At the weekend I managed to have a good sort out with the chickens.
I cleaned all the coops and put fresh bedding in each one. I fixed the one coop by changing the hinges for some much stronger ones.
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| Wet chickens |
I also looked at all the chickens and decide which ones to cull and which ones to keep.
I've got some hens that have had a year too long as it is and the whole flock starts to look unproductive because of all the old hens I am carrying. The feed starts to cost more than the money I save on the eggs, not only this but because it's so wet more chickens make more mess faster, so having less will be much easier to manage in this wet winter we're having.
I decided that from the one young flock I'm keeping the two new hens that we hatched last year and the cockerels we hatched are still crowing about the place, ready to be eaten on a future Sunday.
Out of the other pen of 12 birds, I'm keeping the old cockerel and four hens, the other hens are three or four years old now, past their best and time to replace them. I am keeping one of the oldest hens as she is a great broody hen and has hatched out chicks every year, so saves me having to use an incubator. They've now been moved down to the fruit garden for a month or so to let the very muddy pen recover a bit and eat bugs amongst the bushes.
I'm looking at getting some pure breed birds this year and to start being more selective about which ones I choose to pass on their genetics, generally just keeping chickens but doing it better.
I know that culling hens like this is pretty controversial to some people that read this blog but I make no apologies for posting it here. I need to make sure that these birds pay their way or there is no point in me keeping them. Last year it cost me money to have the chickens here, whereas if I had culled a few more and bought some new hens in I could have been selling the eggs and making enough to cover costs again.
Do you control the number of hens you keep by culling the older birds? How do you manage the stock numbers you keep?
Do you control the number of hens you keep by culling the older birds? How do you manage the stock numbers you keep?
I've been looking at our flock and thinking the same thing. Time to make up a HUGE batch of chicken stock I think. What do you do with your older birds when you've culled them?
ReplyDeleteI have to admit to doing nothing with these, as with a new born we've been a bit pushed for time. When I've cooked them in the past it takes some serious stewing to get them edible.
DeleteGet a pressure canner and can the meat. It is wonderful and the canning processing time makes the meat tender. Old hens are delicious for flavor and broth. Don't forget to make broth from the feet, too. :)
DeleteYes, the feet make awesome broth! The gelatin in them is incredible. What do you do to prep the feet Tim?
DeleteHi Kev, I meant in general, not this time around. Life with 3 changes the rules on times somewhat (I totally get that). :)
DeleteThis sounds brutal, and looks weird, but here's what we do: After cutting off the feet/legs - the scaly parts - we wash with cold water. Then we scald them in hot water (145F) until the outer scin peels off. Don't boil them! When the scald is right, the skin peels off like socks. Then we use a pruning shear to clip off the toe nails. Voila! Broth made by covering with cold water and slowly bringing to a simmer.
DeleteWe have some culling to do, 3 cockerals to do for dinner, we have an old bantam silkie cockeral and two old bantem hens, they came with us and were part of my breeders of fancy birds, those three are going to move into there own quarters to live out there days, the big hens we are only keeping one cockeral with, they are meat egg layers and will soon be moving into new quaters as well this is our egg and future meat stock egg layers will be culled at 18 months -2 years we are selling plenty eggs more than covering costs it has to stay like that.
ReplyDeleteI need to get back to that, I just missed a years culling and didn't buy enough birds in. I didn't sell many eggs last year and missed the money for the feed.
DeleteI had to clean my lot out today, I had a look inside yesterday; it was filthy. After the last war my people had quite a number of hens, and the gardener used to ring their feet with different coloured rings (according to when they were hatched). This way he knew exactly when to cull, etc. I've not seen those rings since.
ReplyDeleteI've been looking at getting some rings for their feet so I know when they were hatched. I think it would be a much better way of managing them.
DeleteNot controversial here! We cull before winter so we don't have to keep feeding old birds that don't lay through winter. We try to hatch around 20 chicks and these are replacement pullets and roosters for eating. I k8ght choose to keep a rooster and cull and old one too. We usually have two chicken tractors with 10 hens and a rooster in each through winter. With the excess eggs we pay for the chicken grain.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking about getting some more chicken tractors made up, but I want them to be as cheap as possible but strong and light (I want it all!). Hopefully I'll get better at breeding them and keep some better logs with them as well.
Deletehttp://abundantpermaculture.com/mobile-chicken-coop/ is a post I came across that might fit the bill. :)
DeleteWe gave over keeping hens and ducks when we realized you can buy a lot of eggs for the 8 Euros a bag of feed a week it cost to keep them. They also attracted rats and I got tired of them jumping out at me when I opened their pen to feed them. If you can make life easier you do it.
ReplyDeleteSame with us Dave, at a push if I cook a cake we would only use 12 eggs, a week. the lady down the road has free ranging hens I buy from her at the gate with the honesty box. I dont have the room for them.
DeleteI don't look at it as current money or storage issue. As it is now we sell most of our eggs and I am sure we are losing money overall. As the decline continues however we could put away any and all the eggs the hens want to lay once the super markets are empty.
DeleteI don;t look at the cost so much as a fresh, just laid egg is the only way to have a poached egg! And like PP I think it's good to have that food store there.
DeleteI have no problem with anyone culling their flock. I haven't, only because I'm using them to eat bugs as well. We had so many grasshoppers it was ridiculous. Once the snow melts, we are redoing the fencing so my dog can't chase them then they will be able to free range.
ReplyDeleteFree range doesn't work here, too many dog walkers and too many foxes. Its a shame as I used to love it for them
DeleteToo many people have forgotten that chickens are not pets. They must be productive and "pay" their way,and part of that payment is as dinner on our tables:)
ReplyDeleteNot just chickens but all animals. It's amazing when people get funny about us eating somethign we've reared.
DeleteDon't let any nay-sayers stop you. If chickens become pets, you might as well buy your eggs from a neighbor to start with.
ReplyDeleteNo animals will be pets here, unless we get a dog, but he'll still have to earn his keep.
DeleteWe regularly cull our older hens. They make the most delicious meat and broth after being stewed long and slow. Feed is much too expensive to keep "pet" chickens. Well, except for our two old bantam hens, but they still lay an egg or two periodically and they regularly go broody and will hatch out eggs for us each year. But we have a couple of replacement bantam chicks coming this spring so the older gals may go, too. As far as not keeping chickens and buying eggs, you never have that meat and broth that is so good and stretches the food budget. Plus, we know our eggs are organic and good for us so we're never concerned as to how many of them we consume. Love those chickens!
ReplyDeletenothing beats fresh eggs does it? I was naughty with these hens and didn't do anything with them, but it's been a busy week. We eat far more than the recommended amount of eggs but couldn't give a hoot!
DeleteHaven't started our flock yet (hopefully next month) nut when we do they will be culled once they reach the point of being too unproductive. Part of the whole point of us pursuing this lifestyle is so that the kids can understand where food comes from, and that meat doesn't appear in clean plastic packaging by magic
ReplyDeleteWhat breed are you going for? The kids know what I get up to, but they're a bit young to watch yet, but they will!
DeleteHi Kev,
ReplyDeleteWould you like an electric dehydrator? I no longer used mine, in fact, only used it 4 times at the most! It is very good but, I don't really use it and need the space, contact me sandiedotbaileyatbtdotcom if you are interested,one third the price to buy plus postage.
Sandie
Sandie I've sent you an email!
Deleteno point keeping animals that are to produce if they arent producing. we run our home like we would run a business. it would be like me growing squash and none of us eating it. it will have taken time, space and water that I could have had growing something else.
ReplyDeleteExactly. I think I used to grow things like that as well, then not know what to do with it all! I still make that mistake even now!
DeleteLOL well at least you ain't talking about going hunting with your friend or some abomination like that :)
ReplyDeleteYa know I still shake my head when I think about the drama that stirred up when you posted that. What do these people think meat is grown in tanks now?
Anyway I have yet figured out how to tell which of my hens are actually laying. I see a few of them of course from time to time but most of them I haven't a clue.
I really am hoping one of these hens I got takes up being broody this Spring.
Peoples ideas on food are sometimes peculiar, In the UK it's seems worse than anywhere else for this whole animal rights and everything else in between. I just wish people realise that anaimals don;t have human emotions. when I shoot a rabbit it's buddy doesn't go home and cry, it stays next to his dead buddy and keeps eating if I was quite enough.
DeleteI'm going to start ringing my chickens so I know what year they were born. And as for broody hens you'll probably be cursing you'll have that many as soon as it gets hot!
DeleteThank you (long time lurker here) for a really sensible post about keeping hens/eating meat. I'm a back-garden hen keeper, never have more than six birds and they are partly pets but I don't see the point in feeding spent hens. Mine have to pay their way, and they earn their feed money as well as giving me the most fabulous eggs. I wish more people in the UK understood where meat comes from, and that the best way to preserve a rare breed is to eat it! If we didn't eat bacon, pigs would be extinct.
ReplyDelete