Bantam Cockerels - Butcher day

##### This post contains pictures of dead animals ######

This year we've been using the incubator lots, it's hardly been off over the last few months. Now that means we've got a fair few birds running around the place.

Unfortunately we've been a little unlucky with our hatch ratios - not the best rates, but also so many more cocks rather than hens. The first batch we ended up with 13 chickens and turns out that only two of them are hens - and bantams at that! 

The group has been getting pretty "fighty" with each other as they've got bigger, big squabbles and birds not wanting to go into the coop at night.  And lets just say that the dawn chorus is basically a load of teenagers fighting over who can crow the loudest with squeaky voices! 

So today we had to decide what to do with them. There isn't much meat on a bantam, some of these are crosses from Seabrights and Seramas so pretty much as small as chickens get.

But I did think it would work well as a good teaching tool for the children. The meat is such a small quantity that it won't matter what it looks like when they're finished. Also with the small cavity their little hands would be ideal for gutting them! 

They loved the idea and the fact that when we cook them in a few days time they will have a bird each and be able to eat them caveman style! 

Now I'm not sure what we got out was worth the effort we put in but the children certainly learnt a lot and I know they're looking forward to their meal. One bird only weighed 340g when dressed out! But five angry little guys less in our flock and they all seem a lot calmer down there now! A few more to sort out yet, but this time of year it's hard to rest them as we have to use the fridge. 

We also set to moving the youngest batch out of the brooder and onto grass. Down to just 7 chicks in this pen they will live for a few more weeks in the old ark I did up a few months ago before progressing into something bigger. 

The children got this pen ready for me, all cleaned out with fresh shavings, clean water and food. I love putting animals out for the first time. These guys seem to be loving it and were picking insects out the grass within seconds, we sat and watched them for ages. 

A poultry type of morning! We also put half a dozen duck eggs into the incubator! And I doubt that will be the last hatch this year! 

Anyone else take the time to pluck and gut bantams for the table? Or are we crazy? 

Yes it's small amounts of meat but we know they've had a good life!