Growing Fast!!

Yeppers, the chicks are growing fast! I keep waiting for them to fly out of their new digs, as they keep testing their wings. Not to mention they are outgrowing the kiddie pool I have them in. I have had a few fatalities, as to be expected. 5 in all, but I was figuring it would be more.







In other news, we did a test run of sorts on butchering. I won't get into the details, but lets just say it was a learning experience. I didn't know that there was a large meat difference in laying hens and just meat birds. Laying hens seem to have very minimal meat, which makes them no good for quartering. However, they are good for soup, broth, casseroles, etc. Instead of quartering, you just boil the meat off of the whole chicken, then go from there. That is a relief to me, as I was struggling to get it figured out. :) I've also decided that the backyard is not exactly the place to be de-feathering, and we need a better spot, as you can well imagine. Not to mention I need a spot to dump the gut bucket. And it always helps to have a really really really sharp knife! So my next project is to finish butchering the ones that aren't laying, then move the babies OUT. Boy, do they STINK!! Plus, they are standing the cooler temps, so I think its time!