Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Dr HaHa]

Good Chilly Morning All! First single digits of the year, 8* here. TO I too was honored with a surprise package!

Bigz you are the best man!!!! I'll pm ya later. Anyone who has made wood has been down that road a time or two. It reminds you how easily things can go wrong. Be careful my friend! Hurley that is a really cool egg basket almost too nice to put eggs in. I use an ice cream pail, it works for me and the chickens don't seem to mind. Sounds like your working out quite the plan. I'm entertaining the idea of seperated coop/ run set up too. Only been getting 3 1/2 eggs on a good day. The 1/2 are poult eggs

H&R dontcha just love fuzzy butts! DA there's a lot of us on here that won't raise the cornX again. I'd do it again if I had a seperate coop for them. Made the mistake of raising them in with my Red sexlinks. Rookie mistake. I have guy that raises them every year so I get them from him. But he doesn't free range them. Good meat but not as much flavor as mine had, no yellow fat. Didn't get the freezer picked up nor the straw so that's on todays list. I've said it before and it still stands anyone wanting slw eggs/chicks next spring let me know. Thinking the Second Annual Bigzio Bash would be a good place to do it. Or other arrangements could be made. When we get closer start letting me know and I'll write it down.

Hope you all have a very good day!

 

[Susie"J"]

Morning all, Sounds like you have a busy day Dr.H stay warm. Oh how I wish It was spring and we were getting new chicks. Seeing those fuzzy butts makes me eager to increase the number (2) we have. Well off to work at the Dental Office. Have a great day and bundle up

Susie J

 

[Hurley]

Susie J, do you have a larger pic of your avatar? Looks like a lovely coop.

Thanks, I love my little chickie basket.

DrH (so funny, everyone calls you this in the posts and every time I think they are talking to me, LOL, that's what everyone at work refers to me as) - told you it was hokey and I have few enough eggs right now to bring them in in my winter coat, but that basket made me smile. Same reason I'm thinking about getting that egg scale that's shaped like a chicken. Don't know if you saw the movie "Best in Show" or not, but it's my "Nothing Beats a Terrier" streak. I get a kick out of the hobby-special trickets and doodads.

When/where/what is the Bigzio Bash, any link to info?

I raised 10 cornishX birds this spring (which was a good number for me, first year, by myself, and for the available freezer space). Greatly enjoyed those big babies and gave them the happiest 8 to 10 week lives I possibly could, but after raising up my Marans and Ameraucanas this summer, I really don't want to go for them next season. Think I'll just get me a wide selection of cool breeds, raise up the roosters that I get for meat, and keep the hens for my little mixed bag flock of layers.

Speaking (typing) of processing for next season, does anyone here get together and rent a plucker or anything? I do well with the killing and eviscerating end of things, but plucking gives me flashbacks to my Iowa farm kid days of silking a pickup bed full of sweet corn. Tedious, very tedious. I'm a master shucker, but silking gives me hives (not literally, but you know what I mean.)

I'm also thinking of getting a turkey frying setup for scalding, but can't justify the big bucks of buying a plucker for a small number of birds. Can you rent those things? If so, any idea where?

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
Not sure about the plucker, DH and I did a couple Turkeys by hand using the turkey fryer for scalding but watch the temp.
Of the water or skin pulls off. Friends showed us a quick way to process younger chickens and just take the breast meat and that worked good.

 

[beckyschicks]

BL4- Darn it! I would have loved a hand raised one! From what I have read, they are easier to hand train and finger train. Also seem to be easier to tame down. I should have talked about it earlier. Well if I decide to get another I'll let you know first, otherwise I know the lady that is taking care of he/her for the next two weeks really wants another bird. I'll ask her if she would be interested. The one I got is pretty young though. It's from the local ma and pa, pet store here. They have a really nice place and have always treated me well. He said that he got three from a local person. One of those was the one I picked, so hopefully he/she will tame easily. Fingers crossed. I picked the one that didn't go nuts when I came up to the cage. Hopefully a good sign. Well gots to go. Have a great day everyone and stay warm. 5 this morning when I went to go do chores.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I got a plucker and we don't use it, more problem than it worth. If you scald right and have a few hands helping you really don't need a plucker. with turks I don't even scald my daughter can pluck a 20+ lber with me gutting in less than 20 min, with turks its all in the way you kill. (chickens too). for me only breasting a bird is just to wasteful. i don't even breast quail.

 

[Dr HaHa]

First before I forget again my package from Bigz was adorned with a pic of my tractor on it. Well not mine but the same model. Can't believe you remembered that Bigz! Made me smile! OK Hurley let me just say you missed it. We had the First Annual Bigzio Bash last June. A bunch of us got together in Waupaca at a campground and got to put faces to names. In my case I still apologize! We all brought delishious food to share and had a ball. Some swapped/sold birds, rabbits, or what ever they had that others wanted. Some went home home with unplanned additions

I myself squelched the urge. You have to watch these people their a lot meaner than you might guess. They make you hold the animals. Bad naughty people! But they mean well. I have a pic hanging on the wall next to the puter with almost everyone on it thanks to Bigzio and Susie. So everyday I look up and there they are a great bunch of human beings all brought together by chickens. As for the name Bigzio it was Bigzio's beloved roo that passed away shortly before the Bash. and Bigzio started this cheesehead thread. So we thought it was only befitting that it be named so. Still with me? I came into the fold a lot later than a lot but was accepted with open arms. My life has been further enriched by all! There's something about chicken people... oh ya an appreciation of life. Oh ya we had a white elephant thingy, still think I was set up. Come next Bash maybe you'll see what I mean.

 

[Hurley]

Sounds like a blast!

Here's to hoping to get to go this year. Glad to have found this forum and this thread. I know you all don't know me, but I like the feel of the interaction here so thanks for the welcome.

I'm also in the corn snake world (hey, don't judge now, we all have our own pet projects hehehe) and what I enjoy most about the reptile shows aren't the tons of reptiles, it's getting to meet up with my friends from the forum. We have a ball every year at the Tinley Park expo and Daytona.


Ah, what a beautiful day here today. My feathered bawkers even moseyed outside briefly...at least a couple of them did, which is a huge step compared to the last few days. No wind, sun is shining, lovely day. I took out some leftovers (sweet and sour rice which was a huge hit, left over scrambled eggs, some dark leafy lettuce and carrots, bread, and pasta) and hand fed the flock for a while, just enjoying their antics. They seem to enjoy their coop and it's quite snug in there according to them.

Took Thomas (my 20 month old, pictured below) out for a walk around the property. He loved squenching the snow in his boots and we tracked 2 deer and a turkey and flushed a pheasant. He wasn't pleased with me when I made him come back in! Brother Tyler (nearly 5 months) stayed inside and napped in the warmth. He said he was just fine not trekking through the cold and the snow, ahthankyou.

 

[beckyschicks]

What cute boys Hurley. Sounds like a nice adventure this morning.
Oh DrHa- Your so sweet. I love you attitude. Life is good, even better with chickens in it. I thought you comment about us all coming together because of chickens was funny. Thats so true! Oh and my girls still talk about wanting a bunny and about the bunnies at the bash! Thanks TO for bringing them.

Next year we should most definitely have another bash. It was a lot of fun. Well my plans for the day have been canceled. So instead I will be doing homework and baking. I have to make a hundred cutouts for this weekend and also a couple dozen to pass. I made the mistake of letting DH pick which cookies to make so now I'm making 4 different kinds.

That man loves his cookies. Although two of the cookies are what I like to call, phone it in cookies. You know the ones that you don't bake and are really easy. So I'm thinking I'll let the girls do those. Well I'm off to the store to get supplies and them home to make bread and chili for supper and them on to the cookies. Have a good one everyone!

 

[bigzio]

Good Evening All... While we are a happy family here....everyone knows you are the best Doc ! I wish I could put into words how nice you are to everyone... You make the cheeseheads forum a blessing everyday... Thanks for being here!
I cut some down stuff in the woods today....gunshy for sure! Talk about becoming a wimp! I have a superstition where I have to take the piece of pie that allows the tree to fall, and never let it go to waste. The wedge seems to have a rightly place on the pile, reminding me of the tree that fell because of me. Stupid I know...sacred somehow.
Still collecting 7 eggs daily from 13 pullets. They have become quite the nice flock. You would laugh if you heard me talk to the pretty hens. They are like my best friends...always happy, and always talkin to me!

Stay Safe, Have Fun.... ~ bigzio