jselsor
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Post by jselsor on Feb 24, 2017 13:16:55 GMT -6
Anyone have any chickens? We are Getting geared up for them! Mainly doing to teach the kids responsibility and that food doesn't just come from the grocery store! Having fun with it! The run is 22' with a 4x8 coop. Bought some windows off Craigslist for cheap. Have some metal left from the house that I plan to use. Plan to fence in a garden area that that will be connected to the run. Place them scratch around in... Attachments:
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Post by sd51555 on Feb 24, 2017 13:21:48 GMT -6
How many you planning to get? Those farm fresh eggs are a treat.
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jselsor
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Post by jselsor on Feb 24, 2017 13:36:46 GMT -6
We have 11 chicks now. Their supposed to all be hens but they say you always end up with a few roosters so we got some extras. Hope to keep 8 hens or so at a time. If any are roosters I will let them live long enough to eat.
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Post by smsmith on Feb 24, 2017 13:40:17 GMT -6
We've done 25-30 meat chickens (Cornish Cross) the last couple of years. The wife would like to have some layers, but I'm not going to pay to keep the damn things warm in the winter
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jselsor
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Post by jselsor on Feb 24, 2017 14:26:24 GMT -6
We've done 25-30 meat chickens (Cornish Cross) the last couple of years. The wife would like to have some layers, but I'm not going to pay to keep the damn things warm in the winter Thats allot of chickens! How long does it take to get them to eatN size? You just pick a weekend and slaughter them all? Whats your process?
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Post by smsmith on Feb 24, 2017 14:42:13 GMT -6
We've done 25-30 meat chickens (Cornish Cross) the last couple of years. The wife would like to have some layers, but I'm not going to pay to keep the damn things warm in the winter Thats allot of chickens! How long does it take to get them to eatN size? You just pick a weekend and slaughter them all? Whats your process? 60 days, they do nothing but eat, drink, and shit. We take them to a local place. They pluck, clean, and leave us the gizzard and neck (could have the heart and feet too if we wanted)...then vacuum pack them. Believe it costs us $3 a bird. More than worth it to me. We started with 31 chicks last year and ended up with 29 for the freezer. They are the best damn chickens I've ever eaten. For anyone who doesn't know...brining your bird before cooking is the key. 3/4 cup sea salt, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup worchestire...throw it all in a 2 gallon ziploc. Add 3 quarts hot water and shake the whole thing up until the solids are dissolved. Add 1 quart plus 1 pint ice cubes to drop the temp. Add whole chicken...soak it overnight. Take it out the next a.m., rinse it off, pat it dry inside and out and put on a rack over a pan...then put in the fridge (uncovered). I have been leaving them in the fridge like that for about 36 hours and wow...talk about crispy skin. Take the bird out of the fridge, pat dry any moisture inside or out, rub down with a few Tbs. of olive oil, sprinkle with seasoned salt and paprika...then bake in a 425 degree oven until done (varies by bird size, usually around 90 minutes) I used to not much care for roasted chicken. Done this way ^^^ and it is damn good eats
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jselsor
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Post by jselsor on Feb 24, 2017 19:30:54 GMT -6
sounds real good stu and a hell of a lot cheaper than buying at the store. Have you tried any other breeds? The local farm store had various roosters chicks on sale last week for 10c a piece!
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Post by smsmith on Feb 24, 2017 19:37:45 GMT -6
We had some Rhode Island reds a few years ago. Pains in the ass, a lot more active flyers and much slower to turn into freezer meat They also were far tougher (probably because they were running and flying more and were much older) and leaner. The woman who lives about a 1/4 mile down the road from us has some reds now. The roosters are a PITA. In the summer, the bastards are crowing 30-45 minutes before sun up. She basically does nothing for them and they "free range" on my place. A few of her birds have "gone missing"...I have no idea what happened to them
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Post by daydreamer on Feb 24, 2017 19:45:51 GMT -6
We got 5 layer chicks last spring. Apparently they're mine to take care of. 2 out of the 5 kept laying over the winter and now 4 out of 5 are laying. 4-5 eggs a day are perfect for our family of 5. I eat most of them and we'll have a big batch of scrambled on the weekend. Here is my set up. And the birds
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Post by daydreamer on Feb 24, 2017 20:00:36 GMT -6
Jordan your coop/run is going to be great! Your kids will have fun with them as well. My kids enjoy them and enjoy collecting eggs but didn't help much in the winter. I let mine free range during the day if it's nice out and I'm around.
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Chickens
Feb 24, 2017 22:06:19 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by Catscratch on Feb 24, 2017 22:06:19 GMT -6
Great setups! My parents raise chickens and my kids love gathering eggs with grandpa. $3 for someone else to clean and package a bird is well worth it. I know I would charge more if I was cleaning for anyone other than a good friend.
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jselsor
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Post by jselsor on Feb 27, 2017 23:49:23 GMT -6
Tks for sharing daydreamer! That's allot of eggs per day. I may have over done it with 11 chicks. Kinda figured on a few being roosters. So far it's looking like they sexed them right an we have all hens. Some may likely end up supper lol
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jselsor
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Post by jselsor on Feb 27, 2017 23:55:12 GMT -6
Sun was shining an 65 so the chicks were out today! My youngest boy gets one drop of water on his cloths an their coming off lol album upload
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jselsor
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Post by jselsor on Feb 27, 2017 23:57:53 GMT -6
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Post by MoBuckChaser on Feb 28, 2017 6:24:18 GMT -6
You should build that rig on skids so you can move it around jordan! Trust me!
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