we're still outnumbered...

today was a chicken butchering day- the chickens have stopped growing meat from the feed that we're giving them, and are just storing fat, in all the wrong places! so today i helped dave do 12 chickens. we have a nice little set-up in the shade near the chicken tractor, and with our knives, bowls and the garden hose, we're ready to cause some mayhem in their complacent and lazy little lives! dave grabs 2 chickens, destined for his feed bag. he doesn't cut off their head, but rather sticks their head through a hole in the corner, and then sticks them in the throat, or something unpleasant like that. i don't ask for too many details.

his job is to get them presentable looking for me- no head, feathers, feet or poop hole. i take over from there.

some of the chickens i froze whole, but others i butchered up this way. i got 2 breasts, 2 chicken fingers (that's what we call them, anyway), 2 legs and a carcass. those i took into the house and boiled, boning the meat, and saving the broth. i got 2 bags of meat, enough for 2 meals, and 9 quarts of broth. i'll use that in soup, rice or white chili. i left out the pictures of the insides of a chicken. i figured either you already know that, and don't need pictures, or you don't know how to do that, and don't want to see pictures. i'm thoughtful that way.

in other late-breaking news on the home front, the baby bunnies moved into their own pen today. they are eating on their own, and mommy bunny will be having another litter soon.

dave is still busy replacing the joists under the addition. that will soon be done, and ready for the foundation form to be built, and then poured. hopefully next week. i'll be glad when that's done for several reasons. first, everyone keeps tracking tons of dirt into the house- more than usual. and also, there are many random holes, ditches and trenches all over the place. i'll have to do a post about our holes. i'm not exaggerating- there really are alot! and alot of them are in the house! one of the next steps on the addition is the insulation. in preparation for that the boys took off all the old clapboard siding. we will put up sheeting and house wrap around all 3 sides, which will be appreciated come winter time. (in about 3 weeks, here) and see that tiny window by N? that's the window over my kitchen sink, and will be replaced in a few weeks with a bigger and nicer window. yippee!