The Middle Tennessee Thread

[ebinion]

If I have a decent purebred roo I am not using anymore, I always try the breed clubs or threads first. But when you have a ton of boys...
I cannot get ONE DOLLAR for a 6 month old rooster. Not a buck. I wish we ate meat because I am sick of raising them up and having to give them all away. I have even had people come out and actually say "Call me when they are bigger" The nerve!

If you have any Menonites or Amish that live near you, they will buy them I get 6 to 7 dollars each for mine at about 4 months old

 

[Goose and Fig]

Ah- never thought of that!
A huge group of them just bought 5000 acres on our road. We've been watching them build for months, but they aren't all officially here yet. One house does have sheep now though, I have been dying to stop.

 

[Penny Hen]

I have had almost the same luck with cream legbars - out of four eggs - 3 were boys, 1 girl. That has happened twice. And the larger hatches have had similar ratios. ALWAYS lots more boys than girls. Right now I have two broody hens - and they each have 5 cream legbar eggs under them. I'll be lucky to get one girl from each broody.

I have a CSA friend who will be processing chickens in the fall. I've asked if I could come and watch/help. I want to learn to do them myself - although I've read from some that it's more trouble than it's worth. I don't know. I just feel bad to keep giving away all these roos - knowing I've raised them but they'll end up on someone else's plate.

Compared to butchering a sheep, butchering a chicken is nothing. If you are going to do a lot of it get a killing cone. It makes it much less stressful on you or the birds. You can either use an open fire or a grill to heat the scalding water or an hot plate stove. You can pull the feathers out by hand or make/get an attachment for a drill that has the rubber fingers that slap the feathers off. Cut the neck off. Cut off the feet. Cut the body cavity open and remove the intestines. If you used an open fire to heat your water then you can just drop the entrails in the fire. You can even sharpen the edge of a big spoon so that you can scoop the organs right out cutting through the tissue that suspends them. Save the lungs and any organ meat that you don't want for the cats/dogs. You can boil it in a pan and pour it in a blender and freeze it in ice cube trays for fresh cat an dog food. Were plastic gloves so you don't get gunk under your fingernails.

There are several YouTube videos instructing how to do this. It should only take 15 to 20 minutes even for the first time. I think once you watch your friend you will see that it is not so intimidating as you think. My dad was a grocer/butcher. I grew up watching him cut up beef quarters, hams, pork lion, pork shoulders, as well as chicken. At least a chicken doesn't weigh 250+ pounds like a beef quarter can. I started weighing, wrapping, and pricing the chicken meat when I was 7 standing on a foot stool to be tall enough to reach the wrapping machine. It is doable. I found that if you have some mental difficulty with the idea that it is best to be slightly hungry when butchering. It gives you the proper perspective. I lost 20 lbs last year because we where broke enough that we had to ration food. When I had a small lamb die of hypothermia this spring (because mom was too stupid to come in out of the cold rain) I picked him up and butchered him out and we had genuine Shepherds Pie.

By the way, if you are butchering out cockerels in the fall, it is a good time to practice if you ever want to learn how to make capons. The cockerel is already dead so it won't matter if you make mistakes. There is a very good video on YouTube for that too. After watching the video I understand why it is not a common practice because it takes some skill. But the fact is that you can make really good money supplying high end restaurants with capon. And maybe that is not what you want to do but you may want one or two holiday feast birds throughout the year.

 

[pickledchicken]

Hey guys just wanted to share this fairly affordable planter box. Just some 2x4 and corrugated metal. If you have any questions I be happy to assist it was an easy build. I think i'm gonna do a whole raised bed garden with these one day. I plan on putting some herbs in this one.

 

[Raven1]

Looks good Chad

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Very nice planter. It will look lovely with greenery and flowers blooming.

 

[TinTennessee]

Hey guys just wanted to share this fairly affordable planter box. Just some 2x4 and corrugated metal. If you have any questions I be happy to assist it was an easy build. I think i'm gonna do a whole raised bed garden with these one day. I plan on putting some herbs in this one.

Looks good Chad. Just curious, what did you do for drainage? Drill several holes in the bottom ?

 

[Goose and Fig]

Love those! They look like my house!
I would think the bottoms are open, no? We have to do all raised beds here since its all clay and rock, and we just have them open.

 

[pickledchicken]

Thanks for the kudos guys ! Yes the bottom is open I'm hoping to do a whole raised bed garden with these soon, maybe just in time to get some kale and swiss chard out this fall. I am so not a metal worker I can't stand working with it ( five cuts on my hand already ) but I do like the contrast between wood and metal. Amy you guys could make some great looking raised beds with some rough sawn cedar.

 

[Penny Hen]

Thanks for the kudos guys ! Yes the bottom is open I'm hoping to do a whole raised bed garden with these soon, maybe just in time to get some kale and swiss chard out this fall. I am so not a metal worker I can't stand working with it ( five cuts on my hand already ) but I do like the contrast between wood and metal. Amy you guys could make some great looking raised beds with some rough sawn cedar.

Really sharp. If you want to add about 5 years to it's life get a can of zinc galvanizing paint and put an extra coat on the inside where it will get wet. That gives me some ideas for a coop. Get you some leather work gloves from Lamont. It will so save your hands. If you work with it long enough you do get better at not cutting yourself. If my own experience is correct I figure you have about 5 more cuts before it gets ingrained as second nature how to avoid it.