WEEK # 3: Chickens to the Freezer

Back in March we ordered 17 Rhode Island Reds, which included 1 Rhode Island Red rooster. When we got our chicks we clearly didn't get a Rhode Island Red rooster as the chick was yellow, while all the others were brown. Our rooster we think was a Light Sussex.  He was a beautiful rooster but extremely protective of the hens and would even come after us to guard his flock.

This past Saturday we processed 5 chickens for the freezer which included the rooster. Processing chickens is never fun but with Marianne's Mom over to help we got 5 chickens into the freezer in roughly 3 hours.

Our set up for processing chickens in the shed

 

Dunking the now dead chicken in 155 F water to easily remove feathers

 

 5 chickens ready to go to the freezer. The rooster is the one in the front that is noticeably larger, especially the drumsticks

We now have 12 chickens left for eggs and later meat.  With their rooster now gone the hens will soon have a new pecking order amongst the flock. So far without the rooster they seem to wander around the run more where before they would generally stay close to the rooster.

The cold snap finally ended here in southwestern Ontario, and we are now seeing temperatures near the usual 0 Celsius instead of the sub zero temperatures we have had the past few weeks.  Winter is about a third of the way done but it feels like it has been cold forever...