What to do with old hens?

[bobbi-j]

My favorite thing to do with old hens (when I have enough of them to make it worth my while) is to bone them out, and pressure can the meat. I LOVE having jars of canned chicken on hand. You can do so much with it - chicken soup, chicken stew, chicken salad, chicken sandwiches, chicken enchiladas.... Pretty much anything that requires chicken in the recipe. Pressure canning tenderizes them, and there is a wonderful broth in the jars, too. It's pretty time-consuming, though, so I wouldn't do it if I didn't have enough for several jars of it. Otherwise, as others have stated, the crockpot and pressure cooker are your friends. You could put it in the crockpot in the morning and have good, cooked meat and broth on hand for several meals. Well, depending on the size of your family I suppose... My sons are grown and gone so it's just DH and me. We can make a chicken last for several days. If you don't think you can butcher and eat them yourself, you can always advertise, and not ask what their future will be if the idea bothers you.

 

[donrae]

I do green sauce on my enchiladas. I cook as much chicken as I need to feed my family twice. Enchiladas are enough of a pain to make, I always make two pans and freeze one. So, enough chicken for a meal or two. Large can green enchilada sauce, I use flour tortillas cause my family likes them better, shredded cheese--chedder, Colby-jack, whatever I have. Can of olives, sour cream, tomato, guacamole.

Cook the chicken, shred if needed. I add some sauce to the meat, just enough to make it all moist. I also lay a small amount of sauce in the casserole dish, keeps it from sticking. About 1/4cup meat in the tortilla, some cheese--how much depends on how rich I feel cause cheese is expensive-- and roll up. I assemble them in the casserole dish, so the sauce I poured in coats the outside of the tortilla. I get around 8-10 in a large lasagna pan, depends on how big I make them and how tight I squish them. Top with the rest of the sauce, covering as much tortilla as you can, then cheese and olives. Bake 375 for 30ish min, until browned. Top with sour cream, guacamole and tomatoes. YUM.

About making a second pan---what I've started doing is making the enchiladas with just the meat/sauce and cheese inside, no sauce on the outside, and flash freezing them on a cookie sheet. They then store well in a gallon Ziploc baggie, and don't take up so much space in the freezer as an entire casserole dish. When we want them for dinner, just thaw, in the casserole with the sauce, cheese and olives, then top when baked.

 

[newbie32]

I do green sauce on my enchiladas. I cook as much chicken as I need to feed my family twice. Enchiladas are enough of a pain to make, I always make two pans and freeze one. So, enough chicken for a meal or two. Large can green enchilada sauce, I use flour tortillas cause my family likes them better, shredded cheese--chedder, Colby-jack, whatever I have. Can of olives, sour cream, tomato, guacamole.

Cook the chicken, shred if needed. I add some sauce to the meat, just enough to make it all moist. I also lay a small amount of sauce in the casserole dish, keeps it from sticking. About 1/4cup meat in the tortilla, some cheese--how much depends on how rich I feel cause cheese is expensive-- and roll up. I assemble them in the casserole dish, so the sauce I poured in coats the outside of the tortilla. I get around 8-10 in a large lasagna pan, depends on how big I make them and how tight I squish them. Top with the rest of the sauce, covering as much tortilla as you can, then cheese and olives. Bake 375 for 30ish min, until browned. Top with sour cream, guacamole and tomatoes. YUM.

About making a second pan---what I've started doing is making the enchiladas with just the meat/sauce and cheese inside, no sauce on the outside, and flash freezing them on a cookie sheet. They then store well in a gallon Ziploc baggie, and don't take up so much space in the freezer as an entire casserole dish. When we want them for dinner, just thaw, in the casserole with the sauce, cheese and olives, then top when baked.

Hmmm I have never tried the canned sauce or flour tortillas. I probably wont try the canned sauce but I might try the flour tortillas! It would save my fingers the pain from the hot oil that always happens. Mine is the traditional way but yours seems less painful!!!!

I will try the flour next week and report back if I can switch from the traditional way and save my fingers.

 

[donrae]

Hmmm I have never tried the canned sauce or flour tortillas. I probably wont try the canned sauce but I might try the flour tortillas! It would save my fingers the pain from the hot oil that always happens. Mine is the traditional way but yours seems less painful!!!!

I will try the flour next week and report back if I can switch from the traditional way and save my fingers.

I just don't like red sauce. I'd never, ever eat enchiladas my whole life, cause I didn't like the sauce. My sisters finally got me to try it when I was probably 37 years old, and I think we've eaten enchiladas at least twice a month since then!
I decided this spring to plant tomatillos, to make my own green sauce. I hate buying something I can make myself! The plants did great and fruited like crazy, but I got diagnosed with leukemia in June, and haven't been able to process a thing from my garden this year

. My understanding is they'll probably volunteer like crazy, so I'll have plenty next year to find a good recipe we like! Since we use so much, I'll save a ton of money--always good!

 

[AxisOfBeagles]

yep ... the stew pot is an important tool in the chicken business. And beside the good broth and enchiladas (a great suggestion, BTW) you also get to start planning on some new chicks for next spring.

 

[newbie32]

I just don't like red sauce. I'd never, ever eat enchiladas my whole life, cause I didn't like the sauce. My sisters finally got me to try it when I was probably 37 years old, and I think we've eaten enchiladas at least twice a month since then!
I decided this spring to plant tomatillos, to make my own green sauce. I hate buying something I can make myself! The plants did great and fruited like crazy, but I got diagnosed with leukemia in June, and haven't been able to process a thing from my garden this year

. My understanding is they'll probably volunteer like crazy, so I'll have plenty next year to find a good recipe we like! Since we use so much, I'll save a ton of money--always good!

oh my sister has a great green chili that she uses the tomatillos for!!! She tried to show me once but I was a teen and didn't care how to make it, I just wanted to eat it LOL. I could ask her if she knows how to make green enchilada sauce. Sorry about the leukemia. I don't know about your specific situation but many many people are cured from it and I hope you are one of them! Yes you will have an abundance of them for lots of sauces and chili!! Stay stress free and thrive.

 

[cubalaya]

I live in Wilmington, NC, and my hens all just turned 3...and it shows. They've almost completely stopped laying (I only get about 2 eggs a week!). Usually I would take them to the Flock Swap in Castle Hayne, but winter's approaching, so I don't think many people would be interested in buying. Where else could I take them? I'd rather not keep them through the winter and pay for their feed when they're not giving me eggs in return.

some hatchery and production breeds are about done laying at 3 years. are you sure that it isn't the shorter days of the fall making them stop? have you tried lights? if you want hens that lay good on up to 7 or 8 years then try some heritage breeds. everyone has gave you good advice as far as what to do with them. eat them. i like longevity in my hens. if they are still laying at 5 and i have named them, they probably have a home for life.

 

[4 the Birds]

Unless you really want to keep them as pets, you will want to take them to be culled. You should have someone or a place locally that will take them and butcher for around 2 to 3 dollars per bird. They live a good life until it is time for them to be replaced with chicks. We love our birds and care for them but this "Blade Runner" says they only get a 4 year life span.

 

[MARGOLYN]

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW U MEAN I GOT TO KILL THEM BEFORE I CAN EAT THEM???? DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[MARGOLYN]

HOW DO YOU KILL THEM ANYWAY?? EWWWWWWWWWWWW GUESS I GONNA HAVE TO BE A VEGETARIAN.