The Old Folks Home

[Alaskan]

Dry wall is not my favorite thing either but it has to be done!

The new whole house fan is much better and is sealed very tightly. It will cut down on drafts and since it is very quiet compared to the other one, we will be able to use it more

No drafts??

I thought the point of a house fan was to suck the air through the entire house at mach speed to help everyone feel cooler with the windows open and no AC?

 

[drumstick diva]

Our old old house fan from Sears did all that. It would get so cold in the house my father had to turn it off - we were freezing.

The AC doesn't come close- of course this is an old unit - they don't last long and bedrooms are still in the '80's. At bedtime switch to ceiling fans

 

[ronott1]

No drafts??

I thought the point of a house fan was to suck the air through the entire house at mach speed to help everyone feel cooler with the windows open and no AC?

The seal around the vent and the insulation in the ducting....for when the fan is off.

Especially in the winter but also in the summer when it is over 100F outside. I use the whole house fan when the outside temperature goes below 80. Other times, you do not want a draft! I will also be able to have more of the ceiling insulated with this type of whole house fan

 

[JD4570]

 

[bruceha2000]

So true JD. How are you doing?

 

[Alaskan]

The seal around the vent and the insulation in the ducting....for when the fan is off.

Especially in the winter but also in the summer when it is over 100F outside. I use the whole house fan when the outside temperature goes below 80. Other times, you do not want a draft! I will also be able to have more of the ceiling insulated with this type of whole house fan

Ah yes! The house fan I had in Texas definitely leaked way more air than I liked in the winter.

 

[Alaskan]

View attachment 1786841

I talk to myself a bunch while grocery shopping.....

 

[microchick]

Howdy, JD. Saw you were here earlier and got distracted by something sparkly! Meant to say howdy before now so

Well, I'm committed now. (Think it, @bruceha2000, don't say it.) Mentally building up to it. I bought rubber gloves and watched a couple more Youtube vids on butchering chickens the right way. Problem is that everybody thinks their way is the right way.

Am leaning to skinning instead of scalding and plucking. They say it's faster and blah blah blah. Seriously, once I get beyond the blood letting it looks like meat market bird to me. Since the old hens are going to nourish the dogs I'm not too particular about how they are butchered, nor does butchering them bother me too much as they are pretty much useless right now.

That sounds terrible but I can't even get them to go out and free range. The poor rooster, Godzilla, has even tried to coax them out. One or two will get a foot out the gate, grab a bite or two of grass and then high tail it back to the roost bars pretty much sealing their fate. Gonna be hard on Zilla but he'll survive. I even bodily carried a couple outside in the grass and they ran back into the coop. Fastest I've ever seen those hens move, LOL.

I figure if I get rid of the older hens and have it down to extra roos, I'll maybe find somebody to finish the butchering for me as the roosters are my favorites. Plan is to cut the flock from 70 to at least 30-35 birds before winter. Re work the numbers after winter and lower towards my goal of 24 birds. I have three hens setting eggs right now. Three that are almost feathered out still with their broody. There are young pullets....hopefully to take the place of the older hens, 2 years or older for next spring. Plus the 4 Fayoumi pullets. The terminally broody hens are going to be culled. Hate doing it and I'm going to try to rehome them to a neighbor but not counting on it happening.

I just have to learn to be practical with my health problems and dealing with too many birds over the coming winter months.

So when the rubber gloves arrive, I'll get to work.

God I hate chicken math.

 

[ronott1]

Howdy, JD. Saw you were here earlier and got distracted by something sparkly! Meant to say howdy before now so

Well, I'm committed now. (Think it, @bruceha2000, don't say it.) Mentally building up to it. I bought rubber gloves and watched a couple more Youtube vids on butchering chickens the right way. Problem is that everybody thinks their way is the right way.

Am leaning to skinning instead of scalding and plucking. They say it's faster and blah blah blah. Seriously, once I get beyond the blood letting it looks like meat market bird to me. Since the old hens are going to nourish the dogs I'm not too particular about how they are butchered, nor does butchering them bother me too much as they are pretty much useless right now.

That sounds terrible but I can't even get them to go out and free range. The poor rooster, Godzilla, has even tried to coax them out. One or two will get a foot out the gate, grab a bite or two of grass and then high tail it back to the roost bars pretty much sealing their fate. Gonna be hard on Zilla but he'll survive. I even bodily carried a couple outside in the grass and they ran back into the coop. Fastest I've ever seen those hens move, LOL.

I figure if I get rid of the older hens and have it down to extra roos, I'll maybe find somebody to finish the butchering for me as the roosters are my favorites. Plan is to cut the flock from 70 to at least 30-35 birds before winter. Re work the numbers after winter and lower towards my goal of 24 birds. I have three hens setting eggs right now. Three that are almost feathered out still with their broody. There are young pullets....hopefully to take the place of the older hens, 2 years or older for next spring. Plus the 4 Fayoumi pullets. The terminally broody hens are going to be culled. Hate doing it and I'm going to try to rehome them to a neighbor but not counting on it happening.

I just have to learn to be practical with my health problems and dealing with too many birds over the coming winter months.

So when the rubber gloves arrive, I'll get to work.

God I hate chicken math.

It will me much easier to take care of the smaller flock and better for your health.

Best wishes!

 

[bruceha2000]

(Think it, @bruceha2000, don't say it.)

Who me?


I actually didn't realize how many chickens you still had given all the Marek's problems until I read your interview. Yeah you do have a lot of chickens!

I gather the only REALLY important thing about butchering is to make sure you don't cut into the digestive tract AT ALL. Some people do a rinse in chlorine water just in case. As far as plucking vs skinning, if you aren't going to roast it I've heard skinning is WAY easier and faster than scalding and ripping the feathers off. Makes sense to me.