Chicken Dinner

[Norm]

Well not quite ready yet but 50 new arrivals at our office today. They will spend some time in the garage and then be moved to the boiler house (old dog kennel). These are cornish rock cross and will be ready for butcher in about 7-8 weeks. We used to have problems with them as they grow so fast. The new way, to us at least, is to take away their food during the night for the first few weeks. This keeps them from growing too fast and getting leg cripple problems.

Stop over the end of June and we'll have fresh chicken. :D

[Paul_H]

That'll keep Patty's horse fed for a month ;D

[Tobacco Plug]

Aren't they pretty!  Where did you get them?  I have 50 of a barred type that I got from a hatchery in Penn.  The fellow there has bred these to grow fast like the cornish rocks but have some color so that Mr. Hawk can't see them as easily when they are ranging.  Last year I raised 50 and man, they are good eating.  Store bought chicken just doesn't compare to home raised.  My biggest problem with them was that they were all cockerels and had a very bad disposition which made them fight a lot.  I lost several to their fighting.  I won't call it cannibalism because they didn't eat the dead birds, they were just mean as he__!

[Larry]

I'm hungry already.  Got your garden in so we can have a few greens and new potatoes with the chickin? ;D ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Turkeys are even worst for fighting and picken on the runts in the flock.

We haven't had chickens here in my time, but my father's uncle raised them here and had eggs to sell. We haven't even had cattle for over 25 years. I remember at age 5 and 6 we used to stay at a neighbor's place during fall harvest and spring planting, and they had alot of chicks in the spring they bought and they kept them in the house in a bedroom upstairs. Sheesh, my parents or grandparents would never allow that, dirty things. hahahaha. My grandmother was used to dusting with a rag and dust mop every single day when she had her health. No animals allowed in the house. :D :D  

Well, the old fart and his wife that took us in during cropping, used to go get a chicken fresh on the hoof from the pen. He had a big hardwood choppin block with two nails in it. He would take the chicken by the legs and place the chicken's head between the nails and bend them over to hold its head and kneck out steady. And whomp, down came the axe and off the chicken went a fluttering down through the burdock patch :D :D :D. Then we had to go fetch the chicken in the burdocks and bring it back and have them dowse it in hot water to feather and pluck the darn thing. hahahah Then my younger brother got the idea to dowse and feather the cats :D :D, but old Fred didn't like that too well. We were young and didn't know any better. ;D

Later in life I remember my uncle trying the turkey business, he had 12 and ended up loosing one from being picked on by the others. I told him before he started, he'de be better off buying it all grown up, feathered and processed. He'de be further ahead. Well, he raised them darn things to be huge. I think the biggest one was 45 lbs. Well they never stopped eating and they had long eaten the profits up before they were plucked :D :D. Then, he gave most away because he'de be so tired of eating turkey he wouldn't want to see another one. It's too expensive in this part of the country to hobby farm now a days. :D :D Some people just have to try it, to make sure they don't miss out on all the fun and debt. :D :D

[wiam]

I got mine about 3 weeks ago from Welp Hatchery.  They say to withhold feed 12 hours per day from day 5 until slaughter.  This worked well for me last year, no leg problems.

Norm, do you have one of these?



William

[SwampDonkey]

Wiam

My uncle had to use one of those with his turkeys, or he'd given up on the job :D :D :D

His was a different design.

[Stan]

I remember workin' at the neighbor's place debeakin' chickens. The smell put me off chicken dinners for about 5 years. I was sure glad when he sold out to the race horse growers.  8) 8) 8)

[Norm]

We have two big hatcherys in Iowa, these came from Hoovers in north central Iowa. They are so darn cute at this age, I went to check them before leaving for home and they were sleeping and eating. In seven weeks I'm so tired of dealing with them it's a pleasure to use the axe on em.

William I sure wish I did but I've gotten to where I skin em instead of plucking them. Where did you get yours at?

Paul she would most likely think they were chicken McNuggets. :D

Lewis these are all cockerals but aren't very aggressive, I've had some breeds that are very much so but these aren't too bad. The cockerals grow so much faster it's worth the trouble.

[Tobacco Plug]

The hatchery I get mine from in Pennsylvania only has cockerels available in broiler varieties.  I understand that they have contracts with the Amish for the pullets.  Apparently the Amish sell them in Philadelphia to Jewish customers.  I am not up on Hebrew dietary law, so I do not understand this, but it is interesting.  Wow, religous harmony in the chicken business.  Maybe the Israelis and Palistinians need to sell one another chickens! ;)  It could be called the Pulleybone Peace Pact. 8)

[SwampDonkey]

The french speaking cashier at the local McDonald's asks if you want le poulet? No, I don't want you to pull it. :D :D

No offense intended. This conversation actually happened between my uncle and a cashier at McDonald's. ;D :D

[Ron Wenrich]

There's a large Kosher butcher in Mifflin county, PA.  Empire Kosher is the name, and there are quite a few Amish farms in the area.  They pull from a large area and sell to the Jewish trade nationwide.  Specialty is chicken and turkey.

[wiam]

Norm I built it from plans I bought for $20.  Using mostly salvaged(read junk) parts for about $200. Look here  
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whizbangchickenpluckers

This is what I have used for a brooder for a couple of years with good success.
http://www.plamondon.com/brooder.shtml

William

[Norm]

Thanks William, looks like a neat device.

[Patty]

That whizbang chicken plucker is way cool!  8)

Our sons still wince at the thought of plucking chickens every year. It wasn't until the boys left home, that Norm & I started just skinning the chickens out.
The boy chicks fight alot, but we usually butcher them before they can get too aggressive. With the boilers we can start to butcher them as young as 7 weeks. They are really cute now, but in a couple weeks they get REALLY ugly, and it is no trouble at all to say, "Off with their heads!"  

[Bro. Noble]

Norm,
The picture of the cute little chicks reminded me of the time we bought 50 to raise for friers.  Our youngest son was about three and thought all the animals needed names.  He got really frustrated with those chicks cause they wouldn't stay still while he named them.  He'd think of about three names and assign them and before he could think of the fourth name they had move all around. He would start all over.  After a few attempts with the same unsuccessful results,  he decided he didn't like baby chickens anymore. :D :D

[Norm]

When we bought our first farm back in 88 we tried raising every kind of poultry. Most were too much hassle for the meat produced, but chicken is really pretty easy to raise. The boys chores in the morning before school was to do the poultry. I'm sure at the time they thought it was an unique form of torture to be woke up at 6:00am to do them, rain or shine. It is good to have em know they are doing their part to put food on the table.

I still smile remembering Brett having a dozen or so ducks we hatched following him in a line as their adopted mother.

[hiya]

We just got 100 carnish cross. We don't withhold feed
My wife puts apple vingar in their water.We loose one or two
at times but not many. We raise 4 batches of 100. We sell about 250 and give about 100 to a boys camp close to Lock haven Pa. I built a picker like that. The man that sells the plans e-mailed my about mine.when he was building his.
pasture poultry is way ahead of store bought. 8)
Richard

[SwampDonkey]

Farm raised always the best for sure, tastes better and so on. But,when folks are watchin the grocery bill, its cheaper at the grocery store. I can buy a 10 lb turkey in IGA in Maine for $10.00 and its $25.00 in New Brunswick at Superstore and Sobey's. Now we are not allowed to bring poultry across the border unless its raised in northern New England because of that checken disease. Then later they found it in B.C. Same problems with raising Atlantic Salmon on fish farms.

cheers

[Tobacco Plug]

Hiya Richard,
If you don't mind my asking; do you get much of a premium for your chicken when you sell it?  Also, how do you market it?  Door to door?  Farmer's Market?  I am interested in raising and selling enough to pay for what I eat, if that is possible.

[hiya]

Lewis,
We sellours for $1.55/ lb.Friends of ours get close to $2.00.
There is a federal law that says you can raise,process,& sell
from your place without inspections. Each state has its own rules.We gave some away the first year to let people know
we were raising chickens. There are a lot of people who will buy because they know we use non medicated feed & also it is a whole lot better tasting than store bought. We let them know when we are butchering and they come pick up their chickens( we send out order blanks with the dates &place for them to order). We cannot sell at farmers markets because not inspected.We sell enough Our share and what we give to the boys camp is free.
Richard