What did you do with your flock today?

[pennyJo1960]

Today I decided I was gonna get actually good photos of my birds opposed to the blurry, eye shut, headshake type ones I usually get Lol. And it actually worked out ok. (For the most part)

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All until this epic failure.
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She flew up to the roost right as I took the picture lol

Great photos! Birds can be so helpful.

 

[629864]

I use cones metal cones bought them from Amazon
Hold the bird keeps it from flopping very sharp knife. Take the head off..
Key boiling water take the skin if you get under it.

I've seen those cones and wondered how efficient they were....did they involve a lot of panic and flapping around. So I really appreciate you sharing your experience with them. Do you use a defeathering machine or do you do it by hand? Obviously the machines make quick work of a messy job, but since I've never defeathered a chicken, I'm not sure how big of a job it really is or how long it takes.

 

[kurby22]

I'm so happy that your new lady fit herself into the flock so seamlessly!

I'm very curious about this term I've heard many times before of "stealing eggs", but never really understood. Do you mean other birds are laying in her nesting box? I can't imagine a chicken picking up an egg and taking it to her nest. Inquiring minds want to know.

They lay in the adjacent nest boxes and somehow end up under her! I think she uses her beak and shoves them out over and into her box! However, a couple girls do join her in the box and I think they lay right in it and she just collects them “If you gonna sit in my favorite box, I shall sit on you!”

 

[pennyJo1960]

It is faster unless you pay for real plucker to do it by hand.
We bought one you put on a drill.. Faster by hand

 

[629864]

They lay in the adjacent nest boxes and somehow end up under her! I think she uses her beak and shoves them out over and into her box! However, a couple girls do join her in the box and I think they lay right in it and she just collects them “If you gonna sit in my favorite box, I shall sit on you!”

Ahhhh I see. Your nest boxes have a sort of connecting platform or something I guess. If my birds tried to move an egg out of one box and into another, the egg would end up on the floor of the coop.

 

[629864]

It is faster unless you pay for real plucker to do it by hand.
We bought one you put on a drill.. Faster by hand

Oh yeah I saw those ones you put on a drill and didnt think they looked too promising. I may try the hand plucking method first to see if I end up thinking the cost of the machine is worth it.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I prefer skinning don't eat the skin anyways.

 

[629864]

I prefer skinning don't eat the skin anyways.

I found a very useful video just now from a man in NZ that shows his entire process including catching, culling, defeathering, gutting, and bagging for the freezer. I'm including the link for others who might be interested, but a word of warning: the video shows everything, so if you're squeamish, you may want to skip this.

 

[kurby22]

Ahhhh I see. Your nest boxes have a sort of connecting platform or something I guess. If my birds tried to move an egg out of one box and into another, the egg would end up on the floor of the coop.

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Yeah! In the one coop the nest boxes are almost flush with the floor of the coop It’s a prefab coop…and for some reason they’re almost all set up this way

 

[pennyJo1960]

Yeah! In the one coop the nest boxes are almost flush with the floor of the coop It’s a prefab coop…and for some reason they’re almost all set up this way

How curious as mine lay in the upper boxes more often the floor height .. I Use storage tubs front cut out .. but lids on them. I have them like 6 of them. stacked. Plywood is between and gives a landing pad in front.