The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Frostbite documentation.

Here is Mister after I wrecked his wattles. Today's temps started out at -9 and are slowly rising to a stated high of 24 F. It is currently 18 F.

I'm going to keep a photo journal to see how they look as time progresses. It also shows the comb as well.

 

[lalaland]

@lalaland

I know, I am so excited!

I keep thinking of your beautiful sfh queen!


Hey, I cooked the first culled rooster and it was absolutely awful. I used a crockpot, and it ended up a tasteless mush. I just found this link on another thread and sure wish I had read it first! About cooking heritage breeds:

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf

 

[armorfirelady]

it was only -4 this morning and.......it is now 15 degrees!!!!  I get to turn off the heat lamps.

with the lights from the heat lamps, everyone is convinced spring is here. Both roosters are mating, there has been a lot of traffic in the nest boxes, although still only 5-6 laying out of 16 hens.

This will be the first night without extra light, so hope it doesn't confuse the heck out of everyone.

Woohoo!!!! Bring out the flip flops & beach chairs

 

[Shan30]

I know, I am so excited!

I keep thinking of your beautiful sfh queen!


Hey, I cooked the first culled rooster and it was absolutely awful.  I used a crockpot, and it ended up a tasteless mush.  I just found this link on another thread and sure wish I had read it first!  About cooking heritage breeds:

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf

Thank you for the link! You just completely changed my rooster eating plans. Here I was going to go through the effort of parting them out and freezing bags for slow cooker meals. Now I'm just going to try one roasted!

Great info! Thanks again!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I know, I am so excited!

I keep thinking of your beautiful sfh queen!


Hey, I cooked the first culled rooster and it was absolutely awful.  I used a crockpot, and it ended up a tasteless mush.  I just found this link on another thread and sure wish I had read it first!  About cooking heritage breeds:

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf

I cooked two of our mutt cockerels for Christmas ... a 3 lb bird and a 5 lb bird ... dressed weights ... processed the Monday before Christmas ... rested in the fridge, no brine. I deboned them, then rolled them around stuffing, then roasted them in a bag. I used an apricot/sausage/bread stuffing -- it's pretty sweet as befits a holiday meal, but a good strong flavor to balance a more flavorful bird. They were delicious! BUT I did over cook them, shame on me!, so next time I'm using a pot roaster instead of the bag so I can keep an eye on the temps.

More resting wouldn't hurt. Brining wouldn't hurt. And next time I'm doing my typical curried butter rub for the outside ... until I get tired of that and find a new favorite flavor.

 

[Leahs Mom]

That sounds wonderful... Curried butter rub. Is it just curry and butter?

 

[aoxa]

Found this on the Stromberg's Site: http://www.strombergschickens.com/bird_band_size

Guideline Chart for Bird Leg Band Sizes

Band Size #​

Physical Size​

Fits​

2 1/8" Canaries, day old Quail
3 5/32" Parakeet, 1-4 week old Quail, Doves, Cockatiels, Guinea keets
4 1/4" Baby Chicken, Coturnix Quail, small Pigeon, adult Bobwhite Quail
5 5/16" Pheasant hen, Tumblers, medium Pigeon, Homers
6 3/8" Pheasant cocks, month old Chickens, large Pigeons, Chukar Partridge, Wood Duck
7 7/16" Ringneck Pheasants, Mallards, Wild Ducks, Bantams, Feather Leg and Runt Pigeons
9 9/16" Wild Ducks, Pheasants, Leghorn hens, Ancona, Silkie, Gamebirds
10 5/8" Wild Turkey, Minorcas, Cross breeds, adult Guineas
11 11/16" Plymouth Rock hens, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Red hens, Leghorn cocks, medium Ducks: Runners, Swedish, Harlequin
12 3/4" Wild Geese, Plymouth Rock Males, Turkey hens, Geese, Jersey Giant cocks, Orpingtons, larger Ducks: Pekins, Rouens, Muscovy
14 7/8" Canada Geese, Turkeys, Honkers, Jersey Giant Cocks
Learn more information on poultry bands available from Stromberg's


They also told me that usually size 11 for the hens and size 12 for the roosters for SFH and Hatchery Red/BR/EE

Sound right to y'al?

Nope. 11 fits my Plymouth Rock full grown cock Jagger II. He is BIG, so I would say no to #11 for hens.
This is where I got my bands too. They are bigger than they state.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I was reviewing the leg band link and am so curious about the toe punch because I have never seen that before. It is just like an ear piercing?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

That sounds wonderful...  Curried butter rub.  Is it just curry and butter?

Yep. Just mix it & GOOD salt into softened butter and apply to the skin of a stuffed bird or inside & outside of a not-stuffed bird before roasting. The house will smell fab, the pan juices will be licked from the pan ... or can be poured directly over rice or other starchy substance. Also makes great gravy.

For best results, I use the mortar & pestle and grind up various dried spices with an emphasis on proper chunky sea salt & curry (powder or individual spices if you must) ... but also including any of the following: smoked salt, fennel seed &/or tarragon (I'm a little too crazy about tarragon to not use it in everything), red pepper flakes, parsley, and garlic powder.

For a "Morracan" flair you can use a combo of curry, blackening seasoning and pumpkin pie spices. But ... Shhhhhhhhh! ... that's a big fat secret! (If used dry, that combo works great on grilled lamb chops!)

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Hello from other threads. I'm from Louisiana.