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- #531
Changed my signature.
Have to check and make sure it's right. =)
Have to check and make sure it's right. =)
TeaChick's Chicks
- Thread starter TeaChick
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #532
UPDATE:
I lost one of my Leghorn mix cockerels yesterday morning.
I'm going to start butchering extra cockerels tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll take care of the three smaller Leghorn mix cockerels. Saturday, I'll do the two larger ones. I won't butcher on Sunday. Monday, I'll start on the older roosters (they're not old at all, none of them is a year old yet; they're just older than the cockerels, who happen to be crowing, but calling them cockerels helps me differentiate).
I'm keeping Eddie either way. I have a choice of three roosters to be his junior rooster. In Eddie, I have white coloring genes and slender build, good egg laying genes (I imagine b/c he's half GLW and half WL). I want some color in the feathering, and I want to start getting some meat genes going; however, the rooster that offers me both of those things is the one DH wants me to start with butchering. He calls him "useless" and says that he doesn't protect anyone or sound alarms or anything like that. I think he would step up into the role of jr. rooster if he and Eddie were the only roosters ranging around the yard.
My chicks are acting bored/sick. I hope they're just bored. I have a wire dog crate (very large) so I turned it over (so they couldn't get out) and put them in there with their food and water. I also gave them a bit of a roof when it started raining. They seem a bit happier. I hope to be able to free range them from the dog crate during the day, but I won't be able to even try that until I've gotten rid of at least the Leghorn cockerels.
A friend of mine put PVC pipes in the legs of the trampoline frame. Now it's much taller. She'll be bringing it back here soon. Then DH and I can make a pen out of it and we'll put a coop of some kind in there. We want to try to keep it light, so we can use it as a chicken tractor. I guess we can put the chicks in it at first and they can go in there during the day and keep sleeping in the brooder.
Also along the lines of building, I want to take apart my pallet coop and make a double and semi-open coop out of it. If I make it a divided coop that's 2x1, then I'd have enough pallets to use two for doors. We'll see how all that shakes out. I'm also going to have to take apart the juvenile coop and remake it to make it more useful. I'm thinking of making it into two or more raised coops. We'll see.
Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
Especially about building a light-weight coop into the trampoline frame so it can be a chicken tractor. =)
I lost one of my Leghorn mix cockerels yesterday morning.
I'm going to start butchering extra cockerels tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll take care of the three smaller Leghorn mix cockerels. Saturday, I'll do the two larger ones. I won't butcher on Sunday. Monday, I'll start on the older roosters (they're not old at all, none of them is a year old yet; they're just older than the cockerels, who happen to be crowing, but calling them cockerels helps me differentiate).
I'm keeping Eddie either way. I have a choice of three roosters to be his junior rooster. In Eddie, I have white coloring genes and slender build, good egg laying genes (I imagine b/c he's half GLW and half WL). I want some color in the feathering, and I want to start getting some meat genes going; however, the rooster that offers me both of those things is the one DH wants me to start with butchering. He calls him "useless" and says that he doesn't protect anyone or sound alarms or anything like that. I think he would step up into the role of jr. rooster if he and Eddie were the only roosters ranging around the yard.
My chicks are acting bored/sick. I hope they're just bored. I have a wire dog crate (very large) so I turned it over (so they couldn't get out) and put them in there with their food and water. I also gave them a bit of a roof when it started raining. They seem a bit happier. I hope to be able to free range them from the dog crate during the day, but I won't be able to even try that until I've gotten rid of at least the Leghorn cockerels.
A friend of mine put PVC pipes in the legs of the trampoline frame. Now it's much taller. She'll be bringing it back here soon. Then DH and I can make a pen out of it and we'll put a coop of some kind in there. We want to try to keep it light, so we can use it as a chicken tractor. I guess we can put the chicks in it at first and they can go in there during the day and keep sleeping in the brooder.
Also along the lines of building, I want to take apart my pallet coop and make a double and semi-open coop out of it. If I make it a divided coop that's 2x1, then I'd have enough pallets to use two for doors. We'll see how all that shakes out. I'm also going to have to take apart the juvenile coop and remake it to make it more useful. I'm thinking of making it into two or more raised coops. We'll see.
Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
Especially about building a light-weight coop into the trampoline frame so it can be a chicken tractor. =)
- Thread starter
- #533
Update:
I butchered chickens for the first time yesterday! I did the three smaller Leghorn mix cockerel/roosters. It all went pretty well.
I skinned the first one, which took forever and then cleaning him went smoothly.
I made all my mistakes on the second one. I scalded him to pluck him and found out later that I'd scalded him too hot or too long. About half way through cleaning him, I cut my thumb. The carcass was left unattended outside for about half an hour. By the time I got back out there, the flies had started laying eggs/larvae inside.
So I finished with that one and cut him up for practice, and we fed him to the dogs.
I tried scalding the third one, but it was either too cool or too short; either way, I got some of the belly and breast feathers off and that helped a little with skinning him. I felt like a pro at cleaning by that point, but the glove over my bandaged thumb kept getting water in it. Thankfully, DH took good care of me and put a water proof band-aid on the cut.
All in all, not too bad. The worst part was killing them. I slit their throat, waited a few minutes for some of the blood to drain out and for the nerves to stop, and I found that removing the head seemed to help with the blood draining.
Okay enough of the blood and gore!!!
Sad news
: The Marans cockerel was dead in the brooder this morning.
He hasn't been well for a few days. I put ACV and honey in their water (he was with the Buff Orpington pair I have; they're all about six weeks old). Anyway, I'll scramble up an egg with some coconut oil, garlic, and oregano, then I'll mix that up with some yogurt. Hopefully, that helps the Orps to fight whatever it is.
DH and I have been talking about the future of our flock. For now, I'm using the chickens we have to fulfill our goals, which are prolific layers that are good at free ranging, and some kind of meat birds (it'd be nice if one bird could feed us dinner; we're going to have to eat at least two, sometimes three, of the Leghorn mix cockerels). I'm leaning in the direction of Wyandottes for laying and free ranging and of Orpingtons for the meat birds. We also want brood hens. Orpingtons are good broodies, but I already have Cochin Bantams (a pair of barred and a pair of black, the extra black cockerel I have is for sale, I'll do a separate post for that), and a white LF Cochin cockerel; plus, Snoodle, my Frizzle Cochin Bantam (I just found out that she's not purebred, she has five toes), but she does her own thing anyway.
That all being the case, I'm using my current mixed-breed chickens toward those goals. Eddie is WL and GLW, which means he's passing on good laying and good foraging genes. Marty is BO and GLW; he's huge, he's our meat/dual purpose rooster. Otherwise, we'll keep hens/pullets for eggs and butcher extra cockerels/roosters for meat. Ultimately, we hope to be able to breed pure on a couple of breeds.
Well, I guess I've been rambling long enough.
If anyone has butchering tips, advice, or info, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if anyone has advice on breeds, then I would appreciate that too.
Also, I'd appreciate even more, if you all would let me know what's going on with you.
I butchered chickens for the first time yesterday! I did the three smaller Leghorn mix cockerel/roosters. It all went pretty well.
I skinned the first one, which took forever and then cleaning him went smoothly.
I made all my mistakes on the second one. I scalded him to pluck him and found out later that I'd scalded him too hot or too long. About half way through cleaning him, I cut my thumb. The carcass was left unattended outside for about half an hour. By the time I got back out there, the flies had started laying eggs/larvae inside.
I tried scalding the third one, but it was either too cool or too short; either way, I got some of the belly and breast feathers off and that helped a little with skinning him. I felt like a pro at cleaning by that point, but the glove over my bandaged thumb kept getting water in it. Thankfully, DH took good care of me and put a water proof band-aid on the cut.
All in all, not too bad. The worst part was killing them. I slit their throat, waited a few minutes for some of the blood to drain out and for the nerves to stop, and I found that removing the head seemed to help with the blood draining.
Okay enough of the blood and gore!!!
Sad news
DH and I have been talking about the future of our flock. For now, I'm using the chickens we have to fulfill our goals, which are prolific layers that are good at free ranging, and some kind of meat birds (it'd be nice if one bird could feed us dinner; we're going to have to eat at least two, sometimes three, of the Leghorn mix cockerels). I'm leaning in the direction of Wyandottes for laying and free ranging and of Orpingtons for the meat birds. We also want brood hens. Orpingtons are good broodies, but I already have Cochin Bantams (a pair of barred and a pair of black, the extra black cockerel I have is for sale, I'll do a separate post for that), and a white LF Cochin cockerel; plus, Snoodle, my Frizzle Cochin Bantam (I just found out that she's not purebred, she has five toes), but she does her own thing anyway.
That all being the case, I'm using my current mixed-breed chickens toward those goals. Eddie is WL and GLW, which means he's passing on good laying and good foraging genes. Marty is BO and GLW; he's huge, he's our meat/dual purpose rooster. Otherwise, we'll keep hens/pullets for eggs and butcher extra cockerels/roosters for meat. Ultimately, we hope to be able to breed pure on a couple of breeds.
Well, I guess I've been rambling long enough.
Also, I'd appreciate even more, if you all would let me know what's going on with you.
- Thread starter
- #534
I finished butchering the extra cockerels and roosters today. I'm down to Eddie and the Big Girls, Ginger and the Little Girls, the Cochin Bantams, and Lavender kind of trucks around the yard mostly by himself.
All the Big Girls are laying. =D
It looks like at least one of the Little girls will start laying before the end of July. =)
I'm selling the two extra Cochin Bantam cockerels I have (one black and one barred), and I'm working on integrating Snoodle into that flock.
I'm putting Snoodle in a box on the back porch overnight and in a wire dog crate inside the Bantam pen during the day. Her food and water is accessible to the Bantams, but the LFs can't get to it, and she has a box with pine shavings in it, where she spent most of her day today. She seems more relaxed than I've seen her since she went broody back in April.
And Lavender, what can I say about Lavender? He's the only one I have left of the four white LF Cochin chicks I bought back in April, and I don't know whether I'm going to rehome him or buy him some hens. We'll see.
Take care!
All the Big Girls are laying. =D
It looks like at least one of the Little girls will start laying before the end of July. =)
I'm selling the two extra Cochin Bantam cockerels I have (one black and one barred), and I'm working on integrating Snoodle into that flock.
I'm putting Snoodle in a box on the back porch overnight and in a wire dog crate inside the Bantam pen during the day. Her food and water is accessible to the Bantams, but the LFs can't get to it, and she has a box with pine shavings in it, where she spent most of her day today. She seems more relaxed than I've seen her since she went broody back in April.
And Lavender, what can I say about Lavender? He's the only one I have left of the four white LF Cochin chicks I bought back in April, and I don't know whether I'm going to rehome him or buy him some hens. We'll see.
Take care!
- Thread starter
- #535
One of the Little Girls laid me a pullet egg yesterday.
I've been checking the pelvic bones of them, and I think another will start laying later this week and then the last one "Georgette" should start laying by the end of the month. =D
I've been checking the pelvic bones of them, and I think another will start laying later this week and then the last one "Georgette" should start laying by the end of the month. =D
- Sep 27, 2012
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One of the Little Girls laid me a pullet egg yesterday.e
I've been checking the pelvic bones of them, and I think another will start laying later this week and then the last one "Georgette" should start laying by the end of the month. =D
Yay!
Okay, right as I am about to get pictures of my chicks, I leave my camera at someone's house. Grrr!
- Thread starter
- #537
- Thread starter
- #538
Here's a pic of my first (second generation) egg:
Here's a comparison shot with an egg from my sex-link:
Here's a comparison shot with an egg from my sex-link:
- Sep 27, 2012
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Oh okay. That is not a bad sized egg for a first! 
- Thread starter
- #540
Oh okay. That is not a bad sized egg for a first!
No, it's not. It's bigger than Snoodle's (when she's laying).
She's not laying these days. I think the roosters chasing her around was stressing her out too much. Now I've got her in a box inside a wire crate and I put that inside the Cochin Bantam pen. That way she and they can get used to each other and be one, big, happy flock. =D
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