Turkey jerky dog treats

broad breasted White turkeys

    On many occasions we find ourselves with older breeding stock and wondering what to do with them. Poultry that is more than 6 to 9 months is usually pretty tough to eat.  One of the simplest solutions is simply turn them into dog treats such as turkey or chicken jerky. 

Ronco non-forced air dehydrator

   Start with lean meat and trim all fat, skin and bone off of meat. Slice the meat into thin strips, usually 1/4 inch or less. Thinner meat strips take less drying time. (Do not add seasoning, salts or sugars as this is for dog treats and is not needed.) It is also one of the big advantages over store-bought jerky that usually has preservatives added to it.  From here there are two different ways to dehydrate meat. One is in the oven at 200° for several hours. Place the thin strips of meat you wish to dehydrate over wire racks sitting in baking pans. The wire racks allow any remaining fat to drain off into the pan. Periodically check the meat for dryness every 30 min. or so. The strips should be leathery to brittle in consistency.  Any pieces that are spongy or not dry will require additional drying time. 

         The second method uses a dehydrator. The Nesco-american Harvest Snackma (Google Affiliate Ad)  is a good one to start with and cost less than $70. It uses forced air which reduces drying time and cuts down on the electric bill.
 The advantage to a dehydrator is that it's more cost-effective and in hot weather doesn't heat the whole house.

    Meat that is greasy or oily may require freezing or refrigeration to prevent spoilage. If you intend to freeze your jerky be sure and add a silica gel pack to the bag to prevent moisture. Usually I will create my jerky in small batches. I freeze the meat sliced until I need to make jerky. During the summer months I sometimes give the dogs slices of frozen meat sickles instead of jerky. Always smell the jerky for spoilage before you give it to your pet. Unpleasant odors are an indication of spoilage and jerky should be thrown away.

In the end you will save more money and give your dogs healthier treats if you make your own jerky. 

Nesting boxes

The best and least expensive nesting boxes are made from 5 gallon plastic buckets.
Round or square it doesn't matter, square buckets just stack easier. Check with your local restaurants to see if they have any they're throwing out. Many restaurants will give them to you free or at low cost.

Simply cut a hole in the lid or bottom and you have your instant sanitary nesting box. Make sure you leave a fairly large lip on the bottom edge. A 3 " lip should keep eggs from rolling out. Add straw or other nesting material to keep your eggs clean and the box is ready to go. Note: good nesting material such as straw eliminates most of the need for a bubblier to clean the eggs and instead of having to clean all your eggs you only have to clean a few. It can be screwed to a wall or placed in a wood rack. Be sure and mount your nesting box lower than the roost so the chickens do not try to roost in or on the nesting box. This will also keep them from defecating in or on the nest box. The plastic nesting box will be cleaner than a wooden box and will help prevent mites and other parasites. 

   Note; if you intend for your chickens to hatch their own eggs, be sure and place the nest box in a spot close to the ground. The mother hen will try to lead her chicks back to the nest they hatched out of each night. If the nest box is high off the ground the mother hen will not be able to get her chicks back into the nest and they may not survive. Not to mention the baby chicks trying to get out of the box high off the ground may fall to their death. The buckets also makes it easy to relocate the hen and her chicks if need be.

cat litter box re-purposed as a chicken nesting box

     Nesting boxes can be made from just about anything. The nesting box to the right was made from a cat litter box. Stones were placed on the lid to keep the box from blowing away in the wind and in front of the opening for easy access. A nesting egg (fake egg) is placed in the nest to encourage chickens to use the nest. Plastic Easter eggs also work really well for this. Be sure to weight the eggs down and glue them shut. Keeping in mind that a nesting box close to the ground is vulnerable to predators, I placed this one inside the chicken run for added protection.

Commercial nesting boxes are available such as the one above. And can be easily mounted to the inside wall of your chicken coop. 

chicken or poultry crook

chicken crook

    No, it's not a person who steals chickens. It's something that I have noticed most people do not seem to know about. And although I enjoy watching people chase chickens all over the place, I think it's time to clue you in on an easier way of catching chickens or poultry. 

    Chicken crooks have been around for as long as sheep crooks or shepherds crooks have been around. In the days before fencing was invented, chickens and turkeys were herded much like any other livestock. My father would tell me stories of getting up before the sun came up in order to herd a couple hundred turkeys into the alfalfa fields during the day. Then before the sun would set he would herd the turkeys back to the roost. This was an 8 foot tall 10 foot wide ladder that the turkeys would sleep on at night, to keep away from the coyotes. My father would complain that sometimes he had to climb the roost and pretend to be a Turkey, in order to convince the turkeys that this is where they needed to go to sleep. From time to time he would have to use the crook to catch a few stray turkeys and physically put them on the roost. Trying to catch poultry on a large farm would have been impossible without the use of a crook.

    The all metal crook on the left has been in the family for almost 100 years. The steel crook has a finger width gap and is constructed from a light rebar that is about pencil thickness (1/4”). The one on the right is one that I made from a mop handle and some heavy steel wire (1/8 to 3/16”) wire. This crook has a Pencil sized gap but because it is more flexible it can be used on a variety of chicken sizes.

   Unlike sheep crooks which are used around the neck, these crooks are used to snare one of the legs of the chicken. You will also find that you can use this device in tight quarters where a net would not be an option. 

Watering poultry

Watering poultry

  You've made an investment in your livestock and making sure your livestock has a fresh clean water supply is very important. Water should be changed daily if you are not using a pressurized water system. Wild animals will want to use your poultry water supply and this poses a health threat to your livestock. If you can keep your water supply clean this will reduce the stress on your poultry and improve the health of your flock.

Chicken nipples

Poultry nipples are a fairly new way of safely watering your poultry.They allow you to water your poultry and keep wild birds out of your water supply and from spreading disease.

 It is a more sanitary method of watering your poultry . They are a miniature version of the watering nipple used for dogs and larger livestock. You can attach these to buckets as you see here or they can be attached to pressurized water systems. You should use two or more nipples in case one gets clogged or if you have a lot of poultry.

 Two things should be kept in mind.  The cheapest source is usually eBay. The second thing to keep in mind is that chickens will not learn to drink from these on their own . Simply tie a string to one of the nipples and let it drip. After a day or so the chickens will know where to get their water . The buckets need to be cleaned from time to time, but all in all they work well during the summer. In winter I am back to using a rubber bowl.
    I only have turkeys and chickens at this time so I don't know how well it works for other birds. It should be noted that I am still trying to get the turkeys to use the nipples.

During the winter months I use a rubber feed dish. These feed dishes are made from recycled tires,come in a variety of sizes and will last forever. They remain flexible during the winter months (Unless you live in sub freezing temperatures, in which case everything breaks.) when the water freezes and makes it easy to remove ice. When using this type of waterier it's important to change the water daily, as wild birds will leave droppings in the water spreading disease.

(note) this type of dish should never be used around baby chicks as they will fall in and drown.

    During the winter months chickens have a tendency not to drink enough water. A heated watering dish will encourage the chickens to drink more water. An additional benefit to a heated watering dish is that the hens will lay more eggs during the winter months. Although heated watering dishes are expensive, homemade watering dishes can be made with a light bulb under a metal pan. It should also be noted that during the winter months it is a good idea to add minerals to the water. 

These mason watering jars for baby chicks are made from galvanized metal, left and glass on the right. both are dishwasher safe and will last a lifetime. The glass one on the right has been in my family for over 50 years and the only thing that I have had to replace on it is the jar. I do not recommend plastic for several reasons. One it is designed to the biodegradable which means they will rot in the sun after a year or two and the other is for about the same amount of money you can find the metal or glass ones. In addition as the plastic heats up in the sunlight it leaches chemicals into the water.

Golden turkeys

With the price of gold over $1600 an ounce, I thought it would be good to relate a story about gold nuggets in the turkey gizzards. This is a story that my father and uncle told me about how they found gold nuggets in the turkey gizzards. At the time my father and his oldest brother were left to manage the farm, while the rest of the family went to California to work. One day after selling some of the old breeding stock to a butcher in Reno, Nevada my father got a phone call from the butcher. The butcher wanted to know if he could get more of those turkeys and was willing to pay three times the normal price. Now breeding stock is tough and only good for making soup. My father wanted to know why his turkeys were in such demand, so he did some investigation. After a few phone calls my father learned that the butcher was finding gold nuggets in the turkey gizzards. My uncle and my father immediately butchered a couple of turkeys and sure enough they did find small gold nuggets. But where did the turkeys get the gold nuggets from? In those days turkeys were herded much like cows into open fields for feed. And in the process of feeding on alfalfa they periodically pick up bits of gravel and sand. They are especially attracted to anything shiny and will eat it just to find out what it is. Turkeys and other birds use this grit in their gizzards to chew up their food. They do not have any teeth so they swallow their food whole. Well one thing led to another and they ended up butchering the entire flock of 300 turkeys. They searched for months trying to find the gold on the old homestead, but never did find the source. The only conclusion they could come up with is that some old prospector lost his gold pouch and the turkeys founded it. When everything was said and done, they had managed to collect enough gold from the gizzards to replace the flock of turkeys, before their parents returned home from California. To this day no one knows where the turkeys got the gold from but people still go looking for the legendary Golden turkey gizzards. The moral to the story ; don't always be in a hurry to throw out those gizzards when you are butchering. Those turkeys and chickens may be worth more than you know!

Feeding poultry

Some of the things to keep in mind while watching this video is that crumbles and lay pellets are the main feed for adult laying poultry.   Also an additional supplement that you may want to add to their diet is Oyster shell. Oyster shell is added to the diet if your hens are laying eggs with shells that are too thin. In contrast; If the egg shells are too thick you may want to cut back on how much calcium or oyster shell is in their diet.

It should also be noted; chicken scratch or cracked grains should not be used as their sole diet. It does not provide enough protein for them to lay eggs and may result in vitamin deficiencies.

Feeding table scraps to your poultry

Some ideas on feeding table scraps to your poultry.
Last year's hay price only averaged $70 a ton. This year's hay prices have exceeded $300 per ton and as a result feed costs have skyrocketed. With rising feed costs, I am on a constant lookout for alternative food sources for my livestock. I am planting my own alfalfa and other grasses that poultry graze on, as well as corn and other grain crops.
Table scraps that once went to the compost pile now go to the chickens.Crushed eggshells, stale bread, and trimmings from fruits and vegetables are a good supplement. Note; feeding eggshells to your poultry can take the place of oyster shell, but your poultry should not recognize it as an egg. If they recognize it as an egg they will begin to cannibalize their own eggs. The main thing you should never feed to your livestock is spoiled food. Bread with mold or other fungi could be fatal to the poultry. A good rule of thumb is; if it's good enough for you to eat, it's good enough for them, otherwise compost it.
My father related to me; During the Great Depression they would catch carp and other fish to feed to the chickens and turkeys. This was to supplement protein in their diet, but it had one drawback in that blood spots would show up in the eggs. As a result they would only do this for poultry being raised for meat production.

(revision 1-9- 2014)
There are a couple of foods that have come to my attention that should not be fed to chickens or livestock. Chocolate and onions which are poisonous to dogs are also toxic to other livestock. Potato sprouts are poisonous to people and animals and peels that may contain sprouts should not be fed to livestock. Anything that has to do with the nightshade family should be avoided altogether. Also keep in mind that things like asparagus, radishes, and other pungent plants although they may not be poisonous may taint the flavor of eggs being produced. Weeds such as cockle burrs and  loco weed should also not be fed to livestock as they are poisonous. Generally most poultry will not eat poisonous foods if other food sources are available. If this were not the case you would see a lot of dead wild birds. If your poultry is given the proper habitat and the proper foods the health of your birds should not be an issue.

Cooking a 35 pound turkey

The following videos will explain how to cook a 35 to 40 pound turkey.
This is using a traditional method of covering in foil. A faster cooking time may be obtained by using a cooking bag. The length of time for cooking a turkey is not as important as temperature.(Note: When taking the cooking temperature with a meat thermometer it is best not to penetrate all the way to the bone. The bone will read a higher temperature and thus give you a false reading.) A thigh temperature of 180° to 185° and a breast temperature of at least 165° is best in a 350° to 375° preheated oven. (NOTE: the stuffing or aromatics should never be eaten, as internal temperatures do not reach high enough to kill bacteria.)
This is a four-part video.
Cooking a turkey part one
http://youtu.be/VfEipdRD5RQ
cooking a turkey part two
http://youtu.be/EqThXBloZ78
cooking a turkey part three
http://youtu.be/dddSxHykQBI
cooking a turkey part four
http://youtu.be/Tf3ojAe6gzQ

Homesteading Nevada desert: butchering a turkey

Caution! The following videos and instructions are graphic descriptions of how to butcher a Turkey and not recommended for children.

How to butcher a turkey, using the brain stick method .
(1) 12 to 14 hours before butchering cut off food and water to the animal that is to be butchered.[This will make it easier to remove internal organs and less of a mess]
(2) items you will need
(A) a high secure place to hang a 50 pound bird from.
(B) a strong rope with noose or wood tee.
(C) a pair of pliers, for pulling tough feathers.
(D) a thin blade knife or ice pick[four brain sticking]
(E) a butcher knife or hunting knife[for cutting apart and dismembering]
(F) pruning shears or meet shears [for cutting joints and neck bone]
(G) 5 to 10 pound weight with sharpened heavy wire hook[for putting through bottom lip in order to keep the neck taunt and straight]
(H) a bucket to dispose of waste parts in.
(I) a clean bowl to place giblets.[Heart, liver, gizzard, Nick]
(j) a propane torch or rolled newspaper [to burn away pin feathers]
(3) early morning or cool weather is the best time.
(4) hang bird from rope making sure to hang high enough so as to keep weight off the ground and keep the turkeys neck stretched taunt.
(5) once bird is hanging stretch out the neck and hook heavyweight(5 to 10 pounds) through bottom lip. Or as my father suggested put the hook through the roof of the mouth out one of the nostrils.
(6) Take the sticking knife or ice pick and put it inside the mouth of a turkey facing up toward the eye. Make a quick upward thrust through the roof of the mouth pass the eyes. The turkey brain should be directly behind the eyes and if done correctly is a quick and painless method of killing the bird and loosening the feathers. The bird tail feathers should rise and the body should momentarily stiffen if done correctly.
(7) Quickly after brain sticking cut the turkeys juggler. And let the bird bleed well for a couple minutes. During this time the bird may have some involuntary responses such as flapping and you should wait until the bird is done flapping before beginning plucking feathers.
(8) As you begin plucking, you should notice that the feathers are fairly easy to pull. The tail feathers and wings feathers will be the most difficult. It may require the use of pliers in order to pull the feathers. The wingtips can simply be cut off as there is no meat in this part of the bird.
(9) At some point you will want to hang the bird by one legged. This is so you can pluck the feathers around the anus and began gutting the bird.
(10) Using a small sharp knife, make an incision around the anus, being careful not to cut too deep. You will also make an incision down toward the breast in order to open up the body cavity. With your hand carefully reach in and pull part of the intestine out so as not to lose the end of the anus.
Do not try to remove all of the intestines and organs at this time.
(11) At the base of the neck make an incision in the skin and cut around the neck, being careful not to cut the trachea or the esophagus. Peel the skin down toward the head. Pull the trachea and esophagus away from the neck and cut by the head. Make an incision at the crotch of the neck to open up the body cavity. Use your fingers to separate and open the body cavity at the neck.
(12) Now comes the hard part. Back at the anus carefully reach in and separate tissue with your fingers and work your hand down toward the neck. Carefully pulling out the intestine and other body organs.[Be extremely careful around the liver which has a green bile sac attached to it. Do not break this bile sac near any meat as it will taint anything that it touches. If you get it on the meet you might as well throw it away. If you get it on your hands be sure and use soap and water and wash it off before proceeding with the butchering.]
(13) if you are successful in removing the internal organs there are three organs you may want to save for eating. They are the heart, the liver, and the gizzard.
[Liver] cut away whatever organs may be attached being careful not to break the green bile sac. Once detached, carefully cut around the green bile sac, being sure to cut well away from it. You may end up wasting some of the liver trying to avoid the bile sac, but better safe than sorry.
{Heart] simply detach and save for cooking.
[Gizzard] Detach from the trachea and other body parts. It will be large muscle in the shape of a disk with holes on either side. Using a sharp knife carefully split the gizzard open. (kind of like shucking a claim) Try not to cut the inner sac that is filled with rocks and pebbles. Once you have split the muscle open peel the sack out from inside the muscle. Try to make sure that this lime green lining is removed. Use a fingernail or dull knife to scrape the lining out, as anything cooked with this lining will be made to taste very bitter.
(14) At this point remove any excess fat or organs that have yet to be removed such as the trachea and esophagus. Rinse out the inner body cavity with water making sure that everything is clean.
(15) Cut the head off from the neck using pruning shears or a very sharp knife. And then cut the neck off the body and save for making gravy or soup.
(16) In the final steps you will cut off the feet at the knee joint above the scaly part of the leg,using a sharp knife or pruning shears. Cut the tendons in between the joints, do not try to cut bone.
(17) At this point you're finished and the bird is ready for cooking.

Caution! The following videos are graphic instruction on how to butcher a Turkey and not recommended for children.

For additional information you can go to these YouTube videos that follow.
Butchering a turkey part one
http://youtu.be/2iJtHMDaPvs
butchering a turkey part two
http://youtu.be/QlWpX4fBeKI
butchering a turkey part three
http://youtu.be/XP0ol2rEEA8
butchering a tricky part four
http://youtu.be/BHNhiS6O6RE
butchering a turkey part five
http://youtu.be/seMOO0D-26E