Nesting box modifications in Eglu Go Up

[chickencam]

Sounds like it was an exhausting but rewarding day.

 

I would have loved to have been there but we were stuck with a prior engagement and ED was away doing a training weekend for DofE silver.

 

If there is another one in the new year I would love to come, I presume that it will be posted here.

[Griffin]

My eldest Daisy lasted all of five seconds before leaving the room I chopped it's head off and she was gone Molly & Emily were brilliant though and really enjoyed seeing all the different parts and watching the transformation from whole chicken to the birds they see in the shop. He weighed in at 1.5kgs and is now in the freezer

[The Dogmother]

Good for you Griffin, and good for the girls!

[laurmurf]

A quick hello from The Lurker and me (we've logged in using an internet cafe in Banbury.... me addicted? never... )

 

we had a very interesting day on the course - I'm a brilliant plucker by now, I am. And The Lurker and hellymisscloud enjoyed making the sausages sooo much while I was plucking that I ended up owing Alison £30 by the end of the day . We are still eating them and are nowhere near done! I'll have to sing their praises too, 'cause they were helping with the tea and coffee making too, when their sausage-making allowed them the time .

 

I can't apologise enough to Lesley, Redwing, ClaireG, Carl and Phil for keeping them (and the staff of the lovely Horse and Groom) waiting. We were very shamefaced and sat ourselves at the naughty table . Redwing and ClaireG made me stay late after school and we just about shut the place down that evening

 

I'm home on Saturday, when HENthusiastic is coming to claim her Ponyo girls. We're keeping the Ponyo boys for our dinners and I'm feeling quietly confident....at least about the plucking anyway!

[The Dogmother]

You're a champion plucker Laurie!!!

 

Did you get to despatch on Saturday?

 

 

If not, give Jude a ring and see if she has a spare meat bird for you to try on; she's bound to have one lurking aroud somewhere. Don't forget to take your chicken bowl for her to see. She's closed today BTW.

 

Have PMd you about meeting up for lunch.

[Snowy]

I think Laurie did manage to despatch one at the end Clare

at all those sausages Laurie! Nothing better than sausages when you are camping though (even if it is for breakfast, dinner and tea )

[Snowy]

I've just got round to gutting my second bird. It is now safely in the freezer. I think I need some new knives though, even after sharpening my boning knife was hardly up to the job

I feel a real sense of satisfaction - that sounds very smug, but I really thought I'd never be able to do it

[Lewis]

I did mine earlier aswell and its been cooked with a bit of salt + pepper and lemon

 

The only bit I didn't do 'properly' was the neck, because I think I should have plucked more of the neck feathers, so I cut a bit too much skin off, but it was fine.

I think we need a new boning knife aswell Not eating much meat we don't really need one so ours is usually used for cutting cheese and things

[The Dogmother]

Just buy a steel or carborundum stone and sharpen it. Save your money and sharpen all your knives into the bargain.

 

Well done guys!

[Jules.]

Photos?????? Please?????

 

Anybody get sore fingers from the plucking? When I plucked one of my own boys I tore the skin on my middle finger

[The Dogmother]

Some people had sore fingers Jules, but mainly because they were plucking with their finger tips rather than thumb and side of index finger. Too many though and you'll get RSI in your wrist! (as Lesley knows!)

 

Compostwoman definitely took photos, but I understand that someone knocked her camera on the floor, so it may be broken. Perhaps she'll post any she's been able to view.

 

Jude took some, so I'll ask her for a few.

[Jules.]

Ah! That's where I'm going wrong. I pluck using my thumb & the outside of my middle finger, as if I were pulling a horse's tail.

[The Dogmother]

You can do either, perhaps you just squeeze harder. I just do it the way my grandpa taught me.

[Snowy]

I have a steel, but Alison was saying something about them losing their magnetism and once that has gone, they are no good. At least I think that's what she said, I was only half listening! So anyway, I think I need a new steel rather than new knives - they are Sabatier so pretty good ones.

 

And I took a couple of pics - Jules you have just reminded me, I forgot to post them!

 

Here Rosie is the only one to spot that the camera is pointing her way!

 

And the others were too engrossed to notice! L - R: Claret, Rosie, Compostwoman, Laurmurf:

[compostwoman]

Why am I in the middle, being looked at by all ?

 

I have salvaged the photos I took from my dead camera.... and am composing a blog post at the mo..but the NEW CHICKS ( 2 of which I had to hatch out as an emergency...) took priority..

 

video and pics on my blog...

 

The are SO cute...

 

and Judes' pullets ( 2 Black Stars and 1 Goldline ) are utterly lovely..so friendly and follow me around and sit on my shoulder... and are so beautifully clean and free of mites etc..

 

and are all " THE PRETTY ONE! "

 

I am very impressed with them

[The Dogmother]

Really lovely photos of those chickies compostwoman

 

I don't remember you taking photos Snowy

[Jules.]

Laurie I remember that pinny you're wearing

 

thanks for the photos

[tidygirlsuk]

Ahhh, so it was you who I remembered jointing their chook; I was trying to remember who it was.

 

Nice to meet you Claire.

 

 

It was nice to meet you too. It was a good day.

[tidygirlsuk]

Hello Claire ( Tidygirluk) waves we talked about Dorkings?

 

Legbar eggs due out tomorrow! some sounds heard in the egg today when I tapped and listened

 

i wish I had just jointed mine, my back is still hurting from bending over to do the boning...

 

Gutted chook I killed, this afternoon...Compostgirl VERY interested in "the innerds" so we had a quick anatomy lesson...

 

before she went to eat her ( chicken from Sat) tea....

 

I gutted my other chicken on wednesday, I waited for my eldest two to go back to school. My boys are still very young and would have been very upset. My 4 year old crys when he see's whole chickens in the supermarket

 

Have your legbars hatched now ?

 

Have you eaten all your chicken now ?

 

We have eaten the breasts from chicken 1. I made stock with the carcass and i put the thighs, legs and wings in the freezer as I save them up till I have a few.

 

I gutted chicken 2 on wednesday I poached the whole bird, when it was cooked I put the breasts in the fridge for tonight and i used the poaching stock and legs and wings for soup and I made a chicken and mushroom pie with the thighs.

 

I have never eaten so much chicken in one week

 

I'm going to replace some of my eaten chickens this month so I think that I will be back up to 12, not 13 this time as it was unlucky for me.

 

Was it you that bought new chickens from cotswold chickens ?

[tidygirlsuk]

She did show someone on the last course how to joint their chicken. I agree that it would be far more useful than rolling.

 

I'm afraid that the delay was unavoidable Lesley - as I explained - we couldn't just all walk out and leave them to it on their own. One of those situations where you just have to go with the flow

 

We were shattered - 9 hours om our feet, no breaks, barely even time to go to the loo. The people attending really enjoyed it and were all very keen to go home and cook their 2 chickens

 

I was the lady that jointed the chicken, I did start to bone my chicken but she said to someone 'go though the leg', and I thought she ment cut it off (which I did) oops ! I knew how to joint a chicken anyway so I decided just to do what I knew. I will try to add a link on here with instuctions on how to do it.

 

I think that the boning is very useful for barby. I might bone a turkey and chicken for chrismas and wrap the turkey around the chicken and stuff it. I don't know how the poultry would taste as I know that cooking with bones gives the meat flavor.

[The Dogmother]

I find that a rolled chicken joint is just as tasty Claire, but you have to keep basting it to keep it moist, and cook long and low to ensure that it's cooked right through - I usually turn it part of the way.

 

Jointing is easy peasy - look on t'internet; ther are loads of 'how to' vids.

[Lewis]

I forgot to ask for photos

 

I emailed Jude to say thanks and said if she had any photos they'd be good to see

[compostwoman]

Hello Claire ( Tidygirluk) waves we talked about Dorkings?

 

Legbar eggs due out tomorrow! some sounds heard in the egg today when I tapped and listened

 

i wish I had just jointed mine, my back is still hurting from bending over to do the boning...

 

Gutted chook I killed, this afternoon...Compostgirl VERY interested in "the innerds" so we had a quick anatomy lesson...

 

before she went to eat her ( chicken from Sat) tea....

 

I gutted my other chicken on wednesday, I waited for my eldest two to go back to school. My boys are still very young and would have been very upset. My 4 year old crys when he see's whole chickens in the supermarket

 

Have your legbars hatched now ?

 

Have you eaten all your chicken now ?

 

We have eaten the breasts from chicken 1. I made stock with the carcass and i put the thighs, legs and wings in the freezer as I save them up till I have a few.

 

I gutted chicken 2 on wednesday I poached the whole bird, when it was cooked I put the breasts in the fridge for tonight and i used the poaching stock and legs and wings for soup and I made a chicken and mushroom pie with the thighs.

 

I have never eaten so much chicken in one week

 

I'm going to replace some of my eaten chickens this month so I think that I will be back up to 12, not 13 this time as it was unlucky for me.

 

Was it you that bought new chickens from cotswold chickens ?

 

Hello!

 

Yes, I bought 3, 2 Black Stars and a Goldline...so I have gone from 6 chickens to 15 in the space of 3 weeks, and as the 3 legbars hatched out on Tues, I now have 18....

 

Pics and video up on my blog

[tidygirlsuk]

Hello Claire ( Tidygirluk) waves we talked about Dorkings?

 

Legbar eggs due out tomorrow! some sounds heard in the egg today when I tapped and listened

 

i wish I had just jointed mine, my back is still hurting from bending over to do the boning...

 

Gutted chook I killed, this afternoon...Compostgirl VERY interested in "the innerds" so we had a quick anatomy lesson...

 

before she went to eat her ( chicken from Sat) tea....

 

I gutted my other chicken on wednesday, I waited for my eldest two to go back to school. My boys are still very young and would have been very upset. My 4 year old crys when he see's whole chickens in the supermarket

 

Have your legbars hatched now ?

 

Have you eaten all your chicken now ?

 

We have eaten the breasts from chicken 1. I made stock with the carcass and i put the thighs, legs and wings in the freezer as I save them up till I have a few.

 

I gutted chicken 2 on wednesday I poached the whole bird, when it was cooked I put the breasts in the fridge for tonight and i used the poaching stock and legs and wings for soup and I made a chicken and mushroom pie with the thighs.

 

I have never eaten so much chicken in one week

 

I'm going to replace some of my eaten chickens this month so I think that I will be back up to 12, not 13 this time as it was unlucky for me.

 

Was it you that bought new chickens from cotswold chickens ?

 

Hello!

 

Yes, I bought 3, 2 Black Stars and a Goldline...so I have gone from 6 chickens to 15 in the space of 3 weeks, and as the 3 legbars hatched out on Tues, I now have 18....

 

Pics and video up on my blog

 

I've just looked. They are adorable. Your lucky to get 2 pullets. How are the new girls getting along with originals ?

[tidygirlsuk]

I find that a rolled chicken joint is just as tasty Claire, but you have to keep basting it to keep it moist, and cook long and low to ensure that it's cooked right through - I usually turn it part of the way.

 

 

Thanks Claire. I'll try that.