Devonviolet Acres

[babsbag]

@Baymule Pure evil you are I sell my old layers and most of my roos for $5.00, I hate processing birds.

My last 5 goats that we sent in were 1/2 boer so pretty chunky monkeys. I had 3 of them ground and have used that meat to extend hamburger and it works out well. I have a friend that raises boers and I plan on getting a couple kids from her next year to raise for meat.

Pygmies are considered a dual purpose breed, they have a lot of meat on those little bones compared to a strictly dairy breed. Kinders are another dual purpose and they are a cross between a Nubian and a Pygmy.

 

[Mike CHS]

We get a little over 50% for our 5 month old lamb wether that we had done this year and he charges $85 which includes a $20 kill fee. We also took one in that was 10 months old and and wound up with almost twice as much meat. No more young lambs unless they are having issues.

 

[Mini Horses]

It is always hard. I'm sorry but, it is. You cannot pick these up & consider any knowing, except healthy animals from the butcher. Do not dwell on it as you handle the others. Just enjoy the milk from the does and go forward with that.

I find it MUCH easier to have anything beyond birds butchered. First, I am only one here to process and beyond that -- what I pick up at the butcher feels like I bought it there, lock stock & barrel. Even the hogs that I brought home to cut & wrap. Some distance was established. Healthy meat from butcher. Not to say that I like the birds to do but once started and a mess, I plunge on thru & process. It does take some hard, deep breaths to start, then do it and get it done! Plus the majority of our chickens are not the "lap dog" type, so already distance & few names. (We always have a couple who slip by & endear themselves & that's ok). Back to the "mindset" right up front!

 

[Bruce]

I sell my old layers and most of my roos for $5.00

People will pay $5 for a stewing bird??

Not to say that I like the birds to do but once started and a mess, I plunge on thru & process.

That is kinda how I went into my first (and so far only) necropsy. I needed to find out why a seemingly healthy 15 month old hen at 6 PM would be dead half an hour later. Turned out her liver exploded from fatty liver disease.

 

[Mike CHS]

We stick to using numbers instead of names for those going to slaughter. Plus we took two at a month or so apart so we don't know if we are eating #4 or #6. We may even process a couple of the young ewes that don't have the size we want to have long range depending on the lams size when they lamb next. We are keeping 3 males for several more months for dog training but it doesn't cost anything to keep them since they are on grass only. One of those acts like a puppy so there is no doubt in my mind that it is deliberately trying to avoid butchering by acting that way.

 

[goatgurl]

@Devonviolet I just want you to know how proud I am of you and dh. I know how very hard this decision was for youall but you got thru it and from this time forward it will get easier. that's why I name the wethers things like burger boy and soup. makes me remember what they are there for.
i'm taking a couple of sheep to freezer camp tomorrow. the wether is no big deal but i'm also taking lama who was one of the first ewes I got and she has such a personality and I like her so much that she is going to be hard. I keep telling myself that this way she won't suffer with her twisted knee and the summer sausage will be great. still don't like it but I know it has to be done. just remember, two less mouths to feed.

 

[Devonviolet]

Thank you everyone, for your words of encouragement. This was hard, but my sweet friends, @goatgurl & @Baymule encouraged me before we did it, and that made it easier.

We also took one in that was 10 months old and and wound up with almost twice as much meat. No more young lambs unless they are having issues.

It will be interesting to see how much meat we get. I'm guessing we will have to add the two together & average it out. If we can get twice the meat, waiting until they are ten months, it might be worth it to keep them longer. Hopefully, before next summer we will get fencing in, so we can put them out to browse, rather than give them feed, that costs us $$$.

Do not dwell on it as you handle the others. Just enjoy the milk from the does.

That sounds like good advice. I like @Mike CHS's way of giving them numbers. However its kinda hard to put ear tags on LaMancha's. Actually, now that I think of it, Maybe I will put different colored collars on them and name them the color of their collar, like @Southern by choice did with her puppies.

One of those acts like a puppy so there is no doubt in my mind that it is deliberately trying to avoid butchering by acting that way.

Yeah, acting "cute" is pretty sneaky!!!

I name the wethers things like burger boy and soup. makes me remember what they are there for.

I like Burger Boy. Actually, I started calling Woodie Brisket toward the end.

 

[babsbag]

@Bruce Yes, they pay $5 for a stewing hens and for the roos. Roos are bought by an ethnic group for part of their religious ceremonies.

 

[Devonviolet]

Yesterday, DH and I were along our favorite stretch, of road, foraging. I had recently learned about using STAGHORN Sumac, for cooking and beverages, like tea and a pseudo lemonade. We had stopped to pick some Sumac, and up comes a truck with a man and woman in it. The man got out, and came up to us, to see if everything was okay. They had seen us pull off the road and get out, and thought we might be having truck troubles, or something.

We ended up chatting, and told him about foraging Sumac, Elderberries and Beautyberries. One thing led to another, and they invited us to their place, just a couple hundred feet away, to see their garden and animals.

They had several jalapeño plants, and since they had already used and frozen all the peppers they needed, they said I could take as many as I wanted. So, I took most of them, which ended up being almost five pounds. My plan was to freeze most of them and use the rest to make jalapeño jelly.

Today, at church, I was telling a friend about all those peppers, and he said, he needed about a pound of peppers, to make jalapeño pepper bread, that he sells at Farmer's Market. So, of course I told him he could have some.

So, today, I washed and dried the peppers, set aside a pound, for our friend, and put the rest on a couple cookie sheets, in the freezer.

Tomorrow I will put them in baggies, and back in the freezer.

After I did that, I started taking jars of milk out of the refrigerator, so we could make cream. It turned out I had a whopping NINE GALLONS!

Previously, I said my goat milk didn't last for more than about 6 or 7 days, before it started getting an "off" taste. Someone said theirs lasted at least ten days. I'm pretty sure someone said they put seals in their lids. I had silicone seals, for wide mouth canning jars, so I started putting them in the lids. Since the milk is warm, straight from the goat, when I put it in the fridge and it cools down, it seals and,the milk stays fresh longer. I tasted the oldest milk (9 days old) and it tasted fresh and sweet.

We put it through the cream separator and ended up with three quarts of cream!!! Since we don't have any butter, I will use one of them to make butter and put the other two in the freezer, to be used when I'm not milking.

While the milk was heating on the stove, I started washing jars. I ended up with 16 half gallon jars and one gallon jar, plus misc. smaller jars.

After we were finished, we had 8 gallons of skim milk in stainless steel buckets, but if I put it back in the fridge, I won't have room for fresh milk. So, I put kefir into the milk, and left it on the counter, for the kefir to culture the milk. Once the milk has turned to kefir, since the weather is cooling off out, the kefir will last long enough for us to dole it out to the dogs and cats at meal time.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We routinely use milk that's ten days old too. Last night I found some milk that was a month old in the back of the fridge. I poured it into the dog/chicken/pig bowl and then kicked myself for wasting all that cream on top. I should have at least tasted it to see if it was real "sour" cream!

I had some kefir grains stored in the fridge for some months now. I recently got them back out and going again. I spent about a week getting them back in shape by changing out the milk every day. The dogs and pigs loved it, lol.

I used some in a muffin recipe that called for buttermilk on Saturday and they were delish. I had a little kefir toddy before bed last night too. Absolutely LOVE it!