A full day

It has been a full hard day here today. We got an early start on the butchering this morning and got 20 black Australorps butchered. Ended up with about 10 large family meal bags in the freezer and 12 quarts of canned chicken and 10 quarts of canned chicken stock. The stock is very nourishing and is made from the bony pieces of chicken, skin and any fat from the birds with water, onion, celery, parsley, salt and pepper and a splash of vinegar cooked in pressure canner for about 2 hours. The stock is strained and canned. Some was used to cover the chicken that was being canned. The raw chicken is put into wide mouth quart jars with the stock to cover and processed in the pressure canner for 90 minutes at 10 lb. pressure. Nothing goes to waste at butchering time. After the stock is strained I save the cooked bones and vegetables and freeze in meal portions for the cats and puppy.These are the chicks I hatched in the incubator in June. They were 2 1/2 months old and had been free ranged for the past month. And they sure do make the best stock. I still have about 20 dark Cornish to butcher maybe next weekend. Then later when the Cornish pullets start laying the layer flock I have now will get butchered and it will all be canned as they are older birds.
The water proofing material got put on the cellar today too and a layer of roof felt. This should keep it nice and dry inside. Tomorrow we will be brushing on the water proofing material on the sides as well as painting the inside with a good coat of paint to make it easier to clean in the spring. Looks like tomorrow will be rather busy. That is if I can still move in the morning. Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

stella