And now there are 5...

I snuck up on Red and 8 of his girls this morning before it was really light and before anyone's breakfast. They are traveling in apple boxes. They weren't pleased of course, but they settled down immediately. Then I gave the 5 Breakfast girls their warm oatmeal. The Coop does look empty now.

At 10:00 we met Whizbang Chicken Plucker Daniel at his house about 3 miles from us. He was ready for us with his portable sinks and hose, turkey fryer set up for heating the feathers, killing cone, and The Plucker. Daniel did the first one, then we started in. A couple from his church had 5 roosters to process. We dunked (145 degrees for about 1 minute or until the feathers come out easily) while the previous one bled out (just cut one side under the ear); 2 fit in the Plucker easily (15 seconds from feathered to nude); then we went to the sink and gutted (hang the tail end over the edge just in case, then reach all the way in and pull. It's not hard and in 40 degrees, didn't smell. Perhaps it also helped that they had fasted for 15 hours so their crops and intestines were mostly empty. It is no wonder that the chickens can stay warm under all their feathers; they go into the Dunker round and fluffy but come out of the Plucker not much more than a hand full.

It took 2 hours start to finish. We did make a mess in his driveway, but Daniel had a plastic sheet under the Plucker so most of the feathers could be easily transferred into the wheelbarrow for composting. He'll have a marsh or skating rink depending on the weather for months though. It's good to have a cone; it contains their shakes and rattles. Under the cone and the sinks Daniel had a bucket of wood shavings which also contained most of the mess.

We are brining them now (Kosher salt and sugar) and will bag and freeze them tonight...all except for Sunday's dinner.
Now I can go back to the Centre Hall Mill and tell that character that we've had the whole experience, and will do it again next year. And for all you nay-sayers, just don't name your birds and "processing" them won't be an emotional experience at all.

Today is not a day for planting daffodils!

We are glad to have gotten all the bulbs we had ordered in the ground because today is cold, windy and snowy. I don't think we are expecting much accumulation. With these winds, Maplewood could accumulate our snow before we will. Down 4 degrees since wake up.
Turkeys appeared early this morning. I had just put out their breakfast and let the chickens out, about 7:30, when The Magnificent Eight came strutting to their table. We might rename our endeavor the Bed and Breakfast at the Barony. The chickens had a light breakfast of warm homemade yogurt (for protein and calcium) and oatmeal. They made their normal bee-line to the turkey table, when The Eight pushed the ladies and their roo off to Cardinal Run to join the chickadee, nuthatch, junco, titmouse and goldfinch flocks that enjoy the BOSS (black-oil sunflower seeds). Soon after retreating to Cardinal Run a snow squall came up and the chickens pushed further into the woods by the pine trees. I could only see them when they moved against the brown leaves and gray bark of the winter forest. Snow didn't bother the turkeys at all. They stayed around for a hour or so. The girls came back up the hill when The Eight had had their fill and moved off to their next course.
Freddy was missing for 2 days but the Baron took some grapes on his normal walk-about, just in case. He is back but didn't offer any explanation for his absence. They shared a few minutes at the log as the Baron offered green and red grapes. Since he's familiar with green grapes, (perhaps they look like aspen buds), he selected them first. Only when they were all gone did he try a red piece. Those were gone in seconds, too. The Baron tried to leave the bird to find some nails in the Toy Shed. No sooner had he turned his back than the grouse followed him through the door of the shed and wandered around inside checking it out. He must not have found anything worth eating because when the Baron walked out of the shed, shutting off the light, Freddy was at his heels--we have to walk away in a fake-out motion and then turn around quickly to shut the door before he decides to go back in on his own. The grouse still thinks he's a dog.

The new winter chicken coop is almost ready for residents. Walls (light purple like my room upstairs on Spring Ave), floor, nest box and roost stand (all deck gray), are painted with several coats, raccoon-proof clasp installed on door, hooks to hang feeder and toys have been installed. We have several bags of sawdust/wood chips and are just waiting for the water box and nest box ladder to dry. I'll get a couple of bales of hay to stack between the door and the roost for draft protection. Then they make the big move.
I advertised on Craigslist for a Whizbang Chicken Plucker to rent and got a call from a man 2 hollows away. This could be wonderful: convenient and fast. I called him tonight; he offered to help me do the deed at his place. Wahooo!
Afternoon Update
Snow burst--mountains disappearing out to west; chickens, AKA Fluffy Butts, are all out; bear under feeder; both cameras temporarily non-functional; we watched for a minute or so until he/she took off in an easterly gallop, shiny coat waving like a Herbal Essence (shampoo) commercial.