Blogger Stats...

I was trying to get a blog out about how I survived my Facebook Fast....but I am too crazy busy tired.  If that makes any sense.   But I have enough working brain cells to write about my blog stats....which I find intriguing.  I know I haven't blogged in quite a LONG time, so to pick it up again and hope to get traffic to my new stuff is not going to happen spontaneously. 


o.k....so why am I writing???  Don't really know.....other than to say that my blogger stats show that my most viewed post is.....drum roll please.....CHICKEN BUTCHERING!!!   Often people are searching for "mean rooster".   It's crazy how much traffic I get to this one post!!!  And the pictures are not appealing.  But I suppose it's a tutorial type of post.  


I'm thinking I may need to write another mean rooster post soon!!  We now have three roosters on the property.   ONE is extremely HUGE and MEAN!!!  Two of them are from a new batch that was hatched in April.  One of those is extremely aggressive already.  So we know one to three of them have to go!!!  I absolutely love the BEAUTY of our roosters......they are gorgeous.....but can't stand how mean they are!!  I know they are doing what God designed them to do.....but man....to attack the hand that feeds ya!!  NOT GOOD!!


So now you know why I shouldn't blog late at night....when we are crazy busy....and I'm tired......


Ramble City!!!

Finger Lickin' Good....Chicken Butchering....

WARNING......GRAPHIC PHOTOS!!!!

Yesterday was THE day!! It was time to get rid of these meat chickens. Once they start attacking me.....that's it.....ON THE GRILL THEY GO!!!!

I came home from a trip and went to feed the chickens. Not a big deal until I was walking out of the pen and heard HIM.....the rooster was running after me and got my heal. I was freaked out!! So that's that....I don't need to deal with mean roosters.



We have helped butcher chickens before, and watched a friend of ours do it. We've done it both ways.....where the chicken is put in a pot of boiling water then plucked and where the chicken is just skinned. We decided to just skin these chickens.....so much easier and we tend to take off the skins anyway.

We checked on the internet and found a few sites that helped us determine where to cut, etc. This is the main one we used http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/grim79.html.
This site had great info!! So here we have set up our butchering station!! LAPTOP and all!!:-)



THEN.....OFF WITH THE HEADS!!



Having a degree in animal science I've witnessed a lot, but I've never personally witnessed the butchering of one OUR animals. So this was a first for me. After the first one was over with.....which was the MEAN ROOSTER......I was fine with the rest.

We ended up with 15 lbs of meat out of 5 Cornish Cross chickens----3 pullets, 2 cockerels. The males ended up giving me a ton more meat....so next time I'm buying all roos!! They are worth the few cents extra!

P.S......I have one more picture....but it's one my wonderful hubby took of the guts....or entrails for those out there that are trying to increase their vocabulary. If you're crazy....check it out here.

Chickies are here......

Our chickies arrived this week!!

I've already forgotten what kind these are!! We ordered 10 different varieties!!!

Here they are in their shipping box.....

Here they are in their brooder. This will suffice for a few days. We ordered 5 meat birds this time. I mainly order layers, but wanted to try a few for meat. The meat birds will stay in the smaller brooder for a while, while the rest are put in the larger one.

Here is the full set up. Once I move the chicks to the pack-n-play, I'll take off the top brooder and add a lamp for the second brooder. I have a battery powered digital thermometer that gives me an idea of the temp. in the brooder. Chickies like it warm...95 degrees the first week!!

The first few days I clean the coop 2 times a day. The kids take the opportunity to hold the chickies!!:-)