BTW i got chickens

[Vince]

Along with slitting the throat, you want to stab them in the brain through the roof of their mouth before they've bled out and expired (or you do the brain first). This allows the skin to relax and makes them much easier to pluck.

[GORDON]

I saw chicken cones, and I saw drawstrings around the ankles. Which do you prefer?

How long do you let them drain? The videos skipped that part and didn't say.

[Paul]

I've never intentionally killed a bird, come to think of it.
I've hit a bunch with my car though. The first animal I ever hit with my car was a mourning dove that was chasing another mourning dove.
There was a big explosion of feathers when it hit my windshield. I remember feeling really bad about it when I was 16.

[GORDON]

The first animal I remember killing with a car was a raccoon crossing the road at night when I had my temps. It was a big fugger and the meaty knock on the bottom of the car left no doubt I smoked it.

[TPRJones]

So far I've only hit deer. Or more accurately they've hit me.

[Alhazad]

I've never been unlucky enough to hit an animal with my car. I beat a rat to death with my house, though.

Trapped him in a garbage bag and bashed him on the front steps. Poor guy.

[Paul]

[Vince]

I saw chicken cones, and I saw drawstrings around the ankles. Which do you prefer?

How long do you let them drain? The videos skipped that part and didn't say.

I haven't harvested one yet, but the drawstring on the leg seems to be the way to go. You can try this with one of yours now. Grab both legs in one hand and pick them up and hang them upside down. They usually just go still. I think it confuses them. Though we have one that was crunching and trying to peck my brother-in-law while he was holding it upside down. Also good way to get them still while clipping their wings.

Doesn't take long for them to drain. Just let them hang until they stop flopping around and the blood isn't spurting.

[GORDON]

What's the deal with just slitting the throat? Is it that hard to just completely sever the head with a quick slice with a sharp knife, and assure they are dead quicker?

Doesn't take long for them to drain. Just let them hang until they stop flopping around and the blood isn't spurting.

Just curious. I know for bigger animals you have to let them drain a long time.

I built a compost pile against the neighbor's fence recently, basically chicken wire, 4 inch gap, neighbor's fence. Had a hen missing at dusk, went looking, dummy had gotten stuck between the two fences.

[Vince]

What's the deal with just slitting the throat? Is it that hard to just completely sever the head with a quick slice with a sharp knife, and assure they are dead quicker?

Doesn't take long for them to drain. Just let them hang until they stop flopping around and the blood isn't spurting.

Just curious. I know for bigger animals you have to let them drain a long time.

I built a compost pile against the neighbor's fence recently, basically chicken wire, 4 inch gap, neighbor's fence. Had a hen missing at dusk, went looking, dummy had gotten stuck between the two fences.

Don't quote me (or at least don't attribute it to me), but I think cutting off the head also removes the brain stem and the heart doesn't pump as long getting most of the blood out. I know that's why you want to shoot a deer in the heart/lungs rather than the head.

When you're talking about the bigger animals draining for a long time, are you talking about deer and cows and things? If so, they aren't draining them. That's to "age" the meat. If you can keep the meat cool enough (like a slaughter house) without freezing you let the animal hang and the natural occurring enzymes in the meat tenderize the meat. They usually age for 7 to 10 days for beef. I think about 7 for deer, but only if it's very regulated (fridge). Otherwise go ahead and process it.

[GORDON]

Your mom is aged.

Also, ok, keep the heart beating. Makes sense.

[Paul]

I know that for meat to be kosher they have to slit the throat, which renders the animal unconscious in seconds and drains the blood.

[GORDON]

We're finally having a string of nice days, so shit is getting done. When it rains for two days the first thing you do on a nice day is mow, not your other projects.

Anyway, I built a people-door.



It's a sturdy, kick-ass door. Just look at that chicken wire sandwiched between lumber, so that shit stays tizzite:


Hardware cloth on the bottom for the bigger critters that might try to chew through it, flimsier (but cheaper_ chicken wire up higher to keep the raptors, owls, and smaller critters that may climb up the sides and go for a chew.

I also put a $55 piece of 1/4", 4'x8' plastic sheet up over one area, so whatever is below generally stays dry out of the rain. That's where the dust bath and food will go, and I'll probably put some roosts under there. The idea is that the chickens will have 24 hour access to the run, so I don't need to get up when the sun rises every morning to let them out of the hen house.

Also, see those silver circles on the far ends of the horizontal cross beam? Those are 8" lag bolts. They go into the garage and I have this shit bolted right to it, in case of tornado.


Here's the outside.


And here's the profile, you can't even tell those left-most roof rafter are bowed, hidden behind the tree. I'm so clever.


At this point I'd take a picture of my sketched out plans for context, but know what? I did this shit right out of a design in my head. I'm a fucking renaissance man.

[Paul]

They can be best friends with horses.

[GORDON]

I had one crowing at me when I got back from Florida.

I killed it today and butchered it and will be eating it for dinner tonight. my son was watching the killing and had to leave, upset. I explained to him that this is just how life is, and it is where food comes from, and he''s OK with it now.

And then there were five.

Oh yeah and my wife is pissed because she was looking for someone to adopt it.... who would probably be butchering in themselves five minutes after we left.

[GORDON]

My wife is on facebook giving me a hard time for killing a pet. She posted pictures of it from when it was a chick, "Christine's baby picture," and a recent one where it looks like it has personality.

I posted this one:

[Alhazad]

She's probably just scared because now she's seen how you deal with things that annoy you.

[GORDON]

"We cuddled with it when it was a baby!"

"Yeah but it also pooped on me then."

"Well our son pooped on you too!"

"Yeah, and he better watch himself."

[TPRJones]

Now whenever your wife brings home raw chicken from the store give it a name so she can't eat it.

[Malcolm]

Murdock, you should never get too friendly with a bird you're going to eat.

- Colonel John Hannibal Smith