Comments on: Culling Chickens http://livingsmallblog.com/2010/07/29/culling-chickens/ Life, Literature, and the Subversive Power of Living Small Thu, 10 May 2012 18:35:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Lynn http://livingsmallblog.com/2010/07/29/culling-chickens/comment-page-1/#comment-40987 Lynn Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:44:26 +0000 http://livingsmallblog.com/?p=2422#comment-40987 This was our first year having chickens. We started out with chicks ordered from a hatchery. We ordered a dozen Barred Rocks which are brown egg layers and a dozen Cornish Rocks which are broilers. Our Barred Rocks are wonderful egg layers and do well in cold environments. They continue to lay eggs. We failed to process the broilers when we should have. They are ready to butcher about 14 weeks old. They get huge and will eventually hate living if you let them live. They can hardly walk after a while. Garden Girl @ www.gardengirltv.com had a great idea and that was to take all the broilers to the butcher at once and have them processed. I don't know how cost effective this would be but you would end up with large birds, well fed without antibiotics or bad living conditions. Top notch health wise. Then you have your freezer stocked. I found a fantastic article on canning meats (which I've never done) but I am determined to do it soon with butcher shop meat. It sounds like the way to go without the cost of electricity and packing the freezer. Here's the link: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay105.html We're still learning and hope to one day have the small homestead we've dreamed of. Don't give up! Continue to move toward self sufficiency. This was our first year having chickens. We started out with chicks ordered from a hatchery. We ordered a dozen Barred Rocks which are brown egg layers and a dozen Cornish Rocks which are broilers. Our Barred Rocks are wonderful egg layers and do well in cold environments. They continue to lay eggs. We failed to process the broilers when we should have. They are ready to butcher about 14 weeks old. They get huge and will eventually hate living if you let them live. They can hardly walk after a while.

Garden Girl @ http://www.gardengirltv.com had a great idea and that was to take all the broilers to the butcher at once and have them processed. I don’t know how cost effective this would be but you would end up with large birds, well fed without antibiotics or bad living conditions. Top notch health wise. Then you have your freezer stocked.

I found a fantastic article on canning meats (which I’ve never done) but I am determined to do it soon with butcher shop meat. It sounds like the way to go without the cost of electricity and packing the freezer. Here’s the link:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay105.html
We’re still learning and hope to one day have the small homestead we’ve dreamed of.
Don’t give up! Continue to move toward self sufficiency.

]]> By: Carroll http://livingsmallblog.com/2010/07/29/culling-chickens/comment-page-1/#comment-40972 Carroll Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:13:37 +0000 http://livingsmallblog.com/?p=2422#comment-40972 Hats off to you, Charlotte -- or, in this case, maybe "heads off" would be more apropos. That truly is an accomplishment, and another big step toward self-sufficiency should the need ever arise. Hats off to you, Charlotte — or, in this case, maybe “heads off” would be more apropos. That truly is an accomplishment, and another big step toward self-sufficiency should the need ever arise.

]]> By: katie http://livingsmallblog.com/2010/07/29/culling-chickens/comment-page-1/#comment-40969 katie Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:49:08 +0000 http://livingsmallblog.com/?p=2422#comment-40969 We're often thought about keeping chickens - but I always stopped when I thought about the butchering part. But, you're right, good latex gloves can make a lot of things easier. Well done! Coq au vin will be perfect, as would any slow braise... Makes me hungry just thinking about it. We’re often thought about keeping chickens – but I always stopped when I thought about the butchering part. But, you’re right, good latex gloves can make a lot of things easier. Well done!
Coq au vin will be perfect, as would any slow braise… Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

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