cornish rocks

I agree. I'll be waiting to here how it goes.

I have the 2 chickens alone together. They have ample space, but it is rather cold and I do have to assume her first 2 weeks of eggs might be half maran, until the new guy has been her only fella for a while.
Probably perfect timing, because by next month, I might get some kinda idea about starting a little chicken meat.
Now that the roo is here, he does look a bit massive. I didn't weigh him but he is very heavy and must be a head and half taller than a RIR. He stands a good bit over the hen and I was thinking about putting my cornish bantam pullet in with them, but its probably best I don't.
I am totally in love with my cornish bantams shape and imagine I am plucking her and dressing her for the table....she is just so short and small looking though, except she looks like she is full of muscles. I put the word out locally that I'm after a roo for her. Oh....I've always known that if I had a project of those going, I'd be just too happy to slaughter a couple a week. Its a strange fasination I have had about 18 or so years now....I see those things and I mentally am plucking. Nuts....thats the only breed that makes me actually wanna slaughter.
Anyways....Hopefully in a couple of weeks I can consider seeing what this little idea will give me, cuz I have put it together.

Hi everyone. The countdown begins. I loaded up the incubator 1/2 way with a combination of all I have and several eggs are from the cornish/rock project. She is a big hen, but I never realized she laid pullet size eggs. They really aren't big at all.
DS is totally in love with that project.
I guess good record keeping is the ticket. I know I won't get a bird ready for table in 6 to 8 weeks, but if I can do it in 12 to 14, I'll still be happy.

My problem isn't getting them ready for the table by then, it's finding the time to butcher them!

The only thing I have failed at is 2 rabbits I have, that no one in their right mind would have held onto. Its a long time I should have killed them. I'm too frugal to let too much time pass without slaughtering.
It isn't a pleasant thing for me, but I make myself do it. It might take a few hours for me to do 7 birds, esp if I'm working alone, but if I do that everyday for a while, then after a while, I really have a high profit farm project. I might be in the habit of putting a certain amount of food down, and when I've killed and killed, I see in the afternoons that the birds didn't finish all their food and I realize Its time to decrease their daily rations. Makes me happy, happy, happy.

I have been reading the caponizing thread on BYC. I really love that idea, but I don't think DH would let me try it. Maybe I could find someone around the area to do it for me... probably not economical that way, but if it works like the say - big bodied birds that are tender, then I think I could sell him on the idea. It would be nice to be able to go out and kill a bird for supper whenever I needed it. And skip all the drama of an all day slaughter and all the freezer space requirements.
I made a chicken dish the other night with boneless skinless chicken breast from the store. The chicken was a little more chewy than usual, like you actually had to chew more than twice to break it down. I really liked the texture. DH - not so much; he said it was tough. Well, we could still cut it with our forks, so in my book it was not tough.

I have a caponizing kit. I have done the surgery on a few dead birds, but never with success. I always end up with torn testicles. Even a piece, left inside a living bird can result in a rooster; not a capon. I wouldn't mind learning the technique at all. I probably have about 5 young roos, right now I can try again on when I decide to kill them. I have read several publications with instructions on how to do this and the best one I have read, thus far is "Capons and Caponizing" by George Q. Dow. The tool he uses to catch the testes is different from the kit I have. I think, if and when, I decide to take another stab at it, I'll see if I can find something to improvise that tool.

First hatch of my project. I will see if DS can help me post a pic. Its a little fuzzy butt, with enormous feet. Really need to keep this date in mind and keep some kind of record. But I can't really appreciate what a huge mess of them would cost to raise because I only have one hen to work with. Thinking about putting a couple of BR's with the WR hen. Whats saying it has to be a white??? But for whatever its worth, it has cornish rock feet on hatch day.

The value of a white bird is the clean looking carcass. Dark pin feathers can be a turn off for those sensitive folk out there.

You should see the sensitive people freak over the very thought of eating a silkie. The black skin and meat freak them all the way out.

Yes they do get grossed out by the spots from non-white feathers. I know a few people like that.