Some feeds may have other additives such as Omega 3, but this varies brand to brand. If they free range, or you give them scratch or fresh veggies, etc., this is critical. Was your rooster a Blue Andalusian (or something like that?) Please can you give the proportions for the brine? Too bad the same can’t be said for humans at their life’s end. It really won’t take up much of your time and your hens will thank you for it. She asked and got a fair answer about them going to become meat. She would catch one by the neck, whirl it around over her head until the body flew away. Over many years now the poultry feed industry has researched and refined the essential nutritional requirements of poultry, from chicks to adult, from chickens to quail, turkey and others. I guess they finally did kill the rooster, but for me – I didn’t trust it and I would put an animal down when it becomes a threat. We got 6 chicks this year to increase our flock by a few – and ended up with one dying from an aggressive hen attack (the only female!!!) My 2.5 year old ladies were put in the freezer following butchering. He only offered to challenge me once, but after a little “discussion,” we sorted that out, and he respected me from that point forward. 🙂 I have put my website/blog below, it is very new, just started it a few days ago so not much content yet. Fermented feed is actually healthier for your birds. Your email address will not be published. We have an old bird who needs dispatching as well and have pinned for referral info! I use mine for chicken parts and get the best broth and most of it is jell after it has set 2 days in the frig. I held the bird between my knees, and then to the kitchen, where from the lack of big enough pot, I just poured the boiling water under the feathers of the bird. Our kids all are very aware of where their food comes from – they usually watch when we cull a rooster. Do you wait till they are laying eggs. The Seramas would have their own digs. Try to ensure the treats you give them are healthy: blueberries, blackberries, mealworms, scratch; bird seed all are good in moderation. Most grit that you purchase is ‘smashed’ granite in sizes roughly 1/4 inch or so. But Julia Childs translated traditional recipes into more practical ones for those of us wanting a traditional result, but with a bit less work. Glad you child wasn’t harmed. That recipe was specifically created for old roosters, and it is to die for! before bedtime (I use the treats to ‘call them in’ from free ranging), and feed layer feed, with additional oyster shell out in cups for them to self -select. Season the rooster pieces with salt and pepper, then gently brown, letting any bits of fat and skin turn golden and slightly crisp on the edges. tend to be more efficient with their feed, while dual purpose breeds need more because they use it to put on body weight as well as into egg production. As much as I enjoy having chickens, I don’t really consider them pets–more like partners, if you will, in our homesteading experience. It scared me to death to realize that the spur marks were at the exact same level as Prairie Boy’s eyes… If he had attacked him from the front, instead of the back, it could have been much more severe. This post was excellent for me as I had no idea how to make an older hen tender! Always clean thoroughly and age first. From a 69 year old homesteader, the only addition to the pot that I would make is about a half or more cup of wine, which does an awesome job tenderizing ANY meat, whether you stew it or bake it!! Can you forward to my e mail how too kill and cook so I can print please? Jan. 4: The Falher Pirates open 2020 with a 10-3 loss at Grande Prairie. It is designed, through long, slow cooking in wine (which is highly acidic and thereby breaks down muscle tissue) to turn an otherwise inedible rooster into something that is, frankly, succulent. We are raising our food. Nobody was sad to see him go. He has one poor hen so traumatized that she won’t step out of the run. Since doing this, I have not lost any peeps I have purchased. Your email address will not be published. I am going to introduce A little Blue Buffalo puppy dog food without grain this week And on Saturday they get three hand fulls of meal worms. Hi to all. If she knows he is locked up, she will go out and be a happy normal gal. Follow roasting directions on the label. Coq Au Vin, Or, The Magic The French Use To Coax The Most Inedible Meat Possible Into Something Delicious December 16, 2012 When we butchered our old laying hens a couple of weeks ago, we also butchered about six roosters who had been living among the hens, fertilizing eggs and maintaining the pecking order, as it were. Remove the bird from the pot and allow it to cool so you can handle it comfortably. I have 6 ISA Brown, 6 Leghorn, 1 Welsummer. A heavy, 10-inch, fireproof casserole such as cast iron or enamelware (DO NOT use nonstick), long matches, a fine, mesh strainer, parchment paper, 6-ounces bacon, cut into lardons 4 tablespoons butter 2 old roosters, cut into pieces 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup Cognac, Armanac, or strong Brandy 6 cups (about 1.5 bottles) young, full-bodied, French red wine such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, or Cotes du Rhone 2 cups brown chicken stock or beef stock 1 tablespoon tomato paste 4 cloves mashed garlic 1 teaspoon thyme 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper, For the buerre maine: 6 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons softened butter, 1/2 to 1 pound caramelized pearl onions 1 pound sautéed mushrooms (see note above). I will pluck the next ones. Butchering and consuming chickens does not mean that they are not being honoured. As sad as “dispatching” animals is, at least raising them as food gives them purpose and a swift end. Jill please let me know if you are happy for me to post either of these options. I have one year old chickens and I’m always trying to improve. And the second, I mentioned earlier, is to follow your advice for a longer cooking time. Then submerge it in the bucket in the cheapest white wine available, for 24 hrs. However the amount of protein needed by turkeys and game birds specifically is much higher. In today’s world where we are always rushed and balancing home and work, feed manufacturers have taken all the guesswork and labor out of feeding our hens. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thehappychi03-20"; Good info in this article: https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf. This recipe sounds like it would be good but I’m not sure I have a big enough pot, even though he is an old man of skin and bones, similar to your rooster. That simply means there are no animal products used in the feed. We got a free rooster chick last year of that breed and he was the most aggressive rooster I have ever met. You may think this is not a big difference, but an overload of protein can cause kidney problems later in life. 🙂. and 5 roosters. Let's stay updated! Gravity Feeders. Also have four golden Sebrights with them. These days, I use my coffee grinder (cleaned of coffee grinds) to make the crumbles even smaller so the lil peckers can get their beaksies around these to eat. I want to share with you a tip of my roasting our traditional Christmas turkey. Then, cover tightly with a layer of parchment paper and foil or oven-proof lid. In general, chick feed is higher in protein and contains several important vitamins to get the chicks off to a good start. Yes, I saw many mentions of coq au vin in my research, I’m definitely going to try that next time around! I used to think they were pleased to see me, but I think they have ulterior motive…treats! Has anyone done the 4-7 day aging with a skinned bird? Patrick started as a pet and a chick here. Throw them back in a pot with a few more veggies and herbs (to impart flavor), and boil them long and slow (I shoot for 12-24 hours) to make mouth-watering chicken stock. The roo is aggressive and very loud. All Flock feed is as they say; it’s suitable for a variety of birds including: chickens, ducks and turkeys. Enter your best email for instant access>>. The Prairie Kids hung out while we did the deed, and they took it all in stride. The birds will adjust nicely and pellets are less wasteful. Don’t move your hens onto layer feed until they start lying, as it can damage their kidneys.”. Their skin is tough to cut, requiring constant re-honing of the knives, and their cavities are impossible to open up: it took the full-strength of both my arms to pull them open enough to remove their innards. Don’t skip it! Poor Prairie Boy! It was horrible! Who knows what stories they tell if they got away with it once. She screamed bloody murder and I booked it from the other side of the farm. Thank you! in order to provide optimal healthy feed for them. Cut the chicken in 8 ,bake a fews piece of bacon,fried the chicken piece in the rendered bacon fat,add a chop onion or 2 .pour a bootle of red wine over it ,add salt and peper,a few twig of Tyme and let it cook on a low heat for 4/5 hours. Hubby doesn’t know what it is like being spurred. Will have to try that. Set aside the lardons, but leave the hot fat in the pan. Giving your girls some treats generates a happy feeling all the way round, but hens are cunning. When I was young, I am a pensioner now we used to get spent laying hens from the Prussian woman who used to deliver eggs to us! I believe I’m going back to pellets to see if it helps with the waste. It is a food borne out of the frugality of farm life. And I do have heartburn over the trend over turning chickens over to animal shelters when they pass their point of usefulness. Noontime meal with my Mother and little brother. This may be a silly question but if I was to butcher more than one chicken at a time – how would I do it? They also waste feed trying to get to just the sunflower seeds. I need all the help I can get, and so does the chicken, even if it is execution time. I am dealing with the same issue with my elderly father. let CurrentYear = new Date().getFullYear() That said, a hen won’t overeat on layer feed, so as long as they aren’t wasting it by flicking it out of the feeder, I would put more than that out for them. He attacked everything, even the hens, for no reason. I have two wall mounted feeders. Many say that you don’t need to give it if they free range. Our blogs and articles are updated regularly with many different important topics on care, purchasing tips, fun facts, and more. Thank you for this post! You still need to keep the meat cool enough to prevent bacterial decay while you’re aging it. Thanks for the information, You can start to feed them scraps at this age I must be behind the times. I try to limit my ladies to treats first thing in the morning – they all escort me to fill up the bird feeders in my yard. FWIW you should simmer bird bones when making stock. sacks of potatoes and 50lbs sacks of onions and carrots straight from a farmer my father worked for when he first arrived in Canada with a wife and child and another on the way and no job!! At this point, you can set the bones aside (we’ll be using them to make chicken stock), and toss the meat back into the broth to make chicken soup. I am terrible at plucking. He calls them “idiots” and “economic wizards” during his rant. I always roast old birds first and then simmer their bones for broth. Thanks, Hi Andrea, document.write(CurrentYear) Such young unemployed men ended up working for the post hen or rooster, who the... 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