The Middle Tennessee Thread

[CapricornFarm]

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And you could sell those hackle feathers!

To who?

Sell them on eBay for fly tying or hair ornaments, to beauty salons even.

 

[DMRippy]

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To who?

Sell them on eBay for fly tying or hair ornaments, to beauty salons even.

Research is required on how to pluck them.... good idea! I have read some but don't know much about it.

 

[Countrypunk92]

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What color? My mom is obsessed with them.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have been looking into it. Apparently you skin the chicken to keep the feathers on the neck and back(saddle). You scrape off all the fat you can from the skin. Apply borax to the raw side of the pelt and dry. Fly tying guys will buy the whole thing. For hair feathers, you can sell as little as three feathers. I saw them at the flea market for like $20. Some were dyed different colors.

 

[SimplySplendidSilkies]

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What color? My mom is obsessed with them.

Countrypunk I several black hens, 2 splash hens and several blue hens so the chicks will be from them covered with blue showgirl cockerel. There are a few silkie eggs in this bunch from black Bobbie boy and a blue Creego boy. Last chance for them both cocks have been rehomed. These chicks are hatching in Dickson and won't be ready to go to new homes for at least a week.

I am down to 19 adult birds in one pen now. I do not count babies and teens.

Going to bed it has been a long last few days but today was nice playing with the chickens.

 

[austintgraf]

Well.... after the chicken slaughter by the coons I worked on the coop more. And I now have a trio of mille fluer d'uccle chickens, a pair of OEG batams, a rooster and 4 hens of porcelian d'uccles, 6 golden seabright hens, 8 rare breed cockrels(left over from the slaughter) 6 RIR laying hens(one is raising ten chicks), 1 deleware hen, 1 RIR rooster, 2 RIR pullets, and 3 RIR cockrels. In total 47 chickens. Slightly over whelmed

 

[matlock585]

DMRIPPY...
I just went and looked at your blog about your incubator, I gotta tell you, very informative, and I'm so surprised to find out about the rotisserie motor for the turner. That's just dang smart right there! I have one that we hate to use cause it sucks so bad to clean... may be doomed for my new bator. The hatcher definitely seems to be the way to go. I think in my new one, I'm still gonna turn them manually, but I'm thinking about dowel rods with rubber bands connecting them. I could crank the first rod and make all of them turn. I only turned mine 3 times a day and they all did pretty good, even with my long days and no one here to tend it.
I'm excited to hear the ones from your video are hatching! Just take it for what it is, like I said, you will learn what works for you.
Now I gotta know, What part of Nashville are you in? I'll be looking to get some chickens from you this spring probably! I work over by the farmers market, on 16th ave. between Jefferson St. and Charlotte. I'm a crackerjack at sheet metal work, so maybe we can barter!
I'm so happy for your hatch! I remember how excited me and the kids were when my first ones started popping out, and those first ones are my favorite little things in the yard. Everytime I see them they remind me of all that work and research, and they are just clueless about all that. Enjoy the babies.
Where are you gonna brood all those at? I'm so anti indoors brooding, that's why I stopped hatching in august, I didn't want any too small to take the winter on their own. but seeing your hatchin pics is making me wanna fire mine back up!

 

[DMRippy]

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THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!!! I saw some farm in KY, I think, holds seminars. $25 for the seminar and $3.50 a pound to process the farms birds. Are you kidding me??? I have to pay you to process your birds???? That seemed excessive to me. A fee and BYOB (Bring your own Bird) that would be good

 

[DMRippy]

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Hum... I need some stainless steel counter tops in my new house

but that is a couple of years down the road but maybe we could come up with something. The farm is off hwy 12 we live in east nashville right now but will be moving to Ashland City soon.

I picked up another rotisserie at a yard sale the other day for $5

another bator is in mt future. Mine need modifications for better access to the eggs! I will update when that happens. Brooding inside... I have a 4000 sq ft shop to keep them in

 

[emmalynn]

Donna,
I will show you how to process a bird. It is super simple. We are about 1 hour south of Nashville. I do work in Nashville so one evening is a possibility as well but I would prefer to do this in something other than a business suit. How many birds do you have?
Lori (Emmalynn)