weeks for them but they have the same large breast as the CX but the flavoring of an older bird without being tough .. I have customers that buy a bunch of these yearly.

This pair of pilgrims was hand raised by my kids, so I doubt you will find any friendlier. They come right to the fence when they see you coming & will walk right along with you as long as you don't actually try to pick them up. But I have never seen any duck willingly let someone pick them up. I can catch them easily when needed, they just aren't fond of being carried around. Neither has ever tried to bite & the gander rarely even hisses. I actually expected him to be much worse since breeding season is upon us but he's still quite friendly. The goose is a bit more shy & stands back a bit further but still pretty friendly.

Have not tried the freedom rangers. Do you have a link to their site? I haven't gotten my broilers yet for this year, just bbw poults.

 

[wingstone]

Quote: http://www.freedomrangerhatchery.com/

for me it is a half hour drive, helps to save on shipping...
they have also personally delivered if they were in the area on hatch day....
helps when you deal directly with the owners instead of some big hatchery that will not remember your name

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Someone had mentioned they had Emu eggs. Aside form being a huge, cool looking bird, what are the benefits of having them? They are amazing!

 

[wingstone]

Someone had mentioned they had Emu eggs. Aside form being a huge, cool looking bird, what are the benefits of having them? They are amazing!

I seen that also, told myself NO, I do not want poultry that can look me eye to eye..

 

[Pngzv]

I have never actually eaten emu meat but I hear it has the appearance of red meat and is delicious... and is popular among the healthier eaters who believe red meat is bad for them.. theres a benefit!!!