Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[jajeanpierre]

I am able to remove the lungs with my fingers- just sweep along the rib cage towards the backbone. However I have hands that fit in a narrow mouth quart jar; don't know about yours.

Can you get your hands into the cavities of very small chickens? These are only 3.5 month bantams. Will that lung removing tool that the hatcheries sell work on such a small chicken?

 

[Beekissed]

I'm still putting off getting rid of these cockerels that are starting to be troublesome.

They are 3.5 month old bantam Cochins and Silkies, so they are quite small.

Will I need something special to get the lungs out of a very small bird?

A bird that small won't make the skinning, plucking or the gutting worth the while. You can simply split the skin up the breast from the lower abdomen, peel it back and remove the breast filets and then shuck down the pants and remove the thighs and legs. That's all the meat you will find on something that small and it will be precious little, at that.

No gutting or messing with feathers at that point. Easy...

Or..you can do it this way.....

 

[katbriar]

I've been able to dress silkies which I believe are comparable? I've never used a tool so not sure if the length and angle would match.

 

[katbriar]

Bee kissed- want to say it's great to see you back.

Last Sunday I processed my first cornish x which I was willing to try after reading your posts and seeing the video of your birds. Fed them fermented feed, didn't feed them nonstop and they ran around, scratched, and acted like happy chickens. I was even able to raise them at 7,500 feet elevation without health problems.

 

[Beekissed]

That's good! I hope you told folks that on the FF thread...it will encourage others to do the same. How did they taste?

 

[katbriar]

Haven't eaten one yet- let them rest in the fridge until tonight and just put them in the freezer a few minutes ago. Getting ready to take a trip to visit family so dreams of a roast chicken will have to wait until we get back.

BTW dressed put at 4.5 pounds in 8 weeks. Good math to me!

 

[Beekissed]

Excellent math! Congrats on a successful meat project! Can't wait 'til you eat one of those birds...heaven!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

This is one of three frizzle Cochin cockerels I have. He is just so adorable that I am keeping him.

Lovely!

 

[aoxa]

So looking forward to free ranging to Cornish X's this weekend. I can not believe how fast they grow. I knew they grew fast. I've read it time and time again, but none of that really prepares you for just HOW fast. This picture was taken on Sunday. They are so much bigger now. Today they are 2 weeks old.

Lamp goes off during the day already. Only on at night, but I'm cutting that out soon. I wouldn't even run it if it weren't for the layers who seem to get cold much quicker.

Also, they drink A LOT of water. I've started soaking their feed. Fermenting is not working in the heat wave. Mold and flies both.

So soaking it seems to relive some of their thirst, but is gone before the mold can grow, or the bugs can bother it.

Started out with 50 meaties. Lost a few. I think 7, but they move so fast I can't count. Susan disposed of the bodies and is dyslexic so counted but forgot to tell me how many and yeah.. We had something wrong with them on day 7. Thought cocci, but could not get a hold of corid in time and the weak had already died. 36 hours of dying chicks. Then everyone improved after they were offered electrolytes. I think we lost roughly 10 layers as well.

Never had sick chicks before these ones. Whatever it was, my heritage chicks did not get it.

 

[katbriar]

Sorry you lost those, aoxa.

I think wet feed does make a difference especially with cornish x birds. I was filling up the water every 5-6 days then had to do regular dry feed for 4 days. I was filling up the waterer every other day then.

I have to admit I was a bit slow figuring out why the were drinking so much more!

I think it helped their heat tolerance too. There wasn't a lit of panting even with temps in the 90's.

I had only ordered a few because I wasn't sure I'd like them, you hear so many bad things. But I'm sold! I'll be ordering a larger batch to harvest this fall.

Love to hear how your experience goes!