Today we've entered into unchartered territory with this mob of chickens ~ these birds are the oldest we've ever had, and with butchering day set for this Wednesday, they'll reach the lofty age of nine weeks old. Ancient, by Cornish Cross standards, and I have to say they're showing their age. This mob is definitely not as spunky as previously, and several of them are looking down-right decrepit. We pulled one hefty rooster out of the chicken tractor this morning as he lost his mobility and was getting trampled because he insisted on sitting right next to the feeder. He is living in a box in our garage at the moment. Well, scratch that, while sitting here writing this little update, the poor guy started making strange noises, which led to the unfortunate experience of me holding him while he had a heart attack and expired. *sigh* I suppose it seems a little funny expressing remorse over his death since we're purposely plotting their demise in a few days. But from my perspective using these birds for their intended purpose (food, feeding my family) is different from having one of these birds die while still under my care. It makes me sad because I do want them to have the best life possible while they're with us and to be sure when it's time to butcher them, that it's done in as humane a way as possible. Until the final moment, they're still my babies. That said, because we're seeing a decrease in their overall vitality and with this rooster's death proving that fact, putting them down will be the kind thing to do.
And speaking of butchering, this morning we heard from our county's extension office that their de-featherer has broken. They have a new one on order but it of course won't be here by our Wednesday date so we had to scramble for an alternative source. Thankfully we were able to secure the neighboring county's processing gear so we're still on schedule. In fact, we're thinking about picking up the equipment early and getting this job done tomorrow evening. So today has become the day to get all things done related to chicken butchering: topping off the propane tank, securing a truck for picking up the processing equipment, planning the butchering station, setting up coolers, etc.
I'll try to do a better job of chronicling our butchering experience this time. Keep an eye out for the next post with step by step instructions.
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