D-Day or should I say P-Pluck Day

Well the big day finally came.  Time to put all the research and preparation to the test.  Could I kill, scald, pluck, eviscerate, bag and tag the chickens that have been running around my yard for the last 8 weeks.  OK for the first 3 weeks they were in my house, but you get the idea.

Not for the faint of heart or the sentimental.  But when one of the hens starting having trouble keeping up with the others because one of her legs wasn't quite supporting her weight I new it couldn't wait another week.  These were after all Cornish Rock chickens and they are genetically designed not to live past 7 or 8 weeks.  Not like the relicants from the Blade Runner movie, but they physically can't support themselves as they get older and heavier.  And heavy they got.

So on Saturday morning after setting all the equipment up the night before and putting it off for a couple hours (looking for excuses) I finally did it.  I slit the throat of the first chicken.  Now that sounds cruel and a bit gruesome and while I wasn't being cruel, it was a bit gruesome.  I held it head and feet while it hung upside down in the killing cone and it's legs kicked those last anatomic kicks.  The believe is that the chicken is unconsous after a few seconds and the kicking is simply a muscle reflex of the already dead chicken.  At least that's what I hope.  I think it's important to not sugar coat the taking of an animals life.  It's not something to do lightly but necessary to put food on our tables.  But it did get easier, I hope it never gets too easy, that's why I feel it's important not to skip any of details.  But I do feel a bit proud of myself for taking responsibility for the food I eat and the life that had to die because of it.  My hope is to never again purchase a grocery store (factory raised) chicken again, I feel a bit better about this past weekend.

The lives and deaths of the chickens now in my freezer (and that will be on my dinner table) were much kinder, gentler, natural and humane than the lives and deaths of the chickens who wind up on the grocery store shelves.

Watch the video clip on my previous post to see them running across my yard like chickens are meant to do.  These chickens were not crammed in a windowless building and shoved into creates to be tossed onto shackles and have machines do the dirty deed.

But I did raise them to eat and have to admit the one I roasted for Sunday's dinner was tender, juicy and delicious.  I admit it.... I love chicken... both running around my yard and on my plate.

5.5 Pounds and Counting

It's week 7 and the Cornish Rocks have reached 5.5lbs.  I expect them to reach 7 within the next week.  Think I'm ready for what comes next.  I have new knives, cones, a scaulder, a plucker, an evisceration table (actually it's for cleaning fish), plenty of tubs and coolers and shrink wrap bags and labels.  I even have  a new pop up canopy and tarps to block the view of the messy stuff from the neighbors in case they come by.

Out of the 38 I started with I've only lost 4.  Two chicks died early.  I also left 5 with the batch of egg layer chicks I bought.  I moved most out in time but two got bullied, trampled or pecked to death.  The couple of egg layers I left with the main batch of Cornish Rocks are doing well, but the eggs layers are too active for the much slower more feeble Cornish Rocks.

The "freezer chickens" are having trouble moving their heavy breasted bodies around the yard.  It's almost comical, but having arthritis in my knees, feet and hands I kind of feel for them.  My arthritis aches and pains seem a bit worse lately.  Don't know if that's sympathy pains or just the cosmos telling me I should go vegan.

Couple lessons I've learned are to start them on the grass earlier (week 2 or 3) and put a few eggs layers in with them to show them how to forage and get around.  The do forage some, but not as much as I had hoped they would.  They pretty much wattle after me looking for hand outs. 

Hoping starting them on grass younger might get them to forage more and reduce the feed bill.  They are like Parana around the feeder.  Then they fall asleep with their heads resting on the feeders so when they wake up they can start again.

But definitely don't leave any with a larger group of egg layers.  Egg layers are significantly more active and aggressive than the eat, sleep and poop Cornish Rocks.

Ouch......

This is today's egg collection.

I don't have a duck or an emu.  Look for the hen that is walking funny....

Ouch..

2013 Vegetable List

In addition to raising chickens and planning an aquaponics project I'm expanding the vegetable garden beds this year.  Much to the dismay of the guy who cuts my lawn.  I'm fortunate to have a neighbor who runs a lawn service and gave me a great price on cutting the grass.  This frees my time up for more interesting adventures.  But the more projects I get going the more difficult it makes it for him to cut the grass.  Every action has an opposite and equal reaction.  Thanks Jimmy for making it possible to do the more fun stuff.

This year's vegetable list is :

Tomatoes (7 different kinds)

Potatoes (sweet and golds)
Cabbage
Onions
Radishes
Green Beans
Lettuce (Iceberg)
Bell Peppers (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red)

Butternut Squash

Golden Globe Turnips

Carrots

The herb garden is pretty much the same as last year;

Basil                         Parley

Thyme                      Dill

Oregano                   Rosemary
Sage


The Lettuce, green beans and the bell peppers will be part of the aquaponics project.  Hoping the evenings will warm up enough to move the tilapia out to the raised pond next weekend. It's going down to 38 here this weekend.  I purchased 30 tilapia fingerling's (1-2inch) about a month ago and they have more than doubled in size while living in the 30 gal tank which are their temporary living quarters. 

This will be the first time I've tried turnips and carrots.  Wish me luck.  I'm also planning to build a potato box.  The last time I grew potatoes it was in some old tires.  Worked well, but didnt' look so good in the yard. 

The potato box or stacked tires works on the idea that potatoes are like tomatoes.  Bury the stem and it sends out roots.  As the potato grows you keep building the box higher or stack another tire and fill it with dirt.  The stem turns to root and you get more potatoes.  The tires worked pretty good because they warm up the soil (the black rubber holds in the heat and moisture) and when harvest time comes you just knock over the tires and dig out the potatoes. 

I'm going to build 3 or 4  2ft square boxes and stack them up as the potatos grow and take them down once harvest time is here and hope for as many potatoes as I got with the tires.  I got almost 50 pounds with 4 tires.

The carrots, potato box and pumpkins will be part of the new raised beds going in this weekend if the rain holds off.  Sorry Jimmy, but at least it's a square bed.

New Directions

As anyone who is more than 20 years old has probably already figured out... life sometimes changes directions.  Whether it's a new job, new career, growing family or just your blog, things change and head off in different directions.

No new job or career  and my nephew is expecting a second child so my extended family does continues to grow.  But it's my blog that is taking a new direction.  You can tell from the first few posts that I originally started this blog to diary my adventure into raising chickens.  Well I've decided to start an aquaponics project (fish and plants together), expand the garden with a few new beds and have been looking at plans to build a small green house.

Yes I have too much time on my hands.  But as I explore the world of food and how it gets to our tables I realize I like the idea of urban farming and taking control of that part of my life.  So much of our lives are out of our control or we simply don't think about it.  Well I've started to think about it.  And started to research it as you can tell from my previous posts.  And I don't really like what I'm finding out.

So I'm expanding this blog to include all of my adventures into urban farming and some of the other projects I do.  As you can see from the pictures spring is here in Kentucky and it's the perfect time to think about growing things like flowers, trees, vegetables, new born animals and green...oh so green grass. 

So follow my adventures and hopefully you can learn something new, be a bit entertained and just perhaps be inspired to explore your own adventure, whether it be raising chickens, starting a vegetable garden or simply learning more about where your food comes from and how it gets to your table.

Look for farmers markets in your area and support your local farmers.