A new journey into homesteading "pic heavy"

Just skin them, it's faster. And that's why that mean rooster lived as long as he did, I just didn't feel like fooling with him.
 
mean rooster lived as long as he did, I just didn't feel like fooling with him.

Often case with only 1 or 2! I hate the "mess" of the harvest. It's true for most of us. Even when it's "several" it's always a somewhat dreaded chore. Sure easier to pick beans & tomatoes :lol:

This year I need to have a "butcher day". Already a "crap!" time.:(
 
Dreading it for sure over here. our meaties are growing out verrrry slowly this year. We have home-bred rock x cornish cross f1 and some f2 mixed in. Disappointing. I'm not giving up yet (DH wants to). But, the slower they grow, the cooler the weather gets and more likely we'll send them out for processing.
 
We have 2 butcher days planned. One for culling some hens and helping friends butcher their birds and the other for our meaties, who we just got and should be done in November and a couple cockerels.

I gave away 2 hens last night because they're less to worry about processing. It's a miserable job.
 
Speaking of chickens...


I gave a friend of mine some chics this spring. All I had at the time was some sexlinks hens and a Maran rooster. Well one of them is an olive egger! Idk how. I only had brown egg layers but it's laying dark olive eggs. I'm kinda bummed.

So she is going to save me a dozen of the eggs for hatching. Idk what I will get tho. She has brown egg rooster.

Another buddy of mine just gave me a dozen blue eggs from his flock of Americanas. He has a barred rock rooster tho. Maybe I'll get light green layers? Idk


Then I'll fill the rest of the space with my eggs. I have barred rocks, rid, buffs and some mutts and a rir rooster. I'll get some more rir and maybe some black sexlinks.


Just waiting on some more olive eggs before I start the bator.
 
I have EE's.....kinda tempted to keep a roo and put him with my Delaware hens. I love the colored eggs, they looks so pretty in the carton.
 
IF the Ameraucana hens were covered by a Barred Rock roo you will most likely get brown & green layers from the chicks. As to chicks you gave your friend, I'd guess one of those sex-links has another line in her past....a REAL sex link (up) ;)

Because I used many blue egg layer hens & crossed with roos that carried blue & brown backgrounds, I expect several green & some blue when the girls start to lay. Can hardly wait. I love the colors and so do my customers. They are pretty with the dark Marans eggs in the cartons. YEP, about 90% of the pullets have the puffs & tuffs, dark legs. I will use my lavender Ameraucana roo on the blue layers this yr, hoping I get darker hues. :p
 
I have 3 Maran crosses from that rooster. They either haven't started laying or they lay lighter eggs. :( they sure are pretty bird tho
 
Not all my Marans lay those chocolate looking shells but, it is a "different" brown...darker and more bronze toned. It takes at least 7 mos to see an egg, from incubation to first lay. I can get a goat kid in less time. LOL
 
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Look what the wife got me!!
 
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