Chicken Butchering

Wow, we have been so busy, but yesterday we finally got a whole day at home to catch up. So what did we do? Butchered chickens! Wahoo, not... We were not excited to do this but it had to be done. So we got set up and in the end it took about 3 hours to butcher 13 chickens. They were so big I had to run to the store and buy 2 gallon ziploc bags instead of the 1 gallon.

From this experience I have learned 1) my husband is Rambo, 2) my kids are pretty tough and 3) I'm not.

I didn't get a lot of pictures because I was busy plucking feathers but here is one of them headless and hanging before they are sent into the boiling water.

And one of my 2 youngest watching from their vantage point.

We may think we're tough after butchering 13 chickens but we were quick to run to town to get a pizza for dinner with NO chicken on it!

Chicken Coop

On Saturday we moved the chicks into the coop and out of our basement. We haven't quite had them for 2 weeks but it was 85 degrees yesterday, so we figured it would be okay. They were quickly outgrowing the brooder they were in. We had to be away all evening so didn't get to check on them again until this morning and found the two biggest ones dead! After some research we think that they may have had "pasty butt". Meaning their poop blocked their intestines and clogged them up. Yuck! Not positive this was it though.

We set up the heating lamp so they could stay warm at night and hopefully we won't lose anymore. I'm afraid we will though, because a few look like they are a little deformed. I'm hoping we can butcher at least ten.

Our three year old is our little farm girl. She loves getting in and playing with the chicks. We have to keep telling her to stop picking them up, because we're afraid she will hurt them. The older two kids are not as sure and definitely don't try to pick them up. It is cute to see her talking to the pigs or playing with the puppy. She gives all of the animals the most attention.

The Farm Begins

Here are a few pictures of our newest animal additions. It is a fun experience but definitely stinks! The chickens are very close to being moved to the coop but right now are in the basement and pooping a lot! I change their newspaper pad daily but it doesn't matter much. The pigs are the easiest animals of all. We feed and check on them 2-3 times a day and that's it. The puppy is probably the most difficult as she has the most energy and is always getting into things she shouldn't. We are trying to get her to stop biting the kids when she is playing with them.

Pooh and Piglet

Our pigs, Pooh and Piglet are friendly and are eating good. We expect to butcher them when they reach 200-250 pounds in about 3-4 months. We are feeding them 16% protein feed plus all of our table scraps. No more wasted food from the kids! I refuse to feed them any type of pork meat though and they hate chocolate cake!

Cornish Cross Chickens

These are cornish cross chickens that are raised as meat chickens, as they will grow fast and should be butchered around 6-8 weeks.

Australian Shepherd

Our pup, Penny, is an Australian Shepherd.