She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[WalnutHill]

Any dogs now, Amy? I was looking into getting a livestock guardian dog. They seem awesome. They protect the flock like they are part of it. Does anyone have one? I wish I had a bigger house..I'll have to wait till we move. No dogs right now. And yes, Amy you described my brother to a tee.

My sister breeds show goats down in Texas and they have a few Anatolian Shepherds. Big dogs and mean enough to chase hogs and kill coyotes. They've done some livestock damage but so far have been fine with my nieces. I wouldn't trust them, or any other dog, unsupervised with kids though no matter how "reliable" they are.

 

[WalnutHill]

Thank you. I'm leaning toward my other keeper cockerel, (who unfortunately has even more white, but a longer neck). I love my Orloffs!


I like mutts too, both dogs and chickens, and have EEs and will make some OEs in the future. Just can't stand people who sell mutts as pure stock. In this case, Jack is a pure Spangled Russian Orloff.

Jack is a beauty. He'll be spectacular when his hackles and saddle grow in.

 

[FridayYet]

Walnut - or anyone else with processing experience: I need to cull two cockerels for crossbeak. I think I read that you can skin them and take off the breasts and thighs since I don't want to do a full processing until the fall, and they are pretty small anyways. Just feels disrespectful to throw them away and I need to start somewhere.

Question - do you still let the meat rest in the fridge for a day before freezing and/or cooking? They will probably go in the crockpot for enchilada stuffing anyways. Thanks!

 

[sjturner79]

I have eggs arrived ready to set. Once I get hold of an incubator I'll set them and take some pics

 

[WalnutHill]

Walnut - or anyone else with processing experience: I need to cull two cockerels for crossbeak. I think I read that you can skin them and take off the breasts and thighs since I don't want to do a full processing until the fall, and they are pretty small anyways. Just feels disrespectful to throw them away and I need to start somewhere.

Question - do you still let the meat rest in the fridge for a day before freezing and/or cooking? They will probably go in the crockpot for enchilada stuffing anyways. Thanks!

Yes, skinning is fast and easy and no need to eviscerate.

Kill and hose off to remove dust and soil. Slit the skin from throat to abdomen, and make a circle around the vent. Sever the neck at the base and the wings either at the root or the first joint depending on whether there is enough meat to use there. Sever the shanks from the drumsticks. Peel the skin back from the neck area and pull back toward the tail. Pull the skin off the legs and sever the tail.

At that point you can filet the breast meat off the ribs and remove the leg quarters without disturbing the abdomen. This is the fastest method and harvests most of the meat with the least mess and fuss. A fish filet knife makes the job easy.

And yes, it's best to let the meat rest, but in the case of pieces, you need only let it rest until it releases juices. Be sure to cover with plastic wrap or in a container to avoid drying it out. If stewing, it probably won't make much of a difference but at least let the meat chill before tossing it in the crockpot.

 

[WalnutHill]

I have eggs arrived ready to set. Once I get hold of an incubator I'll set them and take some pics

Great! I set 14 turkey eggs tonight.

 

[FridayYet]

Yes, skinning is fast and easy and no need to eviscerate.

Kill and hose off to remove dust and soil. Slit the skin from throat to abdomen, and make a circle around the vent. Sever the neck at the base and the wings either at the root or the first joint depending on whether there is enough meat to use there. Sever the shanks from the drumsticks. Peel the skin back from the neck area and pull back toward the tail. Pull the skin off the legs and sever the tail.

At that point you can filet the breast meat off the ribs and remove the leg quarters without disturbing the abdomen. This is the fastest method and harvests most of the meat with the least mess and fuss. A fish filet knife makes the job easy.

And yes, it's best to let the meat rest, but in the case of pieces, you need only let it rest until it releases juices. Be sure to cover with plastic wrap or in a container to avoid drying it out. If stewing, it probably won't make much of a difference but at least let the meat chill before tossing it in the crockpot.

How did you know I needed the full step-by-step version! (LOL) Thank you so much, I saved this on a word document for reference.

Great! I set 14 turkey eggs tonight.

Hope you have a great hatch!

 

[sjturner79]

Ok - setting 30 eggs whenever i get temp to hold steady somewhere in the right range.


10 silkie - i'm not sure on the fertility of these .
8 backyard mix, 3 of which are EE. Getting good bulls-eyes in these eggs
3 Araucana
3 Orpington
3 Dorking
and 3 Sussex X Frizzles
These 12 are from a breeder so hopefully fertility is ok, and hopefully they survived the shipment

Will be running Dry as the ambient humidity has been 75-80 for the last week

 

[RubyNala97]

I've got a pip but it's under the egg. Not in the pointy end but not in the side that has the dip in the air cell. Didnt WV have that? Is that malpostitioned? What do I do?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Air sacs can change again after your last candle so as long as it's not at the pointy end I would not be too worried. I've had some pip quite far down and thought oh they are never going to get out but did ok. It has oxygen as its pipped so should be fine.

I thought this was a little low but it hatched ok.