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- #101
baymule
Sustainability Master
Doing the last batch now. A total of 34 quarts of dog food and 5 quarts of rich broth.
Cornish Cross Spring 2019
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- Start date
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
That's awesome!
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- #103
baymule
Sustainability Master
I. Am. Wasted. I am so tired, I feel like melted butter poured out on the table. I have been on super charge, it feels good to have nothing to do beyond feeding animals, which I am about to finally get dressed and drag my tired butt outside to do. My next project will be to try and reclaim some of the garden and finishing the feed and tack room......next week.
Mini Horses
Sustainability Master
Lazy Gardener
Super Self-Sufficient
No wonder you are tired. Canning is hard work. Even harder still, when you have to process the meat before you can it, all while keeping the kitchen clean and prepping meals. Funny, that... no matter how busy you are, people still expect to be fed 3 times/day!
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- #106
baymule
Sustainability Master
This is what my chicken money paid for.
Lazy Gardener
Super Self-Sufficient
Nice!
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
Ditto that!
Killed the meaties this morning....easier for me as I only had 10 to do and these CX are so tender and easy to butcher compared to my usual retired hens and cockerels.
Started around 6 am, finished up around 8:30....dry plucked the last one, instead of skinning. Figured I'd freeze him and use him for the next family get together....been a long time since I did that. Had time in the middle of that to feed and water the other animals and such.
It was raining when I started, so the morning was cool enough for comfort and the sun didn't hit my station until I was doing the last 2 birds, so all in all it was a great butcher. I'm pleased with the size of the birds and the overall health of their carcasses.....were all free ranged until a couple of weeks ago, when I was tired of being mugged every time I walked to the coop.
To the relief of everyone, especially the other chickens, they were then penned and fed twice a day, plenty of water, etc.
Don't remember how old they are but I got them near the end of April and they were over a week old when I bought them, so were on sale for $1 ea.
Normally I'd keep them as long as possible, but I need that pen....converting it to a sheep shed...and they were really bugging me while out on range. Underfoot all the time, mooching for food. They ranged and ranged well, but still ran for the food bringer every time they saw me. What with the ducks, this year's chicks and other additions, I had 47 fowl on hand/ranging....too many with this wet weather.
The big feet of the CX and the ducks were making a mud pit around my shed, where I do most of my working....had to spread big sheets of hay to even walk there. Someone had to go and the CX were the likely candidates.
Will likely finish detailing the carcasses and remove meat from the bone this evening, if possible. Will freeze everything until I get time to can it up....likely be a couple weeks from now.
Killed the meaties this morning....easier for me as I only had 10 to do and these CX are so tender and easy to butcher compared to my usual retired hens and cockerels.
Started around 6 am, finished up around 8:30....dry plucked the last one, instead of skinning. Figured I'd freeze him and use him for the next family get together....been a long time since I did that. Had time in the middle of that to feed and water the other animals and such.
It was raining when I started, so the morning was cool enough for comfort and the sun didn't hit my station until I was doing the last 2 birds, so all in all it was a great butcher. I'm pleased with the size of the birds and the overall health of their carcasses.....were all free ranged until a couple of weeks ago, when I was tired of being mugged every time I walked to the coop.
To the relief of everyone, especially the other chickens, they were then penned and fed twice a day, plenty of water, etc. Don't remember how old they are but I got them near the end of April and they were over a week old when I bought them, so were on sale for $1 ea.
Normally I'd keep them as long as possible, but I need that pen....converting it to a sheep shed...and they were really bugging me while out on range. Underfoot all the time, mooching for food. They ranged and ranged well, but still ran for the food bringer every time they saw me.
What with the ducks, this year's chicks and other additions, I had 47 fowl on hand/ranging....too many with this wet weather. The big feet of the CX and the ducks were making a mud pit around my shed, where I do most of my working....had to spread big sheets of hay to even walk there. Someone had to go and the CX were the likely candidates.
Will likely finish detailing the carcasses and remove meat from the bone this evening, if possible. Will freeze everything until I get time to can it up....likely be a couple weeks from now.
- Thread starter
- #109
baymule
Sustainability Master
That sounds good Bee, glad that you had a nice morning to slaughter the CCX. We have a couple of nice shade trees where we slaughter, it is nice to catch a breeze too.
Mine did not free range and I probably over fed them. I kept feed in front of them, they got so big that they could barely walk, just stand up, step or two, then slide to a stop. I may try free ranging mine next time.
Mine did not free range and I probably over fed them. I kept feed in front of them, they got so big that they could barely walk, just stand up, step or two, then slide to a stop. I may try free ranging mine next time.
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
@Lazy Gardener, here's a few pics of that gutting method you wanted to see....couldn't video it but got a few pics. Also threw in a few pics of the chicken shucker setup, for the skinning of chickens with ease. Makes for a relatively clean carcass when skinning with this thing...not a lot feathers or scurf from trying to skin on a table surface. I quick rinse under the hose and then on to gutting.
A cut across the back to open up the body cavity, then insert finger tips and pull open....
....just keep pulling and the two halves separate and the guts just fall out easily.
Then you can get into that chest cavity easily to remove the lungs, heart, trachea, etc.
I hope that helps? I know a video is more helpful but it's hard to do that and do the butchering too ....no help for me at butchering time.
A cut across the back to open up the body cavity, then insert finger tips and pull open....
....just keep pulling and the two halves separate and the guts just fall out easily.
Then you can get into that chest cavity easily to remove the lungs, heart, trachea, etc.
I hope that helps? I know a video is more helpful but it's hard to do that and do the butchering too ....no help for me at butchering time.
