Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[TOR]

That storm picked up after crossing the Mississippi river went past me. Just east of me watched on radar really picked up steam. Glad we did not get to much rain as we got 5 inches of rain on Monday.
New chickens hatching. Think be my last hatch, starting to get late in the season for new birds.

 

[jvls1942]

That storm picked up after crossing the Mississippi river went past me. Just east of me watched on radar really picked up steam. Glad we did not get to much rain as we got 5 inches of rain on Monday.
New chickens hatching. Think be my last hatch, starting to get late in the season for new birds.

there's plenty of time to hatch chicks yet ., the summer's young. go for it..

 

[TOR]

there's plenty of time to hatch chicks yet ., the summer's young. go for it..

Its the time takes for them to grow to butcher, Since they are Brahma mix some do not grow so fast.
Either we will make a deal with the hmong lady comes out to buy chickens for butchering or we will take some up by Taylor to a Amish family get them butchered. I hate butchering chickens.
If I one day were to make a defeathering machine, might not be so bad, but I pluck them.
15 to 20 chickens is enough for us.

 

[jvls1942]

Its the time takes for them to grow to butcher, Since they are Brahma mix some do not grow so fast.
Either we will make a deal with the hmong lady comes out to buy chickens for butchering or we will take some up by Taylor to a Amish family get them butchered. I hate butchering chickens.
If I one day were to make a defeathering machine, might not be so bad, but I pluck them.
15 to 20 chickens is enough for us.

what kind of plucker are you going to build ?
I built five whiz bangs. sold all of them.
I made all sorts of improvements on the original plans.
pluckers are not cheap. but they are worth having.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Storm took out our power and we didn't get it back until Friday at 4. It is amazing to me how dependent I now am on the computer and internet. I had a virtual interview scheduled for 11 am on Wednesday and another one at 2 pm.

I think the closest cell tower to my house was out of power also because my internet on the phone kept dropping to 1 bar and we usually have 4 bars at the house. So I went to town in the morning to buy some water from the store- no power, no well pump, no water ... On the way home I found a spot that had 5G so that is where I went. Of course, when it was time for the interview it had dropped down to 4G, but I had 5 bars.
It was interesting doing a virtual interview parked on the side of the road in my truck with the phone balanced on the steering wheel, lol. At least I had the AC running so I didn't get too hot.
The afternoon interview was canceled by the company because THEY didn't have power.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Need to edit my last post - I did have an interview on Wednesday, but it was the 2 on Thursday that were affected by the storm.
Been a long week.

 

[TOR]

Wish you luck with your interviews. Yes it is amazing how technology has developed. The young kids like my daughter did not have a cell phone think they be lost.

JVl, I was thinking of making a table top type plucker, using pvc pipe. pillow block bearings. Run a steel rod thru capped pvc and have fingers in the PVC. I had plans for a plucker, booklet I bought prolly 15 years ago or longer. I lent the booklet out to someone and never got it back. To just butcher 15, 20 birds its not worth it. I would rather skin and cut up a deer the then pluck and gut chickens.

Had chickens back in the 80s and have had them now for 3 years or so. I have killed well over hundred birds, but I am still not that fast at it and do not like it. Ill just take some birds to the Amish I think this year or maybe make a deal with the hmong lady that comes here and buys chickens from us every year.

Our second on going hatch is not as good as the first, 13 unfertilized eggs, thank the silkies for that. Glad they are gone. Getting some seconds thoughts on a third hatch, possibly might then butcher in November.

Gave some chicks to the broody Austrolorps they are happy mamas.

 

[jvls1942]

I started building a drum type plucker . it is put on the back burner for awhile. I got a nice piece of ten inch pvc from a plumber friend. I have extra plucker fingers. for a frame I took an old table saw apart and am going to use the metal frame to mount the drum inside. I think I have a large sheave somewhere .
I have a commercial drum plucker out back. One of the angle iron legs has a kink in it. easy fix, but usable as it is. that is the plucker that I used to loan out. It would make the rounds, I never knew who had it. sometimes it would be gone for a year.
y ou can borrow it if you want to make the drive.
I am thinking of selling it. we are not butchering any more.
we figured out a real slick way to gut the chickens. takes only a few seconds.
we quit putting them into the freezer whole. they take up less room cut up.
wyo, I hope you get the job you want.

 

[TOR]

The drive with price gas not worth it, Thank You for the offer. Your 2 to 2.5 hours away. Been Wausau quite a few times when daughter did traveling soccer.

Wife and I decided to cut up a number of the birds to save space this year.

 

[jvls1942]

when we cut up chickens , we take off the wings, legs thighs , neck. then we split the chicken open along the edge of the ribs. break it open and then remove the innards. everything is attached to the back.