PDA

View Full Version : Omlet




MsDoodahs
07-01-2008, 10:43 AM
http://www.omlet.co.uk/homepage/homepage.php

I know it is a huge waste of money and all..but I want one of their "eglu cubes." :o

They don't even sell them in the US, though.

Kludge
07-01-2008, 10:44 AM
Hm. What's that large plastic device in their cages?

Kalifornia
07-01-2008, 11:17 AM
http://www.omlet.co.uk/homepage/homepage.php

I know it is a huge waste of money and all..but I want one of their "eglu cubes." :o

They don't even sell them in the US, though.


I think its a great idea. why is it a waste of money? I doubt I could construct a moveable chicken run for less than what they can make one for out of plastic and sell...

yongrel
07-01-2008, 11:20 AM
The cool part is that my entire town is zoned agricultural. I'm in the process of setting up a chicken run right now. Seemed like the thing to do :D

Nothing that spiffy though.

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 12:41 PM
I like the idea of being able to move the whole thing from place to place in the yard. It gives the chickens fresh grass to eat and keeps them from scalping one area like they do in a fixed coop.

tmosley
07-01-2008, 02:28 PM
Chickens eat grass?

A friend of mine is setting up a coop for 100 chickens, and I was thinking of following suit, but I don't know anything about it. He was going to feed them chickenfeed.

Dustancostine
07-01-2008, 02:37 PM
Chickens eat grass?

A friend of mine is setting up a coop for 100 chickens, and I was thinking of following suit, but I don't know anything about it. He was going to feed them chickenfeed.

Yes Chickens eat grass.

rancher89
07-01-2008, 02:41 PM
the chickens eat the bugs in the grass....


I've seen homemade contraptions like these online before. One guy made the thing out of translucent fiberglass panels bent into a "U" shape, put bicycle wheels on it and fenced in the ends and bottom w/chicken wire, had a little roost along one long side. He said, if I remember right, that the key was to make it light enough to be practical to move around the yard....

amy31416
07-01-2008, 02:59 PM
I could never have chickens here without looking like a whackjob, plus, I don't think it's legal here. What a shame, it'd be neat to get fresh eggs.

So do you guys actually slaughter the chickens yourself? I hear they kinda have "personality" like pets, so is that difficult to do? In the winter, it would need to be heated, right?

MsDoodahs
07-01-2008, 03:13 PM
Amy, if you are interested, I have a link somewhere on keeping chickens that includes info on that particular individual's preferred method of slaughter. She details it so ... it probably isn't for everyone.:o

let me know...

Acala
07-01-2008, 03:27 PM
I just got some chickens for the first time. I got on to a site called backyard chickens to read up on how it is done. Got onto craigslist to find some chicks.
Built a coop and off I go. I have four hens. Buff Orpingtons. Just for the eggs. They are about full grown but not laying yet.

They eat almost anything. They love bugs. Yesterday they were fighting over who gets to eat the tail they pulled off a little lizard (he escaped with his life).

I like them. They are kinda wacky, but nice. The only real downside is the crap all over the place.

I have laid in a supply of feed but plan to supplement with vegetables and fruit I grow and also earthworms from the vermiculture bin.

My coop is made of plywood heavily sealed with deck seal. Plastic doesn't last very long outdoors in Arizona.

Dustancostine
07-01-2008, 03:37 PM
Ms. Doodahs, Please post the link. We need to slaughter some of my fathers Roosters.

Also the Omlet was pretty neat but at about $1200 way to pricey. That is $120 a chicken, they would have to lay 1,440 eggs just to pay the thing off.

--Dustan

Kalifornia
07-01-2008, 04:08 PM
Ms. Doodahs, Please post the link. We need to slaughter some of my fathers Roosters.

Also the Omlet was pretty neat but at about $1200 way to pricey. That is $120 a chicken, they would have to lay 1,440 eggs just to pay the thing off.

--Dustan

that sucks. I guarantee I costs no more than 100 bucks to mfg that thing in quantity. sometimes people stupidly price themselves out of a lot of sales...

Cowlesy
07-01-2008, 04:28 PM
I could never have chickens here without looking like a whackjob, plus, I don't think it's legal here. What a shame, it'd be neat to get fresh eggs.

So do you guys actually slaughter the chickens yourself? I hear they kinda have "personality" like pets, so is that difficult to do? In the winter, it would need to be heated, right?

What? No chicken coups on Parade Street? :)

MsDoodahs
07-01-2008, 04:31 PM
Here's the link...

http://www.gatewaytovermont.com/thefarm/slaughter.htm

Dustancostine
07-01-2008, 04:38 PM
Here's the link...

http://www.gatewaytovermont.com/thefarm/slaughter.htm

Thanks for the site. One question. My grandmother said you are supposed to dip the chicken carcases in boiling water before cleaning to help in feather removal. These people look like they are cleaning the chicken before all the feathers are off.

--Dustan

MsDoodahs
07-01-2008, 05:04 PM
Thanks for the site. One question. My grandmother said you are supposed to dip the chicken carcases in boiling water before cleaning to help in feather removal. These people look like they are cleaning the chicken before all the feathers are off.

--Dustan

Yeah, they're skinning as they go, eliminating the need for plucking.

Here's another guide, from BHM, advising to do the same thing.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/grim79.html

But yeah, the old time way to do it was scald them, then pluck.

:)

amy31416
07-01-2008, 05:33 PM
What? No chicken coups on Parade Street? :)

Strangely enough--no. Or on Greengarden Blvd, for that matter. :D

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 05:36 PM
It might be off-topic, but here's an excellent step-by-step guide with pictures showing how to cut up a whole chicken.

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cutupchicken.htm

Its a whole lot cheaper to get a whole chicken at the grocery store and cut it up yourself (or cut up one of your own defeathered hens from scratch) than it is to buy them already cut up.

amy31416
07-01-2008, 05:37 PM
Amy, if you are interested, I have a link somewhere on keeping chickens that includes info on that particular individual's preferred method of slaughter. She details it so ... it probably isn't for everyone.:o

let me know...

Yeah, sometimes my curiosity forgets to take into account my squeamishness. :p I do like to think that if I had to, I could, hard to say...

withallmyheart
07-01-2008, 06:02 PM
Dunking the (dead) chicken in boiling water really does make the feather plucking easy. All the food I fed it that day (or longer) was still in it's throat. The bird , unfortunately, was so tough (it couldn't have been more than 5 months old) I couldn't cut it with my kitchen knives. I don't think we could chew it either. The drumsticks were the size of skinny cornish hens. I threw it all away.

I gave away the rest of the roosters.

Lights on in the winter help with egg production.

Leghorns have been the best egg producers for us.

Cowlesy
07-01-2008, 06:09 PM
Chickens...gross.....I hate cleaning turkeys

yuck.

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 06:13 PM
Dunking the (dead) chicken in boiling water really does make the feather plucking easy. All the food I fed it that day (or longer) was still in it's throat. The bird , unfortunately, was so tough (it couldn't have been more than 5 months old) I couldn't cut it with my kitchen knives. I don't think we could chew it either. The drumsticks were the size of skinny cornish hens. I threw it all away.

I gave away the rest of the roosters.

Lights on in the winter help with egg production.

Leghorns have been the best egg producers for us.

We seem to get the most eggs from our Barred Rocks (or Dominickers depending on what part of the country you're from) and White Leghorns. And yes, any chicken over about 4 months old is going to be a stewer (way too tough to fry up and eat) instead of a fryer. Buff Orpingtons seem to make the best frying chickens.

Tip: Cutting up chicken is a whole lot easier if you use a good heavy sharp cleaver.

Tip: Its good practice to throw a handful of crushed oyster shells into the chicken yard every couple of months or so, especially if your soil is mineral-poor. Also, do this any time you notice that the eggs you get have a soft shell.

Dieseler
07-01-2008, 06:16 PM
Heres a site I was looking at a few months back on building portable coops. Seems like a real good idea giving the birds new ground to scratch in too.

Chicken Tractors
http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html
I think I'm going to dive into this just for the eggs even if the neighbors don't like it lol.
:)
I bet they won't mind as long as I don't get roosters and pass along a few eggs.

Dustancostine
07-01-2008, 06:55 PM
Tip: Its good practice to throw a handful of crushed oyster shells into the chicken yard every couple of months or so, especially if your soil is mineral-poor. Also, do this any time you notice that the eggs you get have a soft shell.

My father also throws back in the empty shells from eggs he has eaten, the chickens eat them right up.

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 06:59 PM
My father also throws back in the empty shells from eggs he has eaten, the chickens eat them right up.

Yes. Dirty little secret: Chickens will eat EACH OTHER up just as readily. If a hen gets very sick or dies, the others will reduce her to nothing but bones in a day or two if you don't get her out of there. :eek:

Dustancostine
07-01-2008, 07:01 PM
I bet they won't mind as long as I don't get roosters and pass along a few eggs.

How well do the Hens lay with a Rooster vs No Rooster?

--Dustan

Dustancostine
07-01-2008, 07:04 PM
One other question. I live in a very rural city. But I have about an acre lot. How do I find if it is allowable to have livestock in the city?

--Dustan

Dieseler
07-01-2008, 07:14 PM
How well do the Hens lay with a Rooster vs No Rooster?

--Dustan

No Rooster required for eggs.
I reckon call the city or county seat about zoning but I bet you will be able to raise a few no problem.

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 07:19 PM
One other question. I live in a very rural city. But I have about an acre lot. How do I find if it is allowable to have livestock in the city?



Call City Hall and ask them. Some places will allow you to raise chickens but not other livestock such as pigs, others have no restrictions at all, and still others don't allow any kind of livestock. My area falls under the first case - pigs are the only kind of livestock that are prohibited.

JosephTheLibertarian
07-01-2008, 07:36 PM
http://www.omlet.co.uk/homepage/homepage.php

I know it is a huge waste of money and all..but I want one of their "eglu cubes." :o

They don't even sell them in the US, though.

Omlet? Just fry an egg in a frying pan and stick it between two pieces of bread. :rolleyes:

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 07:43 PM
Tip: Chickens get lice, mites and other parasites from time to time. To see if a chicken has lice, grab her (easier said than done sometimes), lay her on her back, and gently move the feathers away from her skin. If you see flat flesh-colored critters on her skin, those are lice. To get rid of lice, dust each chicken with food-grade diatomaceous earth (my preference) or Sevin dust like you can get at any feed or hardware store. I use an old sock filled with DE and just use it like a powder puff on the chicken.

JosephTheLibertarian
07-01-2008, 07:44 PM
Can I have a pet chicken?

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 07:46 PM
Can I have a pet chicken?

Sure. If you want to clean up the doodoo. I've never been able to box-train any of mine. :D

JosephTheLibertarian
07-01-2008, 07:55 PM
Sure. If you want to clean up the doodoo. I've never been able to box-train any of mine. :D

Yeah, I don't how people can kill the poor animals, but they just taste so good. I can't help myself, I like popcorn chicken.

How much do live chickens usually go for? I'd like a pet chicken. I'll feed him some kfc

rancher89
07-01-2008, 07:59 PM
Tip: Chickens get lice, mites and other parasites from time to time. To see if a chicken has lice, grab her (easier said than done sometimes), lay her on her back, and gently move the feathers away from her skin. If you see flat flesh-colored critters on her skin, those are lice. To get rid of lice, dust each chicken with food-grade diatomaceous earth (my preference) or Sevin dust like you can get at any feed or hardware store. I use an old sock filled with DE and just use it like a powder puff on the chicken.

I'm impressed w/your knowledge sir, exactly done.....

rancher89
07-01-2008, 08:09 PM
pet rabbits are easier

back to chickens, rather, uh turkeys. I had a friend who raised a turkey for Thanksgiving, it was huge. Tom, my friend, had never killed a turkey before, so set out w/his bowie knife and went forth.

The turkey ran. Tom did his best and finally tackled the turkey (booze was involved as well as other substances, hey it was the 80's.....) and went astride. He then attempted to cut the turkey's throat. Who knew that a turkey's throat was so tough? Tom rode the turkey for about 15 or 20 minutes before the deed was done. The side of the shed looked like St. Valentines Day Massacure. Arterial blood all over everywhere. I think the turkey just gave up.

So on to the cleaning and plucking. We strung him up (remember this is a LARGE bird) and set a small fire under to warm us and to hopefully help with the plucking. Well, neither worked very good so we were very cold and the turkey was sorta kiinda plucked. We figured if you didn't like feathers, you could just pull it off before eating it.

Got the turkey cleaned up and stuffed. It didn't fit into the oven. I kid you not, we couldn't close the door to the oven. Aluminum foil was put into use as well as extra oven mitts and duct tapes.

I never tasted a bird so good.

The bonfire late into the night was good also....

Allen72289
07-01-2008, 08:37 PM
I have one rhodeisland red rooster and 3 red hens, 3 wild hens I caught snd two wild roosters.

The wild hens in the neighborhood just had 10 more chicks a few days ago, I have to catch them.

They'll eat bugs, grass and mostly all of the veggie scraps.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com

Feeding them grains costs too much.

craigslist will sometimes have livestock for sale, that's where I got my reds.

Feed the chicks sand, starter feed for 6 weeks and various bugs.. etc.


If you live in a cold climate go with barred rocks.

Down south I would go with orpingtons or reds.

JosephTheLibertarian
07-01-2008, 08:41 PM
pet rabbits are easier

back to chickens, rather, uh turkeys. I had a friend who raised a turkey for Thanksgiving, it was huge. Tom, my friend, had never killed a turkey before, so set out w/his bowie knife and went forth.

The turkey ran. Tom did his best and finally tackled the turkey (booze was involved as well as other substances, hey it was the 80's.....) and went astride. He then attempted to cut the turkey's throat. Who knew that a turkey's throat was so tough? Tom rode the turkey for about 15 or 20 minutes before the deed was done. The side of the shed looked like St. Valentines Day Massacure. Arterial blood all over everywhere. I think the turkey just gave up.

So on to the cleaning and plucking. We strung him up (remember this is a LARGE bird) and set a small fire under to warm us and to hopefully help with the plucking. Well, neither worked very good so we were very cold and the turkey was sorta kiinda plucked. We figured if you didn't like feathers, you could just pull it off before eating it.

Got the turkey cleaned up and stuffed. It didn't fit into the oven. I kid you not, we couldn't close the door to the oven. Aluminum foil was put into use as well as extra oven mitts and duct tapes.

I never tasted a bird so good.

The bonfire late into the night was good also....

Poor turkey.

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 08:42 PM
I'm impressed w/your knowledge sir, exactly done.....

All learned at Mom's knee. She raised chickens for 50 years, and her mother for 80 years before her.

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 08:51 PM
Yeah, I don't how people can kill the poor animals, but they just taste so good. I can't help myself, I like popcorn chicken.

How much do live chickens usually go for? I'd like a pet chicken. I'll feed him some kfc

Chicks go for a buck or two apiece; pullets (older chickens) are a bit more. Prices vary of course depending on where you are. Go sexed if you don't want roosters or straight-run if you don't mind having about 50 percent roosters.

Allen72289
07-01-2008, 09:11 PM
speaking of kfc http://www.40sales.com/KFC%20Logo.jpg

Notice the subliminal message of a human (left blue face figure) cutting a chicken's head off?

asgardshill
07-01-2008, 09:17 PM
speaking of kfc http://www.40sales.com/KFC%20Logo.jpg

Notice the subliminal message of a human (left blue face figure) cutting a chicken's head off?

This one's VERY subliminal. You really have to look at it closely to even get an inkling that its a chicken ...

http://www.trevweb.com/Stuff/media/chicken_head.jpg

Yum.

MsDoodahs
07-01-2008, 09:20 PM
Omlet? Just fry an egg in a frying pan and stick it between two pieces of bread. :rolleyes:

Okay, Joseph? That is a fried egg sammich.

NOT an omelet.

lol...