[Porffor]

I was just thinking the same thing that it'd look great from the road!
Love the cosy nesting boxes with the smaller entrance into them too.

[Charlwood1005]

£15 sounds expensive to me  :shock:

These girls were

£5 for the Blackrocks and £7 for the welsummers POL eight days ago 9 eggs so far so they do work     .

[Charlwood1005]

Sorry poultrygeist

6 in total June was hiding under the camera

[poultrygeist]

Looks like a lovely setting they're in. Must amuse them for hours watching the traffic go by. Ours just pine every time a bird flies in and feasts on their lawn !

[Charlwood1005]

Looks like a lovely setting they're in. Must amuse them for hours watching the traffic go by

I stood on the road waiting for a mate to pick me up one day, from what I saw it was the que'd up motorists that were amused    

[pushrod]

But we got 65 meat chicks, and the first 16 went this weekend.  We had one for sunday lunch which was lovely, and the other 2 Brian killed are in the freezer.  

Hi Ann did Brian pluck 16?
I did 3 more last night and did them while still warm but it was still taking 30 mins per bird and that was leaving them very much rough plucked plus the breast feather tracts seem to tear ever so easily when they are so fresh. Just wondering how quick i can hope to get if i keep practising.
 Still scouring ebay and ads for plucking machines  

[Porffor]

I was hoping for cheaper than £15 a head too. But will keep my ear to the ground.
The site that 'supply' the place 50 miles from me has these on their website:
Meadowsweet poultry
Not sure if they are unusual or normal, but as said the place i'd have to buy from is saying £15 a head.

[peggyprice]

I was hoping for cheaper than £15 a head too. But will keep my ear to the ground.
The site that 'supply' the place 50 miles from me has these on their website:
Meadowsweet poultry
Not sure if they are unusual or normal, but as said the place i'd have to buy from is saying £15 a head.

If it's £15 per head I'd expect them to be pure breeds at POL.  it would be pretty pricey for a hybrid or a younger bird  :?

[Porffor]

Thanks Peggy, will bear that in mind.
now next question.. although i digress from the subject of the thread, is whether a sussex Silver, and black is a hybrid or purebred? That's what is for sale local to me. Though they can get a good range including bantums and silkies.

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Pushrod, We did the whole 19!!  But it took me about 30 mins too, as I've never done it before!  Brian is faster, but a bit out of practice, he used to be able to pluck a 20lb turkey in about 10 minutes!!!

With those breast fat seams, Brian leaves them until last as its better when the bird has cooled a bit.  He holds the seam of skin between his thumb and index finger and pulls those feathers out carefully.  They do tear very easily though.

Plucking machines are not really cost effective if you are only doing a few at a time.  the cheap ones are not that good, you'd have to spend over £2,000 to get a decent one!

Brian said the old fashioned methods are the best!!! When his friend don had the turkey farm, he used to do about 20,000 turkeys at Christmas ALL PLUCKED BY HAND!!!!  his was one of the very few still doing it that way in this country!

[pushrod]

Thanks for the reply Ann - i suppose practice makes perfect and i am including the killing time so maybe i'm down to 25 mins plucking time - still too long. I read on wikipedia that with turkeys it is possible to skin them and take the feathers off with the skin without plucking. Do you know if this can be done with chickens?

(apologies to everyone for the thread deviation)

[Porffor]

it can yes, I did that in a survival weekend - was veggie at the time but there you go. lol
Warm chicken, 'gutted' it by laying it out and cutting soft area, scooped with hand, then wiped hands on feathers.
Then just peeled the skin off (strongly) with featers in tact. ready for the pot.

Not sure if this is the proper method, as said it was an operation raleigh weekend our only meal and we were shown 1 then left to it.  :oops: it was many many years ago too!

[Charlwood1005]

What part of SW Wales are you from

[Porffor]

We live just outside Llanelli (Pembrey side of it). fantastic sea views at the front and fields to the back We're originally from SW England though. but love it here. We moved last August. Where are you?

[Charlwood1005]

http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?M=0&keywords=poultry&location=Mid+Wales&clarifyIndex=6&searchType=expandedlocation&ssm=0&cam=intToolbar

Phone some of these if they are nearer

I live in Bolton, Lancs but my mother lives near Tenby.