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

[Arielle]

Quote: AHhhhh the challenges of vistors.

Talked with DH and we are putting the price up to $10-- I dont need to sell them as we can process them ourselves.

Ya, the silkies are much to cute to process; though aren't they historically a meat bird , or at least a dual purpose type? So meant for eating , not pet. . . . .

 

[Arielle]

This is Tiny Tim, our Christmas dinner.
Just about 3 months old now, he's growing way faster than our last broad breasted white.
Can't wait to see how big he is Christmas, we have all our family coming in from out of state

Since it is growing faster than your previous BBW, what hatchery did this one come from??

Thanks!
Haha we just have the one so hopefully much won't need to go to the freezer, I'll send everyone home with leftovers.
I may need a bigger oven though!!!

I grew mine up to 5 months ( the earliest date he processor had) and the males dressed out at 35# !!!!!!! THe dont fit into the new roasting pan without foil under the drumsticks that hang over the end to direct the jiuces back into the pan. Tastes good though. My only complaint wa that all the months of eating grass along with pellets was that the birds tasted like the commercial birds. I suspect the last month of not foraging and just consumming pellets created that commercial turkey flavor.

My heritage birds taste different as they walk and eat grass their whole life.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

What annoys me too is that itwas 7:30pm-- and they are stopping in like I"m a grocery store. TO buy at will.

Quote: Depends on the age and the breed. THere are recipes to deal with older birds that are liekly to be tough. Coq au vin . OR pressure cook. I dont waste anything here.

My current goal is to process all by 4 months, except for likely rooster candidates.

 

[Arielle]

Two ducks processed--1/4 cup dish detergent ( in the hot water) made a HUGE difference to getting off the feathers. Well filled out at almost a year old.

THese were males and had become a nucence. DH said he "didn't miss the brown one"-- he was a pain chasing us and grabbing at pant legs and now being summer, bare legs. Yup, life simplified.

Have 29 ducklings this year running around with broodie duck hens-- Probably process them at the end of summer.

 

[dutchbunny83]

Tiny Tim is a broad breasted white, he's from Ideal Poultry, but they don't hatch their turkeys they use other local farmers so even though both were from the same hatchery they may not have been from the same farmer.
We got 6 of them last year and grew them out to 6 months because my husband was away and I wouldn't do them alone.
This year we have just the one, but he'll be like 8-9 months at Christmas.
He's bigger than the others were at this age last year.

 

[Arielle]

Tiny Tim is a broad breasted white, he's from Ideal Poultry, but they don't hatch their turkeys they use other local farmers so even though both were from the same hatchery they may not have been from the same farmer.
We got 6 of them last year and grew them out to 6 months because my husband was away and I wouldn't do them alone.
This year we have just the one, but he'll be like 8-9 months at Christmas.
He's bigger than the others were at this age last year.

He's not likely to make it to 9 months-- but you probably already know that. At about 4 months , my birds stopped walking out tothe back yard to graze. Literally, they walked out the door and plunked down. ANd spent their last month that way. Wore off the breast feathers . . . .

Hope you will take pic of Tiny TIm at any time over 6 months. THey sure put on a lot of meat !! WE bake them up and have leftovers all winter long. Yum!!

 

[southernmomma]

I had no idea this thread had such diverse conversation going on....nice!

We're getting ready to build a coop and get a small batch of meat chickens for me to practice poultry owning on. First timers. We won't be building the coop until September but once that happens things should move quickly~ I'm spending some time visualizing killing chickens as I'm determined to do it myself. My husband hunts so this will my my contribution. Also, since I ultimately want to have a breeding program, I want to make sure I can cull without drama.

What do y'all use for the actually cutting? A knife or razor blade or...? I keep seeing myself with slippery bloody hands and cutting my own finger or botching up the slice so that the chickens suffers.

Can you share what you use and how many chickens it's used for before needing replacement or sharpening?

Thanks

M

 

[LindaB220]

I had no idea this thread had such diverse conversation going on....nice!

We're getting ready to build a coop and get a small batch of meat chickens for me to practice poultry owning on. First timers. We won't be building the coop until September but once that happens things should move quickly~ I'm spending some time visualizing killing chickens as I'm determined to do it myself. My husband hunts so this will my my contribution. Also, since I ultimately want to have a breeding program, I want to make sure I can cull without drama.

What do y'all use for the actually cutting? A knife or razor blade or...? I keep seeing myself with slippery bloody hands and cutting my own finger or botching up the slice so that the chickens suffers.

Can you share what you use and how many chickens it's used for before needing replacement or sharpening?

Thanks

M

I just added this link to another thread. I think it would be of use to you. I got a lot out of it.

http://ramblingredneckmom.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-process-chickens-at-home.html

 

[chicken pickin]

I just added this link to another thread. I think it would be of use to you. I got a lot out of it.

http://ramblingredneckmom.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-process-chickens-at-home.html

This is the exact link I used when I processed for the first time. It was so helpful. I had my laptop out with us so I could have it on hand as needed. The first time we ever processed was 26 CX 3 summers ago.

 

[southernmomma]

Quote:
Linda that's a dandy link, thank you!

Chicken pickin~ that is my plan as well, I'm very much a visual learner.

M