- Sep 15, 2010
- 509
- 5
- 123
Just curious, where does one get show quality broiler birds to begin with?
What To Do With "Left-Over" Show Broilers?
- Thread starter ShowBird
- Start date
- Jan 25, 2011
- 18
- 0
- 21
Quote:
When we had the broilers processed we had half of them quatered and left half of them whole. We were able to consume all the quaters before they went bad as they were packaged via a vaccum sealer. The whole birds which were huge, weighing between 7lbs to 8lbs each(processed), were to big to be vaccum sealed. We had to put them in huge freezer bags and before they could all be consumed they had freezer burn all over them.
McMurray sells extra large freezer bags I read the cutomer review "These bags worked wonderfully for our large chickens, more then enough room. We just dunked the filled bag into a bucket of cold water to push the air out and zip tied it closed! Wonderful product." I tried the same thing and never had any freezer burn. Of course we are a family of 7 so we go through our broilers pretty quick.
When we had the broilers processed we had half of them quatered and left half of them whole. We were able to consume all the quaters before they went bad as they were packaged via a vaccum sealer. The whole birds which were huge, weighing between 7lbs to 8lbs each(processed), were to big to be vaccum sealed. We had to put them in huge freezer bags and before they could all be consumed they had freezer burn all over them.
McMurray sells extra large freezer bags I read the cutomer review "These bags worked wonderfully for our large chickens, more then enough room. We just dunked the filled bag into a bucket of cold water to push the air out and zip tied it closed! Wonderful product." I tried the same thing and never had any freezer burn. Of course we are a family of 7 so we go through our broilers pretty quick.
Quote:
When we had the broilers processed we had half of them quatered and left half of them whole. We were able to consume all the quaters before they went bad as they were packaged via a vaccum sealer. The whole birds which were huge, weighing between 7lbs to 8lbs each(processed), were to big to be vaccum sealed. We had to put them in huge freezer bags and before they could all be consumed they had freezer burn all over them.
Sounds like your son needs to quarter those big birds and vacuum pack or learn to can all of them. It would be a complete waste to let them all go bad. That, or find someone on here who wants the meat and arrange to sell them. Why are you doing this for him? Isn't this his project?
I guess if my son wanted to learn about showing market broilers, I would want him to learn about the business and practical end of the operation as well. I'm not much of a believer in FFA and 4-H kids spending thousands of dollars producing a pig or steer for show, having their parents and FFA coach do all the work and not knowing the first thing about the real world of animal science. I saw my several of my neighbors's kids go all the way through Jr. high and High School FFA and I'd ask them what they were feeding their pigs and steers,what shots they got, etc. They had no idea, they just got whatever the coach gave them. There was no learning involved, it was all about winning. The only thing they did themselves was shampoo the pigs, with the coach's supervision, and walk them in the ring. I would also purchase the finished animals for less than what they paid originally, before feeding it out, since invariably they had paid outrageous prices for show quality baby pigs and calves.
I understand that winning is important but paying crazy prices for meat pigs/steers/chickens, which are terminal, what does that teach a kid? Would it make more sense if they were required to grow out X number of chickens from a generic batch, all from the same hatchery? Or, all kids attend a pig or steer sale together, pick animals at market price and purchase using their judging skills?
Being an Animal Science Major in College and having won a personal National Championship in Horse Judging, plus National and World Championships in various riding classes, I'm not a stranger to the show world or state fairs, although I haven't ever shown livestock, other than horses. I just think that kids really miss out if they don't learn the nuts and bolts of the business aspect of livestock production. Heck, even when I was in horse 4-H, we were required to keep a record book, which included a budget and accounting. Even as a kid, I needed to sell a horse, hopefully for a profit, before buying a new horse.
It just seems that FFA has become all about winning, rather than teaching kids about how to succeed in agriculture. Sorry, it's just what I've seen, in my limited experience with the local FFAs, when I was in OK. The rich kids got to show expensive cattle, the less wealthy kids got pigs, etc. And, none of it had anything to do with production or how to actually raise livestock.
When we had the broilers processed we had half of them quatered and left half of them whole. We were able to consume all the quaters before they went bad as they were packaged via a vaccum sealer. The whole birds which were huge, weighing between 7lbs to 8lbs each(processed), were to big to be vaccum sealed. We had to put them in huge freezer bags and before they could all be consumed they had freezer burn all over them.
Sounds like your son needs to quarter those big birds and vacuum pack or learn to can all of them. It would be a complete waste to let them all go bad. That, or find someone on here who wants the meat and arrange to sell them. Why are you doing this for him? Isn't this his project?
I guess if my son wanted to learn about showing market broilers, I would want him to learn about the business and practical end of the operation as well. I'm not much of a believer in FFA and 4-H kids spending thousands of dollars producing a pig or steer for show, having their parents and FFA coach do all the work and not knowing the first thing about the real world of animal science. I saw my several of my neighbors's kids go all the way through Jr. high and High School FFA and I'd ask them what they were feeding their pigs and steers,what shots they got, etc. They had no idea, they just got whatever the coach gave them. There was no learning involved, it was all about winning. The only thing they did themselves was shampoo the pigs, with the coach's supervision, and walk them in the ring. I would also purchase the finished animals for less than what they paid originally, before feeding it out, since invariably they had paid outrageous prices for show quality baby pigs and calves.
I understand that winning is important but paying crazy prices for meat pigs/steers/chickens, which are terminal, what does that teach a kid? Would it make more sense if they were required to grow out X number of chickens from a generic batch, all from the same hatchery? Or, all kids attend a pig or steer sale together, pick animals at market price and purchase using their judging skills?
Being an Animal Science Major in College and having won a personal National Championship in Horse Judging, plus National and World Championships in various riding classes, I'm not a stranger to the show world or state fairs, although I haven't ever shown livestock, other than horses. I just think that kids really miss out if they don't learn the nuts and bolts of the business aspect of livestock production. Heck, even when I was in horse 4-H, we were required to keep a record book, which included a budget and accounting. Even as a kid, I needed to sell a horse, hopefully for a profit, before buying a new horse.
It just seems that FFA has become all about winning, rather than teaching kids about how to succeed in agriculture. Sorry, it's just what I've seen, in my limited experience with the local FFAs, when I was in OK. The rich kids got to show expensive cattle, the less wealthy kids got pigs, etc. And, none of it had anything to do with production or how to actually raise livestock.
we have done 4-h projects before too.. we did the broilers one year ( planning again this year.) and we've done the hog project ( will do again this year).. my son also hunts.. I am one of those tree hugging dirt worshipers. who understands the cull and the call for meat but I have a fit if something is killed for sport. Im a one shot and drop it or dont hunt until you get good enough to be humane. anyways we always have extra meat throughout the year. we will store some meat for us int he freezer then we have helped out families in need, just ask a local church, and even more so we like to give the meet to soup kitchens for the poor and homeless. so many families are one paycheck away from homeless these days , its not just druggies anymore its families and children who are hungry. we pay the processing charge then donate the meat ( they get caned foods but not enough people give meat..... it makes the children feel good that they have raised quality meat and that they are able to feed their family and others..
just an idea hope it works out for you...
)O(
Pink
just an idea hope it works out for you...
)O(
Pink
Quote:
That's an excellent idea. It introduces a lot more learning AND helps those in need.
That's an excellent idea. It introduces a lot more learning AND helps those in need.
I agree, an excellent idea, solves your problem and helps others at the same time.
- Thread starter
- #17
- Aug 6, 2011
- 7
- 0
- 7
Quote:
When we had the broilers processed we had half of them quatered and left half of them whole. We were able to consume all the quaters before they went bad as they were packaged via a vaccum sealer. The whole birds which were huge, weighing between 7lbs to 8lbs each(processed), were to big to be vaccum sealed. We had to put them in huge freezer bags and before they could all be consumed they had freezer burn all over them.
Sounds like your son needs to quarter those big birds and vacuum pack or learn to can all of them. It would be a complete waste to let them all go bad. That, or find someone on here who wants the meat and arrange to sell them. Why are you doing this for him? Isn't this his project?
I guess if my son wanted to learn about showing market broilers, I would want him to learn about the business and practical end of the operation as well. I'm not much of a believer in FFA and 4-H kids spending thousands of dollars producing a pig or steer for show, having their parents and FFA coach do all the work and not knowing the first thing about the real world of animal science. I saw my several of my neighbors's kids go all the way through Jr. high and High School FFA and I'd ask them what they were feeding their pigs and steers,what shots they got, etc. They had no idea, they just got whatever the coach gave them. There was no learning involved, it was all about winning. The only thing they did themselves was shampoo the pigs, with the coach's supervision, and walk them in the ring. I would also purchase the finished animals for less than what they paid originally, before feeding it out, since invariably they had paid outrageous prices for show quality baby pigs and calves.
I understand that winning is important but paying crazy prices for meat pigs/steers/chickens, which are terminal, what does that teach a kid? Would it make more sense if they were required to grow out X number of chickens from a generic batch, all from the same hatchery? Or, all kids attend a pig or steer sale together, pick animals at market price and purchase using their judging skills?
Being an Animal Science Major in College and having won a personal National Championship in Horse Judging, plus National and World Championships in various riding classes, I'm not a stranger to the show world or state fairs, although I haven't ever shown livestock, other than horses. I just think that kids really miss out if they don't learn the nuts and bolts of the business aspect of livestock production. Heck, even when I was in horse 4-H, we were required to keep a record book, which included a budget and accounting. Even as a kid, I needed to sell a horse, hopefully for a profit, before buying a new horse.
It just seems that FFA has become all about winning, rather than teaching kids about how to succeed in agriculture. Sorry, it's just what I've seen, in my limited experience with the local FFAs, when I was in OK. The rich kids got to show expensive cattle, the less wealthy kids got pigs, etc. And, none of it had anything to do with production or how to actually raise livestock.
Why am I doing this for him????? Really!!!! Did you notice all of the "we's" in my post? We (being Me, My Wife, and Our Kids) raise all of our competitive show livestock as a family project. This is how we bond and grow as a family. There are some family's that do select basketball, select baseball, competetive cheerleading, but us, we show livestock? There are certain things that my wife or I tend to while our kids handle all feeding, cleaning pens and animals, and exercising, among many other things. I handle all feed strategy and exercise programs while my children implement them. Once my kids get older and understand fully what is involved in developing a competetive feed and exercise program I will then let them handle that portion of it. As for your comments on my childrens knowledge of animal science, I think they would suprise you with their knowledge at their young age. Both are seasoned livestock judgers, both having won there district judging contest among many other awards. My kids get home from school at 3:00 each day, they get a few minutes to catch there breath and get a snack before they start there homework. After that (about 5:00pm) its off to the barn where they work with all of there animal's (pigs, lambs, and chickens) by time they get done tending to all of there animals it is usually around 8:00pm. They then have dinner, take a shower, and then off to bed. They do all of this with both my wife and I. In our family livestock raising, livestock fitting, livestock showing, livestock judging, and meat judging are all TEAM SPORTS. TEAM being my family. Sorry for pearching on my soap box, but please think before you make an "in general" comment about my family without even knowing anything about us.
When we had the broilers processed we had half of them quatered and left half of them whole. We were able to consume all the quaters before they went bad as they were packaged via a vaccum sealer. The whole birds which were huge, weighing between 7lbs to 8lbs each(processed), were to big to be vaccum sealed. We had to put them in huge freezer bags and before they could all be consumed they had freezer burn all over them.
Sounds like your son needs to quarter those big birds and vacuum pack or learn to can all of them. It would be a complete waste to let them all go bad. That, or find someone on here who wants the meat and arrange to sell them. Why are you doing this for him? Isn't this his project?
I guess if my son wanted to learn about showing market broilers, I would want him to learn about the business and practical end of the operation as well. I'm not much of a believer in FFA and 4-H kids spending thousands of dollars producing a pig or steer for show, having their parents and FFA coach do all the work and not knowing the first thing about the real world of animal science. I saw my several of my neighbors's kids go all the way through Jr. high and High School FFA and I'd ask them what they were feeding their pigs and steers,what shots they got, etc. They had no idea, they just got whatever the coach gave them. There was no learning involved, it was all about winning. The only thing they did themselves was shampoo the pigs, with the coach's supervision, and walk them in the ring. I would also purchase the finished animals for less than what they paid originally, before feeding it out, since invariably they had paid outrageous prices for show quality baby pigs and calves.
I understand that winning is important but paying crazy prices for meat pigs/steers/chickens, which are terminal, what does that teach a kid? Would it make more sense if they were required to grow out X number of chickens from a generic batch, all from the same hatchery? Or, all kids attend a pig or steer sale together, pick animals at market price and purchase using their judging skills?
Being an Animal Science Major in College and having won a personal National Championship in Horse Judging, plus National and World Championships in various riding classes, I'm not a stranger to the show world or state fairs, although I haven't ever shown livestock, other than horses. I just think that kids really miss out if they don't learn the nuts and bolts of the business aspect of livestock production. Heck, even when I was in horse 4-H, we were required to keep a record book, which included a budget and accounting. Even as a kid, I needed to sell a horse, hopefully for a profit, before buying a new horse.
It just seems that FFA has become all about winning, rather than teaching kids about how to succeed in agriculture. Sorry, it's just what I've seen, in my limited experience with the local FFAs, when I was in OK. The rich kids got to show expensive cattle, the less wealthy kids got pigs, etc. And, none of it had anything to do with production or how to actually raise livestock.
Why am I doing this for him????? Really!!!! Did you notice all of the "we's" in my post? We (being Me, My Wife, and Our Kids) raise all of our competitive show livestock as a family project. This is how we bond and grow as a family. There are some family's that do select basketball, select baseball, competetive cheerleading, but us, we show livestock? There are certain things that my wife or I tend to while our kids handle all feeding, cleaning pens and animals, and exercising, among many other things. I handle all feed strategy and exercise programs while my children implement them. Once my kids get older and understand fully what is involved in developing a competetive feed and exercise program I will then let them handle that portion of it. As for your comments on my childrens knowledge of animal science, I think they would suprise you with their knowledge at their young age. Both are seasoned livestock judgers, both having won there district judging contest among many other awards. My kids get home from school at 3:00 each day, they get a few minutes to catch there breath and get a snack before they start there homework. After that (about 5:00pm) its off to the barn where they work with all of there animal's (pigs, lambs, and chickens) by time they get done tending to all of there animals it is usually around 8:00pm. They then have dinner, take a shower, and then off to bed. They do all of this with both my wife and I. In our family livestock raising, livestock fitting, livestock showing, livestock judging, and meat judging are all TEAM SPORTS. TEAM being my family. Sorry for pearching on my soap box, but please think before you make an "in general" comment about my family without even knowing anything about us.
- Thread starter
- #18
- Aug 6, 2011
- 7
- 0
- 7
Quote:
All of the broilers in Texas for the major livestock shows and our county livestock show come from the Texas A&M University Hatchery at a cost of about $1.35 per bird. You have to purchase the birds in lots of 25.
All of the broilers in Texas for the major livestock shows and our county livestock show come from the Texas A&M University Hatchery at a cost of about $1.35 per bird. You have to purchase the birds in lots of 25.
In TX you have to order birds through your FFA, Fair Association or Agrilife Extension. Everyone gets birds from the same place and hatched the same day.
Quote:
What a wonderful and selfless idea! I always love that they have a program in some states to offer unwanted deer and elk meat to the poor and soup kitchens!
What a wonderful and selfless idea! I always love that they have a program in some states to offer unwanted deer and elk meat to the poor and soup kitchens!
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