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blowin · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:59 am Post subject: Rhode Island Reds ( hens )

Buying RIR's that were guaranteed to lay but turned out to be cockerels . This happened to be from a local market but , in fairness , I gather that this breed is very difficult to sex when young .
Lovely birds tho' ( with gravy , too ) .

Camile · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:57 am Post subject:

That's unlucky ..

I bought 3 x RIR Point Of Lay, back in the end of september .. and they are all laying like mad !

In fact, Sunday was the first day I collected 6 eggs out of 6 hens .. so it's not a bad winter.

As for your cockerels, that's Sunday roast sorted .. .

how will you dispatch them ?

Camile

eggcellence · Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 21 Location: France, Brittany

Today we collected our cockerels from the abbatoir? not sure of the spelling. Very Happy

Thought you might like to see them all ready for collection, we do this three or four times a year, but dont kill them ourselves, too much hard work, but the abbatoir only charges 1.5 € to kill and dress, all done to order so there are none left, average weight is 2.9 KL
Cheers Sheila (France)

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Camile · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:10 am Post subject:

Hi Sheila,

What breed were they ? because 2,9 Kg is a good size indeed.

Camile

eggcellence · Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 21 Location: France, Brittany

wayoutwest · Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 184 Location: west clare

ours are between 8 and 10 lb, usually, although two came in at 6lb this year becasue we did them a bit early. We buy a cross between Light Sussex and Ross Cobb. The local chicken lady sells them (called broilers) in the market at 1 day, 2 weeks or 5 weeks old, price dependant on age.

we can raise a 9 lb chicken for about E6.50, but we do the killing, plucking and gutting ourselves.
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eggcellence · Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 21 Location: France, Brittany

8 to 10 lbs is a very good weight, we find if they go much over 3kl they go off their legs, we grow them organically and free range, if we keep them in they get bigger, but lose the use of their legs, which we don't like, I have rhumatoid arthritis which prevents me plucking them, but we have costed them out and if we sell eight birds, we get four free for ourselves, which is ok by me. Wink

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wayoutwest · Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 184 Location: west clare

that's good going!

Ours aren't completely organic as I can't find organic food here, but they are (very) free range. We did once have one go off its legs, at around 5 lb, weirdly. not nice for it, but still fine to eat as we got it straight away. I foundd onee batch more sluggish than the others, but the last lot were very active. Wonderful meat, isn't it?
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eggcellence · Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 21 Location: France, Brittany

You are right there, the meat is wonderful, much better than shop bought, we have managed to go 4yrs and not had to buy a shop bird, I joint half my birds, as they are too big for the two of us, then I make stock with the carcases and freeze it for soup.Mmmmm lovely, thats it, got to go make soup now... Laughing

Sheila
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wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

I have got to source some decent stock soon. We are going to have egg layers and meat producers so am looking at the different breeds available. The best egg layers that I have had were Ross hybrids. I am taking advice on the meat breeds. < Looking above >. There is a bloke who sells fowl at the local mart. I asked him what breed the cock was and he said "White" Confused

There seems to be alot of mongrels around.

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