Well It's a sealed deal. My farm friends and I have just placed the chicken order. We have 250 day old chicks coming on the 11Th. 5 more days! We used to raise and sell chickens at shows and local sales, but I had bypass last year and just could not handle the work involved. When they told me it would take about a year to feel 100% they were right. Now I feel 100% and we are taking the plunge again. We will be selling, starting our breeding stock again and adding to our freezer camps. We live about 15 min. from each other and are able to share cost and work. It is quite an investment, but has always paid off. I am so excited. We are doing rare standards. I can't wait to see little top knotted babies and little fuzzy toes. I hated it last year when I had to sell my breeding stock we had worked on for a few years. Wish us luck!
Geo
Taking the plunge again!!
That's a lot of chickens! I definately wish you luck. It sounds wonderful.
George!!!
We expect pictures...
I'm going to be Aunt Cookie to chicks AGAIN!!
=o) Yea!
I will take LOTS of pics. I will post what our brooders look like filled with little fluffs. We are putting up 3. They are large and should give them room and keep warmth in. Still a little nervous, but excited too.
George
I'd love to see pix too! What an undertaking! We are hip deep (literally) in snow here so peeping chicks would be a breath of Spring
Congrats, George! So glad you are 100%. I too am
taking a plunge into about 34 chicks. 27 of mine are also
due on the 11th! I look forward to your pics, and I am
getting some crested polish and cochins. I have never
raised these before, and I look forward to watching and
learning from your success. I am feeling your excitement!
may all tammy's chicks be cute
In the past we have hatched and brooded quite a few ourselves being the "mother hen", but we always kept silkies to do the bulk of hatching. Silkies have always been the best brooders and mothers for me. We have a few from last year and they are doing the pheasant, peafowl and quail and of course there own. They are doing the machine brooding due to their facilities and I get to do the live(silkies) brooding. We live so close to each other we get to help with labor and thats the key to success is our ability to help each other.
George
Thanks for letting me know about the silkies. I ordered
cochins to help with that, and hope they do well. I
have 21 quail and 7 chicken eggs in the bator now.
I was wondering if chickens could hatch quail.
How many birds do you process for each group/family?
Do you have a big get together for a processing day?
may the princess freezer be full
This message was edited Feb 7, 2008 11:17 AM
Hello! truest
The silkies will hatch out anything. I do use the bantam type for pheasant and quail(smaller and more fragile eggs) Yes we do have a processing day or usually weekend. We use big galvanized tubs to boil our water for plucking and do an assembly line method. I don't like the killing part, but other don't mind so we just all work together and in the end all go home with lots of good fresh organic, free ranged meat. We set up our processing so we can do it outside(if you have ever plucked wet chicken feathers you would know why). We kill, pluck,dress,singe and bag, then cool. Its just the 2 families that will do it this year. I hope to have about 50 chickens to put in freezer. We also combine our forces to process our garden bounty also. We(friend and I) were both farm raised and now have the land and space to live the way we grew up. We also work together on bees, livestock and this year hay and corn production. Its hard work, but so worth the pay off.
George
I have had the (pleasure) of plucking a turkey, George.
What do you mean by 'singe'? Is that something to do
with pin feathers? I was a military brat, but spent every
summer between the parent's two family's farms.
One, a tobacco community with lots of mixed farming,
the other a dairy. Both were large families that all shared in
butchering hogs, bringing in crops, having a big fish fry. I cherished those times, and missed it terribly until 5 years ago. I purchased a few acres off a hill country road that 20 years ago I had occasion
to commute. I told myself then I wanted to live off this
road one day, wonder of wonders. It is a slow process, but
my DH and I are slowly putting up fence, adding on to
the barn, building flower beds and caring for horses, chickens
and goats. My brother and I are trying to carry on the
tradition of helping each other with our relatively new
homesteads, he just moving onto his place after his
'retirement'. It is so very worth the effort, and something I
look forward to sharing with my grandchildren.
Your chick delivery day is right around the corner! As is
mine. Can't wait to see those funny little hats and fluffy feet.
Where did you order from?
may the princess have plenty of chickens
Hey truest
Yes, singe is the holding the chicken over a fire to remove the pin feather. Another great smell in itself! I have helped in the butchering of many animals, but a hog I will never do again. It was the most gory experience I have ever had preparing an animal. If we decide to do hogs we will just send them to the slaughter house for processing. I am also toying with the idea of a milk cow. I took AI classes in college, so I could do the "breeding" myself and we would get dual propose. Milk and a calf to either kill or sell. I still remember that great taste of fresh milk and butter. I think any decisions about hogs or milk cow will be for next year. I don't want to over load and not have time for my gardening :)
George
P.S. I love your Little "princess" quotes. We post and read a lot of the same forums and I see them a lot.
that is exciting news George! quite an undertaking, but very doable when you have done this before and you work together as fmailies. looking forward to more details!
Unfortunately, the hog experience was my first other than fish, and I was quite young. I like the idea of the butcher doing the big jobs, now.
I have entertained the idea of skinning my chickens, since
I don't eat the skin anyway. I marinade a lot, so don't worry
about losing flavor or moisture. You mentioned you were getting
the crested breeds, what will your use for them be? I know-
they just seem to be so dog gone entertaining. I hope to sell
some for 4H'rs, but am not sure of their adult weight with
regard to them being meat birds.
may the princess care for her brood without exception
The crested breed will be for selling, as they get a lot of attention at sales. We will also be making a breeding stock with them for next year. The excess roos will be freezer camp. They don't have the best weight, but they will cook up just fine even if it takes 2. I have sold my peafowl feathers on ebay and do quite well. I get about a buck a piece for them. I have toyed with the idea of also saving the most desirable feathers from the freezer chickens to see how they would sell for crafting and fly fisherman. The type of fowl I have read about being skinned are geese. An older lady gave me a great way to prepare a goose with a dressing that you use with the goose to take out the "gamey" taste. It sounds really good, but have not tried it yet. We have lots of Canadian geese around here, but I don't think I have the heart to kill one. The yard geese we have had, I also could not have killed. I made pets out of them. I never want geese again though. Way to nasty and destructive when penned or free ranged. We have also found a great supplier for bagged corn by the ton and we will be saving about 4.00 on each 50 lb bag. Lots of money up front, but will save a ton in the end. Also with the price of eggs now we hope to sell some of those also as well as for our own use.
George
I think the fly tying feathers is a good idea. I would like to
offer the crested and cochin as projects. My only thought
on how to develope this is local papers, community boards
and schools. I have not shown before, so don't know where
to start. I have been doing some reading about how to show,
perhaps that will lead to whom will want.
Why do you think the chickens wouldn't skin well? I know
how fast I can skin one, is there a difference of I am not aware?
I can pluck- but do not look forward to the mess. I would hope
for a really big wind....feather snow!
Our local organic cafe/market can not keep eggs on the
shelf. They offer free organic veggie leftovers to supplement
the bird's diet, since DH and I don't create a lot of veggie
waste. I prepare a lot of cut veggies and fruits for the
chickens I have now, and plan a custom mix for the quail, too.
Not sure this would be my first attempt to sell my eggs because of licensing and restrictions, but could see it after more experience.
may princess tammy have all the eggs she needs
The real reason I would want to pluck instead of skinning would be I love chicken and dumplings. You would lose so much of the flavor with not having the skin and excess fat from the skin. Don't tell my cardiologist.
George
Yum. I love chicken and dumplings, and now I crave it.
I will need to make some soon. Yur fault. Yes, I tend to
'lean' things up a bit before cooking, to make Doc happy.
may princess tammy have good checkups
This message was edited Feb 9, 2008 1:10 PM
Well, if all goes well, you will have a lot of new chicks
very soon! Please post pics, I would love to see them.
may princess tammy have a ready camera
They arrived this morning! Here is a view of what 200+ rarest of the rare look like from Murray McMurray.
George
Another view. I have about 15 in the house in "ICU" We lost only 5 so far. Not bad when they throw in about 20 extra. The ones that died where black top hats. I think they were just weak.
George
Not a chicken pic, but I have to show you what we got over the weekend.
Geo
Geo I LOVE Them!!! my youngest saw the picture and you could have probably heard the AWWWWWWWWWWW way down yander where you are!
The hardest part is not messing with them. I want to hold them all. My ones in "ICU" are doing great now. Everybody is drinking and eating and even the little last black top knot looks like it will make it. It will prob. never leave the farm if it lives.
George
Ohhhhhhh! I am envious. What are they little striped ones? They look like my Welsummers.
Geo i think you need the Whizbang chicken plucker
i love this guy
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/whizbangchickenpluckers/
I hope to make one of these some day.
Have you ever read the book by Joel Salatin Poultry Profits.Very informative. I like is Philosophy.
Im so excited for you.
sue
They (farm friends) just dropped off a few more "ICU" chicks. We have lost 8 so far and 2 of these he just dropped off don't look too good. We started with 200+ so thats not too bad average. It keeps being the BL top hats. Must be a bad bunch. The others after receiving warm water with some sugar in it perked right up.
George
George,
Of the chicks I recvd from McMurray, I have lost 3 top hats.
2 within 24 hours, the other I had to 'help' yesterday, as he was
2 weeks old and not thriving at all. I wish I could underline not
thriving. Ate and drank, but put on absolutley no size and could
not get off his hocks. I put him in with my day old chicks hatched
here, even smaller than they. What do you think is behind this?
I wanted to keep a few for breeding, but am reluctant with their
lack of general vigor. One more is small, but managing to hold
his own.
Joan
(may princess tammy have vigorous chicks)
This message was edited Feb 26, 2008 8:53 AM
loe those pics George! esp that last one!
We are going to contact McMurray about the top hat problem. Out of 200+ they are almost all gone. Only 4 left. The other breeds are doing great. I know I should not complain because out of that many chicks we have only lost 10, but money's, Money and I think they should know about the top hats not making it and being the majority that are dying. Its like the top hats have no will to eat or drink. Once I show them the water and food they go at it. Then in a few hours they are puny again and I show them again and its the same cycle with them.
Geo
I will contact them again, also. They gave credit for the
first 2 I lost, I felt I had no recourse with this one yesterday.
But they need to know there is trouble afoot in top hat land.
I will be curious to find out what they say, if anything other
than just giving you a credit. TamaraFaye says they got new
breeder stock in a few years ago. When I put my 2 week old
TH in with the day old home hatched, he perked up a bit, but
went back to puny. The other TH's in with the amer's and cochin
sleep the most. I read a clip that TH's should be housed
seperately as they are smaller anyway, but I don't think this
would be a problem when they are all so small.
(may princess tammy enjoy the remainder of her reign)
mmmm, that weren't me that said that, i know nothing about McMurray...
yeppers, sound like a tophat breeding problem. i wouldn't accept replacement stock from them...
Sorry, Tamara, it was Crestedchik. She raises crested chicks.
haha. My goof. My brains are scrambled by all the wind today.
(may princess tammy have a calm day)
Geo
are there any other symtoms ?
could it be pheumonia? it can take on a appearance of wasting away . If you cut one open it will be full of fluid . I read this in Joel Saltins book. I looked to see if maybe i could offer some ideas of the culprit . :)
I know he recommends beef liver to help with vitamins .
I m sorry you lost so many. That is a heart breaking experince to go through
sue
If my case were pnuemonia, I don't think the chick would have
lasted the 2 weeks, as mine did with similar symptoms. I also
think the other breeds would have caught it sooner, but I
currently have 1 cochin showing symptoms like the polish.
(may princess tammy have no wildfires)
they would die with in 24 hrs yes
but it being that its just the TH's it might be another problem iwth the breed itself .
could be malnutrition ? depending on where you get your feed source ,sun and heat deteriorate vitamins and proper nutrients for chicks. Beef liver can help as a supplement. Hard to tell with so many variables
Im just throwing out ideas. :)
i like your princess quotes :) lol
They others in "ICU" are all fine now. Eating, chirping and trying to eat each others toes. The TP are better, but still don't seem to get the idea of eating and drinking. I take them to the feeder and waterer and as soon as I show them they go at it like crazy. Its like they are retarded or something. Maybe inbreed?? We are still way ahead of the game with the extras they sent, but are still filling a claim in the morning before the 48 hour guarantee run out.
Geo
tell them you would like a referral to a non-inbred hatchery LOL
;-P