San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[Jucknath]

I process my own. I skin them instead of plucking.

 

[OffGridMAMA]

How many do you have to process?

Will be 7 birds total. My in laws will be helping me out this weekend. I really want to learn to do it myself so it will be trial by fire LOL. They don't understand why we would choose to raise/ butcher our own when you can get them cheaper at the market. In Mexico they had no choice. But then again they also don't understand why we choose to live in the sticks LOL. Making some good soup this weekend! Rest will be frozen.

 

[Aumlet]

Is skinning a whole lot easier? I have chicks right now and 3 appear to be cockerels. One is the companion to my chick with a broken leg and he's too friendly and I'm too attached to give him the axe, but I have 2 others out with mama ..... gulp. And then one who is a silkie cross and could be anything.

And this is where I realize how modern life has spoiled us. I really enjoy meat. If the only chicken I could eat was the chicken running around my yard, I think the concept of processing would be easier. Sad that the animal was dying, but happy to have a nice meal. Instead I'm spoiled by the availability of readily available meat that looks nothing like an animal.

- - -

I dreamed about Cari's goats giving birth last night.

 

[perchie.girl]

Is skinning a whole lot easier? I have chicks right now and 3 appear to be cockerels. One is the companion to my chick with a broken leg and he's too friendly and I'm too attached to give him the axe, but I have 2 others out with mama ..... gulp. And then one who is a silkie cross and could be anything.

And this is where I realize how modern life has spoiled us. I really enjoy meat. If the only chicken I could eat was the chicken running around my yard, I think the concept of processing would be easier. Sad that the animal was dying, but happy to have a nice meal. Instead I'm spoiled by the availability of readily available meat that looks nothing like an animal.

- - -

I dreamed about Cari's goats giving birth last night.

Skinning is much easier.... no scalding water dunking and plucking. But you lose the tasty skin.

deb

 

[4beatgaits]

Offgridmama are you going to let the meat rest for a few days before you cook or freeze it?

 

[ozexpat]

Will be 7 birds total. My in laws will be helping me out this weekend. I really want to learn to do it myself so it will be trial by fire LOL. They don't understand why we would choose to raise/ butcher our own when you can get them cheaper at the market. In Mexico they had no choice. But then again they also don't understand why we choose to live in the sticks LOL. Making some good soup this weekend! Rest will be frozen.

hey ogm - i am picture deprived

 

[OffGridMAMA]

Wasn't planning on it. Unfortunately don't have space in the fridge. Really small. We have a chest freezer that is fairly small also but it uses very little energy and works well with our solar. These will be the first.....

This rain and icy cold off Palomar is killling me. Dreaming of à heat wave

 

[OffGridMAMA]

hey ogm - i am picture deprived

Need to upload pics from my camera :/ sorry. I have loads! Came home sick (pneumonia!) So I'm operating at half my normal speed Lol. The chicks are huge. The 5 or so that look like pure rir are smaller than the rest but still growing nicely. One has a gorgeous deep red coloring....hoping that's a pullet! Out of the 15 only 3 appear to be roos (so far) if so that would be great

 

[4beatgaits]

Wasn't planning on it. Unfortunately don't have space in the fridge. Really small. We have a chest freezer that is fairly small also but it uses very little energy and works well with our solar. These will be the first.....

This rain and icy cold off Palomar is killling me. Dreaming of à heat wave

We're north of Palomar in Mountain Center and got 6 inches of snow dumped on us last night! bbbrrrrrr

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I process my own. I skin them instead of plucking.

Is skinning a whole lot easier? I have chicks right now and 3 appear to be cockerels. One is the companion to my chick with a broken leg and he's too friendly and I'm too attached to give him the axe, but I have 2 others out with mama ..... gulp. And then one who is a silkie cross and could be anything.

And this is where I realize how modern life has spoiled us. I really enjoy meat. If the only chicken I could eat was the chicken running around my yard, I think the concept of processing would be easier. Sad that the animal was dying, but happy to have a nice meal. Instead I'm spoiled by the availability of readily available meat that looks nothing like an animal.

- - -

I dreamed about Cari's goats giving birth last night.

Skinning is much easier.... no scalding water dunking and plucking. But you lose the tasty skin.

deb

Wasn't planning on it. Unfortunately don't have space in the fridge. Really small. We have a chest freezer that is fairly small also but it uses very little energy and works well with our solar. These will be the first.....

This rain and icy cold off Palomar is killling me. Dreaming of à heat wave

I agree- take it from someone that butchers a lot of homegrown meat~ if you take off the skin, and do not rest the birds in the fridge, you will be sorely disappointed at the quality of the meat, they won't be good for much except soup/ stew. "Yard Birds" as I call them, have very little fat and can get tough from just A LITTLE overcooking if you don't rest them then they are even tougher.




That's hilarious Andrie! I've had two baby goat dreams in the last week! Last one was that Ghia (goat) gave birth to a litter of like 15 baby pups!