Raising our 1st set of CX meaties

[Angelicisi]

Sunday seems to be next processing day. Good weather and time to process 17 eleven week olds.
If we can keep the birds of prey at bay til then :/

Streamers, lights, a staked/moveable scarecrow, our dog (never been staked out, so she's half reliable because half the time she's off elsewhere handling her business lol) the chickens themselves are getting really good at taking cover :/ sorta sad I'm proud lol
Other than SSS I'm outta options for aerial predators. May have to take the loss as a sign to order extra next batch.

Hubby went out to feed them dinner a cpl weeks ago and couldn't physically GET TO the feeder to fill it they were crowding it before there was food in it...so he improvised lol

They want that FF bucket Baaaad

 

[Beekissed]

That's one method!!! Otherwise it's like wading through water to get to the feeder!

 

[jenifry]

Great pics. So the greenish looking meat is still good to eat? I'm glad that you posted this information because I would have thrown the meat out myself if I would have saw that.

No, the greenish meat should NOT be eaten, my research says the rest of the bird is ok though. I am seriously considering piecing all my chickens and boning out the breasts before freezing. I couldn't eat it knowing that there was essentially rotten meat in the carcass when I cooked it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Great pics. So the greenish looking meat is still good to eat? I'm glad that you posted this information because I would have thrown the meat out myself if I would have saw that.

As I understand it, the tender is the affected part, and it is not good.  The remainder of the breast, however, should be.  The green tissue is dead tissue, even before slaughter.

Gotcha'! Thanks

 

[kuntrygirl]

Great pics. So the greenish looking meat is still good to eat? I'm glad that you posted this information because I would have thrown the meat out myself if I would have saw that.

No, the greenish meat should NOT be eaten, my research says the rest of the bird is ok though. I am seriously considering piecing all my chickens and boning out the breasts before freezing. I couldn't eat it knowing that there was essentially rotten meat in the carcass when I cooked it.

WOW! I will surely look for green meat when I process mine.

 

[Beekissed]

No, the greenish meat should NOT be eaten, my research says the rest of the bird is ok though. I am seriously considering piecing all my chickens and boning out the breasts before freezing. I couldn't eat it knowing that there was essentially rotten meat in the carcass when I cooked it.

That's how most folks use it anyway so I don't know why so many freeze them whole when they take up so much freezer room and broiling the is just one way to cook them. I now piece out all mine and this coming spring I'll be removing the breast,dicing them and freezing them separately and then canning the rest of the bird off the bone. I'll make some fine stock with the rest of the leftover bones, skin, fat, organs and feet.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 
No, the greenish meat should NOT be eaten, my research says the rest of the bird is ok though. I am seriously considering piecing all my chickens and boning out the breasts before freezing. I couldn't eat it knowing that there was essentially rotten meat in the carcass when I cooked it.

That's how most folks use it anyway so I don't know why so many freeze them whole when they take up so much freezer room and broiling the is just one way to cook them.  I now piece out all mine and this coming spring I'll be removing the breast,dicing them and freezing them separately and then canning the rest of the bird off the bone.  I'll make some fine stock with the rest of the leftover bones, skin, fat, organs and feet. 

That does sound like a better way to do it. But I"m sure when I get to broiler #35, I will want to get er done and stick that baby in a freezer bag, throw it in the freezer and call it a day.

ETA: Speaking of stock, I just found a good way to freeze stock. I read where one lady freezes her stock in ice trays and takes out what she needs. I do that for lemon juice but I never thought of it for stock. I have some shrimp stock I want to use in something this weekend. I may cook it with grits or some jasmine rice. I"ll have to research more recipes to give me some kind of creative thing to do with my chicken stock. Perhaps a good soup.

 

[jenifry]

I can cook one of my 9# birds, and make 3 days of meals for my family. One of roasted chicken, one chicken pot pie or other casserole, and one chicken soup. My hard earned meat is well used, and feeds my family for more than one day. If I piece out and freeze, I never seem to be able to stretch it as far. We love fried chicken, and it always seems to end an entire bird at one meal, even if we bone out and strip the breast into tenders.

 

[jenifry]

ETA: Speaking of stock, I just found a good way to freeze stock. I read where one lady freezes her stock in ice trays and takes out what she needs. I do that for lemon juice but I never thought of it for stock. I have some shrimp stock I want to use in something this weekend. I may cook it with grits or some jasmine rice. I"ll have to research more recipes to give me some kind of creative thing to do with my chicken stock. Perhaps a good soup.

LOVE IT! I need another freezer just for stock and rendered fat, did you know rendered chicken fat (The big yellow globby body fat) makes THE BEST pie crust, and can be used as a substitute for commercial shortening in ANY recipe?

 

[Beekissed]

That does sound like a better way to do it. But I"m sure when I get to broiler #35, I will want to get er done and stick that baby in a freezer bag, throw it in the freezer and call it a day.

ETA: Speaking of stock, I just found a good way to freeze stock. I read where one lady freezes her stock in ice trays and takes out what she needs. I do that for lemon juice but I never thought of it for stock. I have some shrimp stock I want to use in something this weekend. I may cook it with grits or some jasmine rice. I"ll have to research more recipes to give me some kind of creative thing to do with my chicken stock. Perhaps a good soup.

That's what I did this last time. Poured most of it over the meat I was canning, canned more into jars and then froze the fat I had skimmed off the top of the chilled stock, and left over stock at the bottom of the pan that had all the heavy spices in it, into trays and then emptied them into a zip loc bag so that I can take a couple out at a time and season things with them. I made the BEST POTATO SOUP EVERRRRRRR! the other day with those stock/fat cubes! I kid you not. My 79 yr old mother, who is a cook par excellent, said the same thing...said she never had tasted potato soup that good. It was so buttery and creamy, with just the right flavor and seasoning that I didn't put any kind of dairy or cream into it to make it creamy. It was like a dream.