Search results for query: *

Everybody should have an outdoor burner, either propane or natural gas. We got ours for scalding chickens, but use it for canning outside or boiling corn, or cooking veggies. In hot weather, its great to keep the house cooler. We fill a pot with hot water from the tap, then add some dish soap...

Do you know where the nearest Amish settlement is? I'm sure someone there will do it for a small fee. Our neighbor does it here, and I see flyers posted at the Amish feed mill and at the harness shop. Or, you could challenge your husband's manhood. He can do it, so can you. The first one is...

We ate one tonight that was butchered Saturday and kept in the fridge. It was fine. I suggest eat or freeze soon.

I use a big canning pot for scalding, on a propane burner or campstove. A little dish soap to help it penetrate the feathers, and keep it 140-155º. You will lose a lot of water everytime you pull wet birds out. My big pot scalds two birds at a time. Make some killing cones, they are worth...

My neighbor's barred rocks look a lot bigger than my Rhode Island Reds, comparing hens. I have not been around a Barred Rock rooster or cockeral. My Red cockerals last year were good to eat, if a bit tough and scrawney compared to our meat birds. They had lond and deep, but narrow breasts...

I butchered 40 on Saturday. It went well, especially the borrowed Featherman picker. It was the gasoline powered model, worked great with 2, 3, or 4 birds at a time. The picker left a neat pile of wet feathers that were easy to clean up. My neighbor's 15 year old showed me a better way to...

I don't know how much, I'll ask him tonight, you can also call. I know he wraps his own in butcher paper, so I'm sure he can do that for you.

My neighbor butchers chickens. He is about an hour and a half north of Pittsburgh, in Ringgold township, Jefferson County. This is near Punxsutawney, Brookville, Dayton, and Smicksburg. There is plenty to do in the area besides chickens. David also has an Amish food store you can peruse...

I built a 6'x12' pen last weekend from 1" pvc and chicken wire. I only used 90's and tee's, the special fittings were too expensive and not locally available. For the corners, I used a tee next to a 90, I could have used a street 90 to get it closer. Next time, I'll use the four way corner...

I remembered something from last year, when I was tying the legs. A couple slipped off the wire, and fell into the bucket of blood. Not so humane! I'm making cones, and I'm sure they are faster, too.

The legs and wings moved vigorously. The result was it moved, but didn't really run. It also was good at rolling downhill. We thought it was funny, but went back to cutting arteries.

I have been cutting the carotid and jugular, on the sides of the neck near the ears, not the throat. If you cut the wind pipe, the bird breathes blood and could panic. A sharp knife to the sides of the neck couldn't hurt much, and the bird calmly bleeds out. Last year, I did one with a...

Another free food idea, Japanese Beetles. You can buy the baits separate from the bag (bag-a bug) at the hardware store. I staples on to the ceiling of my layer coop. The beetles would fly in, fall off, and get eaten. When the Japanese beetles are bad, I take a bucket and knock hundreds of...

I feed my surplus to all my chickens, the meat birds, the layer chicks, and the hens. I cook them scrambles, first. The meat chicks are not as into it as the layers, but they are younger, too. I also give away a bunch of eggs to my HVAC customers, and use them to market my meat birds to the...

Mine look like that, too. Roosters typically damage feathers on the back of the hen's head a well as the lower back. I attribute it to hens picking at each other. I have even seen a hen mounting other hens, that is who I blame. She looks rougher than my rooster.

Quote: With meat breeds, you pay a premium for cockerals, since demand is higher than for pullets. Layer breed cockerals are discounted since everybody wants hens.

I haven't noticed any differences. I don't think his fight any more than mine.

I do straight run, my neighbor does all cockerals. He likes them big and uniform. I like them cheap. We're both happy.

Reich, near Lancaster. Cheaper than the feed store, Good birds, so far. http://reichspoultryfarm.com/

Here is a video I took today. These are 5 week old leghorns and barred rocks in a 4' x 6' pasture pen. The meat birds used the nipples in the brooder with no problem. I am using a Plasson waterer in the first meat bird pen, and find it easy to clean, so far. I just dump it out.