For the last two years I have ordered chicks from a breeder in Texas, "Ideal Poultry," and I have been pleased with the product, the service, and the shipping. I sized my chicken coop to accommodate between 8 and 10 bantam chickens. I researched chickens since I wanted chickens that could stand the heat, that could be used for meat, and that laid brown eggs.
In 2010 I received my 12 Cochin chicks but also I received 4 regular sized Barred Rock roosters that they included for body heat. This year I ordered 12 Ameraucana chicks, simply for the blue-green eggs, and received 5 Barred Rock roosters added for body heat. While this sounds like a huge windfall, I mean 5 extra chicks, large sized for meat, what you don't know is that Ideal-Poultry does not 'sex' their bantam chicks so the best I hope for is 50/50 hens and roosters. Last year I wound up with 10 roosters that I had to "process" and this year I had needed to process another 10 so invited friends. My two friends, James and Rob showed up and Rob brought two roosters of his own that needed culled.
We started off our butchering adventure by reviewing a video on YouTube that we used last year. It was one of the best I found - http://youtu.be/NAJh9ehtTmA. After we were satisfied we knew the basics of butchering we went out side to the coop and each caught a rooster, Rob by reaching into the dog carrier he brought, and we placed the roosters head down in the metal cones I had made from aluminum flashing the night before.
Rob and I used razor knives and James used a sharp fixed blade which he kept sharp with a steel. I quick, diagonal cut on the left, arterial side, of the chickens neck seemed to cause little pain to the chicken. They did not panic or attempt to escape until the last few heart pumps.
After the roosters were dead we cut their heads off and pulled them back out of the cones and to the scalding pot. The water in the pot is kept at around 170 degrees and is used to loosen the chicken's feathers for plucking. After a few seconds I pulled at the feathers around the feet and when they came off easily I knew it was time to pluck the chicken.
I plucked the chicken into a lined garbage can using a swiping motion until all the feathers were gone. This is the most time consuming part of the process. We used a water hose to get the chicken cleaned off prior to cleaning the inside.
I placed the chicken carcass on the table and cut a slot in the neck skin to enable access to the trachea, and esophagus, as well as the 'crop' (a bag that food is held in after the chicken eats it and before it enters the gizzard). After separating the trachea, esophagus and crop from the neck I cut them off low on the neck near the chest cavity and pulled the neck through the skin.
I then turned the chicken around and from the top I severed the tail through the bone. I ringed the vent being careful not to cut into the bowel. I screwed this up on one of the chickens and had to deal with the mess. Luckily I had not fed the chickens for over 24 hours and the mess was contained.
After I had access to the body cavity I was able to reach into the cavity and pull out the entrails.I had to work them loose from the cavity but they came out fairly easily. I cleaned and saved the heart, liver and gizzard. The membrane should be pulled off the heart, and the bile sack cut away from the liver. I had to take care with the latter because rupturing the bile sack leads to another mess and can taint the meat. I had to actually sacrifice a small piece of the liver to ensure the bile sack stayed intact.
The gizzard is another matter. I had to take a knife and cut the gizzard, open it and remove the contents which is undigested food and gravel. I emptied this and hosed it out, pulled out the yellow plastic looking lining then rinsed again.
The chicken was rinsed and placed in a clean zip lock bag, and the giblets were placed in separate bag. All were placed in an ice-filled cooler until we were done, then I transferred them to the chest freezer. It took us about three hours to process 12 chickens.
This is my second time butchering chickens and I must say that it got easier. I even did it without gloves, it was just easier not to have to worry about the gloves. I think for me I want the process to be respectful, quick and as easy for the chicken as possible. It is DEFINITELY a farming skill that must be learned!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Tomatoes Are Tomatoes...?
I bring this up because I recently brought home some huge tomatoes that my boss's wife grew, literally the size of soft balls. My wife, who has little concern for my shaky male ego said that I needed to ask him what kind they were. Her voice, eyes and attitude implied, "So we can finally grow some real tomatoes!"
So I did, I asked him how he grew these mammoth tomatoes and he told me all about the used stock tank he had that held in the moisture and raised the plants off the ground for easier gardening. And all about the 100% composted cow and horse manure from their barns with which they filled the tank. And the special experimental seeds they get from a friend who works at such a place that has such things.
I admit, I was slightly envious and I will also admit that I took away some thoughts of changes to my raised beds; 6" taller making a full 12 inches of depth, and completely filled with my own rabbit manure. The thing is, and believe me- this isn't 'sour grapes' -I think mine tasted better! Yes, they were smaller, and yes they were uglier, but I think they had a better "fresh tomato taste," more full bodied. My boss's tomatoes were huge and juicy but had a more 'waterier' taste.
I suggest that it is due to the seed type. Perhaps the seed growers were trying to produce a larger tomato, or a less acid tomato, but often there is always a cost and I don't think this variety has hit the mark yet. As far as I'm concerned it didn't have the flavor of my Rutgers and Brandywines. Something like peppers I think, different tomatoes have different attributes and different flavors... no tomatoes are made equal!
So, next year I will make the height additions to my raised beds and fill them with some well aged compost. Maybe I'll water more for the burning and cracking, and add some bone meal for the bloom end rot. I'll be more liberal with the diatomacious earth to better control the bugs. And I'll plant the same old fashioned tomatoes I have been planting.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
General Update- 110707
There have been some additions since my last post.
I purchased another set of chicks, Ameraucanas that lay blue-green eggs. I think I will like the colored eggs but they are not filling out like the Cochins have and since they are a banty chicken they will not be much for the pot. I think my next batch will either be Cochin again, or maybe Buff Orpingtons which are also known for their dual uses. In a couple weeks I will cull the roosters from the flock and I hope the hens will begin to lay soon. I also added another 8 feet and a second nest box to the far end of my chicken yard. After culling the roosters I will have about 9 hens and a rooster which is about what my coop is designed for.
I have also purchased a couple other rabbits. One of the "training rabbits"- a doe - decided that she was not going to eat or drink so eventually I was forced to cull her. This made room for a pedigreed New Zealand white doe. I also purchased a Champagne De Argent buck. I will breed him back to the crossed doe once the weather cools down, or I may purchase Champagne doe and breed her. My goal is still to have a New Zealand White pair and a Champagne pair. This will allow me both full bred AND terminal crosses.
My Champagne/Californian crossed doe has successfully kindled a litter of six, all does as far as I can tell. Currently they are growing and doing well and should be ready for butchering in a couple of months. I am looking forward to trying my hand at making rabbit sausage.
Also, a couple weeks ago, two rabbits wondered into our yard. A white and a dark grey rabbit. Since they were apparently escapees I have not taken the time to sex them but I believe the white is an older buck. I will be putting signs out this weekend to see if their owners will respond but after that, no promises.
The garden is about to go out, at least parts of it. Squash is about gone with the Squash borer worms, and the tomatoes are having troubles with the heat. I planted some new zucchini squash but it is not producing. The heat burned up the cucumbers. My storage onions have done well. Most of them are between baseball and softball size. They are flavorful and even make me cry when I cut them. They are about ready to be pulled.
My fruit trees have done well this year. I harvested several plums. They were juicy and delicious. My fig trees are producing now and I have white figs that are bigger than golf balls. My brown figs are a later variety and are still green. The challenge is to pick the figs before the birds and hornets get to them! I have been cutting them in half and drying them in my Ronco Dehydrator. Say what you want about Mr. Popiel, but he makes a decent dehydrator!
The compost piles are doing well. I have been layering green grass clippings with shredded office paper. I also mix in the hay and manure from my weekly chicken coop and rabbitry cleaning. I have measured temperatures around 150 degrees! One of these days I will rework my compost piles and replace the old fence and fence posts that constantly scratch and poke me while I am working them. Just add it to my list!
I have a "hay shed" half done. The framing is complete but needs walls and a roof. Its is small, about 6'x4'x5'... just large enough to store a couple bales of hay and some extra feed. I think I will roof it will fiberglass panels, and use something like tarp or 6 mil plastic for the sides. Scrap plywood will be used on the floor.
Oh! I almost forgot the deck. Friends and I built a 16'x24' deck in the backyard. It is about 18" off the ground and it even has a 8'x8' step up covered pergola that's around 30" off the ground. It looks nice and is large enough to seat a party!
Tony
Cantonment, 2011
I purchased another set of chicks, Ameraucanas that lay blue-green eggs. I think I will like the colored eggs but they are not filling out like the Cochins have and since they are a banty chicken they will not be much for the pot. I think my next batch will either be Cochin again, or maybe Buff Orpingtons which are also known for their dual uses. In a couple weeks I will cull the roosters from the flock and I hope the hens will begin to lay soon. I also added another 8 feet and a second nest box to the far end of my chicken yard. After culling the roosters I will have about 9 hens and a rooster which is about what my coop is designed for.
I have also purchased a couple other rabbits. One of the "training rabbits"- a doe - decided that she was not going to eat or drink so eventually I was forced to cull her. This made room for a pedigreed New Zealand white doe. I also purchased a Champagne De Argent buck. I will breed him back to the crossed doe once the weather cools down, or I may purchase Champagne doe and breed her. My goal is still to have a New Zealand White pair and a Champagne pair. This will allow me both full bred AND terminal crosses.
My Champagne/Californian crossed doe has successfully kindled a litter of six, all does as far as I can tell. Currently they are growing and doing well and should be ready for butchering in a couple of months. I am looking forward to trying my hand at making rabbit sausage.
Also, a couple weeks ago, two rabbits wondered into our yard. A white and a dark grey rabbit. Since they were apparently escapees I have not taken the time to sex them but I believe the white is an older buck. I will be putting signs out this weekend to see if their owners will respond but after that, no promises.
The garden is about to go out, at least parts of it. Squash is about gone with the Squash borer worms, and the tomatoes are having troubles with the heat. I planted some new zucchini squash but it is not producing. The heat burned up the cucumbers. My storage onions have done well. Most of them are between baseball and softball size. They are flavorful and even make me cry when I cut them. They are about ready to be pulled.
My fruit trees have done well this year. I harvested several plums. They were juicy and delicious. My fig trees are producing now and I have white figs that are bigger than golf balls. My brown figs are a later variety and are still green. The challenge is to pick the figs before the birds and hornets get to them! I have been cutting them in half and drying them in my Ronco Dehydrator. Say what you want about Mr. Popiel, but he makes a decent dehydrator!
The compost piles are doing well. I have been layering green grass clippings with shredded office paper. I also mix in the hay and manure from my weekly chicken coop and rabbitry cleaning. I have measured temperatures around 150 degrees! One of these days I will rework my compost piles and replace the old fence and fence posts that constantly scratch and poke me while I am working them. Just add it to my list!
I have a "hay shed" half done. The framing is complete but needs walls and a roof. Its is small, about 6'x4'x5'... just large enough to store a couple bales of hay and some extra feed. I think I will roof it will fiberglass panels, and use something like tarp or 6 mil plastic for the sides. Scrap plywood will be used on the floor.
Oh! I almost forgot the deck. Friends and I built a 16'x24' deck in the backyard. It is about 18" off the ground and it even has a 8'x8' step up covered pergola that's around 30" off the ground. It looks nice and is large enough to seat a party!
Tony
Cantonment, 2011
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