The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

What is your method for curing and drying?

Took the question right out of my mouth!

 

[delisha]

God gave each animal just enough brains to get caught and cured.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Took the question right out of my mouth!

mine too

 

[Mingming]

My nine-month old buff orp went broody just about 3 weeks ago and each night I take the eggs from her (from my other 6 hens) - I don't have a rooster so she's not going to be a momma anytime soon! I thought she would just stop being broody after 21 days or so but am I reading right that maybe she'll just keep being broody? I wasn't going to try and break her of it because I'm really not home during the day at all to get her out of the nestboxes very much, and I don't want her sitting alone in a cage for a day or two. Too cold in my neck of the woods Thanks for any advice!

 

[farmerfogg]

I just went out to water/feed my flock and collect eggs. I have 5 hens, and there were 4 eggs on the usual nest box. I found my 5th hen stowed away in another location, in the coop. She was being guarded by my rooster. I went about my business doing chicken chores and then I heard my roo doing this noise, like he was calling the hen over. I quietly peeked inside the coop and found him snuggling down in the nest.

Silly rooster!!

 

[delisha]

My nine-month old buff orp went broody just about 3 weeks ago and each night I take the eggs from her (from my other 6 hens) - I don't have a rooster so she's not going to be a momma anytime soon! I thought she would just stop being broody after 21 days or so but am I reading right that maybe she'll just keep being broody? I wasn't going to try and break her of it because I'm really not home during the day at all to get her out of the nestboxes very much, and I don't want her sitting alone in a cage for a day or two. Too cold in my neck of the woods Thanks for any advice!

When you leave for work, stick her under a bucket in the coop.

 

[Mumsy]

What is your method for curing and drying?

I take a straight razor and carefully remove any fat or meat still attached to the underside of the skin. This takes a long time. Longer than the actual skinning. Fat or meat left on will go rancid, attract vermin, and spoil the skin.

When it is as clean as I can get it and hopefully no tears in the fragile skin, I will sometimes staple it on the very outside edge to a cedar shingle. Then I will dump Kosher rock salt all over it. I use that because it is the least expensive and easiest to find. Then I hang them in my green house in a sunny spot. Good air circulation and drying will go quickly in the summer. I have had them mold and become ruined on cloudy high humidity days. It takes small bantam skin less time to dry than a LF or Pheasant. When done correctly, they do not smell when cured.

 

[countrygirl74]

I'm interested in photos of this too..

For those that process their own, at what age do y'all generally process cockerels for meat, assuming you don't rehome all of them of course?

I'm pretty new to this but from what I've read, 4-7 months is best. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I think that's when the meat is supposed to be the most tender for a rooster. I am doing my first 5 roosters this Sunday... we'll see how it goes.

 

[countrygirl74]

Okay, all you silkie owners... All my 4 months old roosters are crowing, but not the two silkie roos. Do they take longer to crow or do you think they'll just start when I get rid of all the big roos this weekend?

 

[delisha]

I can give you some ideas about tanning with brains..but that is all I know..

oh..it will not upload files..just pictures