Texas

[yinepu]

My son, a grown child, wants me to name mine Scrambled, Fried, Boiled, Deviled, Raw, OverEasy, Poached....well you get the picture.

My husband names all of them "dinner"

I only name the ones that have "immunity"
So for now that's Jack. The last survivor of the predator attack from a few years ago.. our oldest bird and a pure gentleman

 

[Kilsharion]

My husband names all of them "dinner"

I only name the ones that have "immunity"
So for now that's Jack. The last survivor of the predator attack from a few years ago.. our oldest bird and a pure gentleman

Oh wow - he's absolutely gorgeous.

 

[showbarnmom]

I've named all mine so they have immunity lol! I'm not ready to eat my own, I don't like chicken on the bone to begin with. So I named everyone lol. Bug aka dammit-foghorn, Mavis, mo, pickles, peppers, sharkie and speck.

 

[showbarnmom]

I've named all mine so they have immunity lol! I'm not ready to eat my own, I don't like chicken on the bone to begin with. So I named everyone lol. Bug aka dammit-foghorn, Mavis, mo, pickles, peppers, sharkie and speck.

Edited to say: have one more that needs a name though.

 

[Kilsharion]

I've named all mine so they have immunity lol! I'm not ready to eat my own, I don't like chicken on the bone to begin with. So I named everyone lol. Bug aka dammit-foghorn, Mavis, mo, pickles, peppers, sharkie and speck.

Ah, see, we eat a LOT of poultry. I make up a big bird - generally a capon or turkey - on the weekend and we eat it for sandwich meat all week long. I grew up with fresh chicken on the table and it's hard to go to store bought when you have. Kinda the same for crab and lobster (my grandfather was a fisherman in Maine - talk about fresh!). But, I've never had a problem offing one of them when necessary (old age or just their time to be on the menu) so long as I made sure they had a spectacular life. All of them get molasses milk mash during the winter and milk mash during the summer (probably getting a goat, soon, since we use so much milk). They don't tend to eat a whole lot of the food in their food bin. I am guessing they are filling up on bugs and green grass/weeds. They do love to go after the scratch I toss down in the afternoons, though - especially millet. I see a lot of people swear by BOSS; but, none of mine - not a one - wants anything to do with them.

 

[yinepu]

Huh...now you've got my interest raised.

I'm not at the processing stage yet. I'm just working hard to keep mine alive with all our predators.

I like bantams.. they are good to eat (even though some people will say there isn't enough meat on them). But those are the same people that think a dual purpose bird or quail isn't worth eating (I eat pigeons too.. so maybe I am just weird.. lol).
some also are little egg laying machines.. plus you can also get some that lay colored eggs.. which is great for people who like to craft things from eggs

Predators can be a royal pain in the behind... so far we have had major losses from raccoons, foxes and coyotes.. the skunks and possums only wanted eggs which I could live with since they also help take out rodents and assorted bugs. The resident possum died last year. He curled up in our lawnmower shed to die so I was feeding him eggs and cat food every day for a while as he was laying there. (told y'all that I am weird)
And the resident rat snake only went after an egg here and there when rodents were on short supply.. even the hens and our cats didn't mind her. She did freak the mailman out one day when he came up to the house to drop off a package since the snake and cat were laying side by side enjoying the morning sunshine. I didn't see her last fall.. so I am hoping none of the coyotes or foxes decided to make her into "lunch"

 

[chickletteSarge]

when I ordered from Ideal they sent the exact amount I ordered.. NO extras at all.. not even any to cover the dead one
But if you don't order the minimum for warmth they supposedly will add in packing peanuts (from what I have read it's usually extras of whatever they sell..mostly cockerels)

i ordered the min $25 and still had to fill the box with chicks... thats why im gettin 25 asstd bantys this weekend....
8 days? they hatch every wednesday.... are you picking them up at the office?

 

[showbarnmom]

Ah, see, we eat a LOT of poultry.  I make up a big bird - generally a capon or turkey - on the weekend and we eat it for sandwich meat all week long.  I grew up with fresh chicken on the table and it's hard to go to store bought when you have.  Kinda the same for crab and lobster (my grandfather was a fisherman in Maine - talk about fresh!).   But, I've never had a problem offing one of them when necessary (old age or just their time to be on the menu) so long as I made sure they had a spectacular life.  All of them get molasses milk mash during the winter and milk mash during the summer (probably getting a goat, soon, since we use so much milk).  They don't tend to eat a whole lot of the food in their food bin.  I am guessing they are filling up on bugs and green grass/weeds.  They do love to go after the scratch I toss down in the afternoons, though - especially millet.  I see a lot of people swear by BOSS; but, none of mine - not a one - wants anything to do with them.

I buy from a bird friend of mine. He raises 4-H birds, have no clue what breed they are, and he debones them for me lol. He is very good to me. We raise beef, so eat a lot of that, and rabbit. Chicken is the one we eat the least really. Lol.

 

[Kilsharion]

I like bantams.. they are good to eat (even though some people will say there isn't enough meat on them). But those are the same people that think a dual purpose bird or quail isn't worth eating (I eat pigeons too.. so maybe I am just weird.. lol).
some also are little egg laying machines.. plus you can also get some that lay colored eggs.. which is great for people who like to craft things from eggs

Predators can be a royal pain in the behind... so far we have had major losses from raccoons, foxes and coyotes.. the skunks and possums only wanted eggs which I could live with since they also help take out rodents and assorted bugs. The resident possum died last year. He curled up in our lawnmower shed to die so I was feeding him eggs and cat food every day for a while as he was laying there. (told y'all that I am weird)
And the resident rat snake only went after an egg here and there when rodents were on short supply.. even the hens and our cats didn't mind her. She did freak the mailman out one day when he came up to the house to drop off a package since the snake and cat were laying side by side enjoying the morning sunshine. I didn't see her last fall.. so I am hoping none of the coyotes or foxes decided to make her into "lunch"

I don't think you're weird...but, you are talking to someone who eats frog legs and snails and other assorted "weird" foods. I love snake, too, btw. When we kill 'em on the property, we actually skin them and cook 'em. The skins can be downright beautiful. Speaking of...I have a wolf pelt I /really/ needing to be made into something - just haven't found the right thing. The cougar pelt went to a girlfriends daughter as part of a serious winter coat for when she moved to Alaska. Back to the subject, sorry...LOL I love rat snakes, not a big fan of the rattlers that like to show up; but, for the most part we're pretty snake free. Unlike my property in Alabama - copper heads and cotton mouths abound down there. I am good with snakes, so long as they don't come in my direction. Then I turn into the biggest pansy you've ever seen - well, I get even more of a pansy when I have a spider on me...but, it WAS a black widow with a body the size of a dime - no, I'm not kidding or exaggerating. I think I had every right to become a gibbering mess when I saw her on my belly...my bare (cuz my shirt had ridden up) belly. **shudders**

The name of that property, btw, is "Possum Bottom", so I will give you three guesses for what kind of critters my mother tends to feed and watch out for, and the first two don't count. So, I totally get the whole feeding it and making its last days peaceful and content.

I hadn't considered crafters when it came to eggs. All of my eggs are tinted in some form or fashion...and, I have a step-daughter that is the craft queen. I should clean a few and send them to her as a "thinking of you" gift. She'd probably get a kick out of it.

 

[Kilsharion]

I buy from a bird friend of mine. He raises 4-H birds, have no clue what breed they are, and he debones them for me lol. He is very good to me. We raise beef, so eat a lot of that, and rabbit. Chicken is the one we eat the least really. Lol.

Oh really, you raise beef? Do you auction it off, sell to a processor, or just raise for you and friends? I love beef, I just don't have enough property to run cattle of any sort. And, I'm horribly particular about my beef - so we don't eat it all that often....the only kind I really, really enjoy costs me about $25/lb and that's just outside our everyday budgetary constraints, yanno? Mike would eat anything that didn't eat him first...I'll give things a try; but, otherwise, I'm a lot more picky. Then again, I can taste a capful of vinegar in four pounds of meatloaf, and often break down entire recipes just by tasting the dish. It is a blessing because it means I can often recall the flavour of something I liked and recreate it almost spot on at home; but, it's a curse, too, when people spice things so heavily! And, salt is just my absolute bane. **grimace**

I wish I could have a couple of head of cattle...but, I'll be lucky to get away with two Nigerian Dwarves for my milking purposes. And, I just can't eat goat...though I use their hides to make nice, higher tone, hand drums. Their meat just has too much....not sure what it is; but, there is a flavour to it that just makes my tastebuds recoil. Even the goat that I've had that was hand raised by my aunt (she breeds African Pygmy Goats). Their bones are great for making beads out of, too. I wonder if I can do that with chicken bones....I never thought of it, until now....I have some bones in the kitchen just waiting to be cleaned - I should give it a try. LOL

[[edited to fix a typo]]