Actually, it looks like there could be an improvement in the plucker design, and that alone would make a huge difference in the quality of the result after processing. The question I have is, can you just skin the birds, feathers and all? And, would that affect your product negatively, in the eyes of your customers?
@@doloresreynolds8145 Would you buy a Thanksgiving turkey without skin? Fried chicken without skin? The skin is part of the bird, and is often the best part imho.
I really like how brutally honest you are on this channel. Especially the self-deprecating sarcasm. Setbacks and fails are life's kick in the pants and lets face it, we all need one of those every once in a while. So quit looking in the rearview mirror and pay attention to the road in front of you.
self deprecation shows humility, and shows others that you aren't a narcissist, but I don't feel it's good thing to make a frequent habit of, the way alot of people do.... I'm not implying anything about the guy here, I'm just saying in general.
@@GoldShawFarm please just be careful not to tear yourself down to much, you honestly admit problems and regrets but also than honestly give yourself credit for your successes. And you may not like my next comment, but please Express gratitude to the LORD Jesus who is the giver of all good things. (I'm a new subscriber and enjoy your content)
He said he doesn't find them hard to pluck. He likes to pluck them when they're cool so the skin doesn't tear. He plucks just a few feathers at a time, not a handful.
Personally I'd get pretty upset if they told me I'd have to wait when I made an appointment at a set time that couldn't change. I'd frankly just tell them, "Either come at the time I need you to come, I'm going to reschedule for a totally different day, or I'm going with a different bussiness." Or at least give me a pretty damn good reason why you can't make it at the time I specified.
Sad as you say if you want your plucking business to keep growing, you need to keep appointments with new customers. Sorry for the issues. All the best for next year. Xo from Australia
Not sure about the mobile guys but my understanding is you book processing facilities weeks or months ahead of time. Especially during hunting season. So the guy knows you have no other options at that point.
Dan Martin it’s always a challenge when dealing with new customers/service providers. A poor first experience, regardless of circumstances or fault easily leaves a sour feeling behind. It was said you guys were super friendly and professional so the experience could have easily been the best ever. I think it would have been better to squeeze in the early customer at the end instead of pushing the new guy into a window he didn’t anticipate. That would be my issue. I don’t think he mentioned you by name. So I would suggest to solve all issues of performance and expectations in a more private setting going forth. Communication is a two way road and misunderstandings happen easily. Wishing you best of luck Dan.
Dan Martin I understand your reasoning. Funny you mention “out of stater”. I’m moving to Maine in a few years, and I have already noticed that things work a little different out there compared to the big city. I hope I won’t burn too many bridges while I learn.
@@danmartin5516 Can you elaborate on these reasons? You appear to have no empathy for the farmer in this case... even being quite harsh when he in fact said nothing negative about you in the video. on the contrary.
The animals lived a good life. Even better than in the wild. They forever had as much water and food as they wanted. They had a safe shelter they could sleep with no fear at night. And they could roalm around in a place they never had to be nervous about. Samuel especially is a happy case, as he got to old age, something many wild animals never get to. The animals were treated with repsect. They were seen first of all as living beens, and only second as food. Death is natural, eating meat is natural. At least, the way you do it, its one that teaches people to better value life and food. To waste less and eat just as much as they need for a healthy living, instead of being picky and eating more than they should. When you respect nature, you respect what you have more as well.
Sounds to me like you found another income stream for your farm...become the water fowl processor for the area. You don't have to apologize for eating meat or processing meat. Let the meat eaters enjoy their eating preference just as we all should let the vegetarians and / or vegans enjoy their eating preferences.
Excellent point. The research has begun and there is more than enough time to get proper approvals and plenty of room to provide a proper facility to continually improve it. I bet there are already suppliers willing to provide equipment for promotional consideration on your channel. Another big win, Morgan. "...we saw your video and wonder if our equipment might provide an improved..." I'm feeling better already!
It's interesting when you look at it from the perspective of "we are what we eat". Yes a goose is a meat BUT...what do THEY eat? They're vegetarians and insectivores, of course. And what does a cow eat? Grass.
I honestly don't give a shit if people eat meat. for me meat is just not an option haven't had it since I was five🤷 but I would want more meat eaters to support people who kill the animal nicely I guess is the word?😂
Eating meat involves a victim who doesn't have a voice and are defenseless against us Humans who breed , enslave and butcher the animals with no mercy whatsoever, its not the same to veganism as plants don't have their throats slit while they slip in unconsciousness watching themselves bleed to death , or have bolts shot in their head to be paralysed while they drown in boiling water , or living their entire measly life without knowing what the sun feels like or what the grass on their feet feels like. Even if the animals lead a good and happy life , killing them is still exploitation , its done against the will of the living being. No one wants to die willingly. Killing animals is for our benefit , for us humans to eat them , sell them , wear them... its only for our own benefit , not for the benefit of the innocent animals we enslave. That's why you're responsible for the murder when you eat meat , sure its murder by proxy ... but your money is supporting the systematic exploitation of these beings hence you are technically responsible.
Don't get too down dude. Life is full of tests like this, and at least you can see where things went wrong. Next time will be better, and will go smoother. I personally really like your philosophy around eating meat. I don't farm, but I do fish and shoot. Taking part in harvesting your meat, be it by farming or hunting does make you appreciate the sacrifice involved. I took time out from my regular job a few years back and did an electrical apprenticeship, and one of the contracts my boss had was at a factory chicken farm. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that your birds have a great life compared with most poultry. That place nearly made me vegan.
The main lesson I learned from your experience is to find a reputable processor. As a beginner homesteader I am concerned about finding a processor I can not only trust as to fully benefit from the harvest - chickens, goats, and pigs - but to also promote the underlying reason for homesteading... to provide a meaningful resource for all the efforts. I wish you much luck this next year and sincerely appreciate you having me along to learn and grow via your vlog.
It's a learning process for sure! Definitely go for the wax, I hand plucked all my ducks the last two years and this year I used the wet method with duck wax, what a difference! Very clean and exactly the presentation that you're looking for. Keeping two different vats at two different temperature can be difficult, but a temperature controlled scalder would solve that problem. Also I'm sure you know by seeing this year. The white geese make the best animal for presentation just like Pekin does because if you have any minut feathers they don't show if there's any left on the body. Keep up the awesome videos❤🦆👍
Morgan, I was going to mention a couple of weeks ago that I hoped your head was in the right place to harvest Samuel soon. It was obvious he was struggling. Had you not been there to protect and care for him he would have died weeks ago. Don't beat yourself up.
Hey Buddy, here in Germany it's common practice to burn the little stumps of the feathers off. Use a gas blowtorch. After that a short scrubbing and you should be good. Also did you put a bit of dishsoap into the water? It helps getting the water under the feathers. I saw a video about that ducks cannot swim in water, wich is laced with dishsoap. I assume it's the same effect. Some butcher friend of mine likes to use a steam cleaner instead of the pot with boiling water. A butcher always has one around for cleaning. And last: I hope you collect the feathers and downs, they are used in expensive pillows. Don't get dishearted! I really like your wholesome channel!
The Dishsoap method works because Waterfowl keep themselves resistant to water through Oils they spread through their feathers during preening that originate from glands near their tails. Cut out the Oil and you've got one heck of a drenched Duck.
Keep in mind that humans are able to best, most humanely consume the protein they need; without violent struggle nor consuming it alive. The animals we eat don't, for the most part struggle on the edge of starvation through their entire existence as do many animals in the wild. They're not so free as much as having to continually search for just for survival and security. We provide that for them.
@@pmessinger Also, one SHOULD be sad to end the lives of the animals they care for. It's respectful to the animals and adds understanding and value to the resources you are provided with.
@@ericv00 Then why spent time and money on the birds ? Nobody is multimillionaire doing homesteading. why don't you do it , instead of virtue signalling like an ass ?
@Lau taro Animals can't survive without the deaths of other living things. Try surviving without killing plants. Do you not respect the lives of the plants you eat to survive? Do you think growing plants isn't without a cost to animal life? I hope I am wrong, but I get the feeling your objections are less about having a respect for the lives around you and more about wanting to point fingers at people and call them morally inferior so you can pretend you are superior. Humans are far less cruel than the vast majority of other lifeforms, and the animals we care for generally live far more pleasant lives than their counterparts in the wild. We give to them and they give to us. But hey, if you prefer, I can think of you as a brutal savage for murdering plants and hundreds of thousands of their tiny infant children without a second thought every time you eat a piece of bread. I hope you don't put herbicide (or god forbid, INSECTICIDE) on your garden, like a cold-blooded psychopath! Let me guess, you outsource your killing to a cold, corporate megafarm, don't you? TL;DR Giving a good life and humane death to our animals is more respect than we tend to afford our own grandparents.
Grew up on a farm and we raised hundreds of chickens each year as well as 50-75 ducks and geese each year. Many were for consumption of our large family but many were for sale also. On butcher days we had 2 large tubs of water over open fire. When the first hot one got too dirty we would refill it while the others switched to the other tub. We always started with chickens then moved on to ducks then geese. The 3 boys would catch the birds, loop a homemade hook around the feet and hand off to mom who chopped off heads. We didn't have nice neat cones back then. Don't know if that was because no one had thought of them yet or we were just too poor. After doing the deed they were hung on one of the clotheslines and given a push. By the time they got close enough to the end of the line where we girls were at they had quit flapping and we could grab them, dunk them in the hot water 3-4 times and then start plucking as fast as we could. Mom wasn't happy if we were lolligagging. When clean of feathers we would hook them on the 2nd clothesline and swing them back in mom's direction and grb another bird, When we got to the ducks it was just a case of dunking a little bit slower and a few more times and pulled a little harder. But no one would dare put an unclean bird on that line. Once the boys had brought the quota of each bird they would stoke the fires, put clean water in the tubs as needed and empty out the tub of feathers before joining us girls on plucking duty. After mom had cleaned up her hatchet and started a small fire at her end then using the newspaper torches we had fashioned the night before she would singe any chicken hairs (what us kids called the fuzz that birds can have under feathers). She would then plunge them in her tub of cold water before hooking them on the third line. The geese were a different story for a number of years mainly because of how heavy they were. Before the ducks were all plucked the oldest kids would start plucking geese so that is younger kids would still be able to continue plucking ducks. When we were young we weren't allowed to pluck geese because mom didn't want us dropping them because we couldn't handle the weight. Once I was big enough I had to handle geese also. All plucking was done by hand since there weren't machines to do the job for us. Never heard of people waxing their ducks before RU-vid. Mom would usually turn the burning off the hairs to one of the brothers when there was about 2 dozen birds left to finish so she could come down to her table at our end to begin eviscerating. On the table were separate bowls for livers, gizzards and any unlaid eggs,. Remaining internals were tossed in tub one side and cleaned chicken tossed in tub of cold water on other side. When finished plucking us youngers would spray down our table and then give a quick scrub with vinegar before spraying down with water and leaving for the sun to dry. Once we finished cleaning up our are we were done (only til we got bigger). The olders got to help mom finish up. One would start working on cleaning gizzards. Another would start wrapping meal sized portions of livers and cleaned gizzards in meal sized portions in butcher paper (we kept all gizzards and livers unless a customer specifically wanted them which most didn't back then) and another would wrap the cleaned birds. All wrapped foods would go in a couple buckets to be hauled to the fridge if for customers and to the freezer if for us. I remember how shocking it was as an adult when I started buying everything at the store that birds always seemed to have some remnants of feathers to still be removed which they do to this day. Mom would not have ever let us get away with that, even on the geese.
After the initial processing--dispatching-gutting-plucking---dip several times in a vat of melted paraffin wax allowing wax to harden between dips--peel wax off starting from tail to head. The waxing is very important to get a clean carcass. The wax can be reused over and over! Be careful not to leave them in the hot wax more that 4-5 seconds each time dipped (to avoid cooking). The carcass needs to be completely dried before waxing.
Please stop. I'm not above the cycle of life, I respect it. I support and respect small scale ethical farming. This was not an invitation to battle beliefs, just a comment to still support a good channel I like even if I dont care to watch this one video.
I am sad to hear about Samuel, he was my favorite duck 🦆 but I understand and agree with your reasoning. Sorry about the struggles! No venture goes perfect the first time.
I've seen other animal butchering videos where they use a portable awning/tent structure over the tables. Other people have mentioned using the barn, but a new awning, kept nicely for re-use seems cleaner, with less chance of something undesirable dropping down. I'm sorry things didn't go as well as you hoped, but just chalk it up as part of the beginner's learning curve. And kudos on your ethics regarding eating meat! I think that it is the most responsible model I've yet run across.
Samuel hasn't looked very happy for a while now. Always struggling. But this wasn't a failure. It was a struggle, but not a failure. Huge difference. And you learned things, which is most important.
@@Sceptonic He was SUFFERING because hes been bred that way. Farmed ducks are literally selectively bred to be fatter and bigger so they produce more meat. This causes them severe health problems as their organs cannot cope with the stress of their weight. Don't buy into this farmers bullshit statement that he loved the duck. To him, these animals are simply products that he exploits for personal gain. There is nothing respectful about giving an animal life, only for you to then cut that life short.
@@xsilentmelodiesx They look normal to me. You are confusing them with chickens in factory farms. You know an animal can still get an illness even if it isnt confined to a small cage right
@@Sceptonic Except they're not normal and all livestock are bred this way - not just those living in factory farms. People often point fingers at factory farms and assume that small local farms are so different compared to them. However, the basic process is the same. Animals are raped (artificially inseminated using a farmers hand), taken away from their parents shortly after birth, kept in small pens/barns where they consume their own faeces, fed supplemented food that also contains steroids and antibiotics so the people eating them don't have to take those supplements and so the animals grow and fatten up faster, and then they're either killed on the farm or shipped to slaughterhouses (most go to slaughterhouses), where they're killed the same way that a factory farmed animal would be - either drowned (poultry), gassed (pigs), electrocuted, have their throats slit OR a mix of several of those. All of which happens usually before the animal has reached 2 or even 1 year of age. The reality is, allowing an animal slightly more freedom than a factory farmed one, only to then kill it for personal gain, really isn't much better. A lesser evil is still evil. Plus, even if it was, I can guarantee most meat eaters buy their meat from supermarkets and stores, that are supplied with factory farmed products.
@@xsilentmelodiesx Firstly, there is no evidence Gold Shaw farm artificially inseminates their animals, have you even seen all his videos? They breed naturally thus why he has ganders (males). You can even see some of them mating in some of his videos. "Taken away from parents at birth" Except, that is necessary because the chicks will wander outside and die from hypothermia. "Kept in small pens and consume their own feces". Nope, if you actually watched Morgan's videos you can see they have plenty of space and even get to swim in the pond and wander around inside a fenced area which is really big. They are also well fed, two times a day. "They are fed steroids and antibiotics" Steroids? Really? You are being ridiculous. It seems you are an anti vaxxer if you think antibiotics are bad. "They are killed brutally or sent to a slaughterhouse" Wrong again. Morgan only kills them if they are in declining health or close to dying of old age. He also kills them humanely. You are clearly just trying to find reasons to put down small farm owners. Become more educated and actually watch the videos next time
As a waterfowl hunter as soon as I saw you were not waxing them I knew what the problem would be. Have to wax them or the very lest torch them. Of all birds waterfowl at by far the biggest pain in the ass to clean up all the way. Turkeys, chickens, pheasants and cranes are far easier then ducks, geese and swans. You might want to see if you have any waterfowl hunters in your area they probably help a ton with the learning curve on cleaning the birds.
Try to improve the de-feathering process, maybe you can apply it in to a large scale and become the goose processor in your area... You already found a demand for lowering this cost of opportunity, maybe if you start to offer this practical service by lowering the costs of production of goose meat it could be a new business in your farm.
On the bright side, at least the meat didn't go foul and you were still able to make a sale instead of no sale. I'll be praying for you guys. Live and Learn
I am a year or two behind you on a similar journey. I appreciate your openness and honesty. Perhaps I will learn from what you share and avoid similar mistakes. Thank you.
One of the things that I most appreciate about your channel is the fact that you really document your successes and failures on your journey. It’s just very authentic and encouraging.
Would it be practical to set up processing in the old barn? I figure dealing with a messy floor afterwards is preferable to subjecting raw poultry to the whims of circumstantial weather.
Yes, he definitely needs to do something to be out of any potential weather. I think a portable awning or tent would be safer and reduce the likelihood of something undesirable falling down on the area and potentially contaminating food other people are trusting to have handled in a clean environment. Remember, when food is sold, there are different (higher) expectations. If it was just for his own family's consumption, it is a different matter, the barn might be fine, and it would just be a matter of what he is comfortable with.
If you keep doing the geese, and you find some that are good guards that warn when arial predators come around, think about selling them as chicken guards. Lots of people are using them (Joel Salatin included) because they protect chickens and live a good long time. He was saying 40 years or something - and all breeds can be used this way. I'm sure you've watched his videos but he's big on gaining experience through failure. You'll make mistakes or things won't go your way but you have to get started.
I love your honesty. I butchered a duck on my farm and had the exact same problem. I ended up just skinning out the bird. I agree that waterfowl is a underappreciated resource and plucking them is really holding them back. I was wondering how you was going to address this. Good luck man, it is part of farming. My garden was terrible this year, it is easy to get down. But there is always tomorrow. God bless!
I can see your sadness over Samuel. I’m sorry you had to dispatch him yourself. Tomorrow is a new day. Live and learn is how the saying goes. Don’t beat yourself up.
@@Sceptonic Interesting how you refer to it as "harvesting" rather than saying it how it is. Slaughter. Killing. Murder. The process of taking another beings life away for personal gain. Try and shield yourself from the real terms but the meaning is still there. If the process is sad for you and the farmers, I wonder how you'd feel if you were the animal being killed.
You did a great job and did the best you could given all the little delays/troubles. I used the wax method for my ducks and it works well. It’s really simple and got them clean. Still had one or two that needed extra plucking but most were clean. I used paraffin wax but will try duck wax next time.
I have recently subscribed to your channel and am new to the story of the farm, but I can already see how much of your emotion and commitment is invested into the project and the welfare of the animals. I think that this video is an important window for new or aspiring farmers and many will follow in your footsteps. Any mistakes made and hard ground covered will help those who come after and is going to help them into making their first year a bit smoother. It is the pioneering spirit!
You were much nicer than I would have been. Bumping you from your time slot last minute so they can get another run in is not ok or professional. Out of curiosity, what did they charge you?
@@GoldShawFarm It always amazes me just how small sometimes. I live in Maine now, but enjoy Vermont entirely. The rest of my family all lives in Chittenden county.
I don't have any experience with waterfowl. I know why, they're hard to pluck. If you can find a way to do so, you're ahead. Appreciate your feelings for Samuel. There's a Proverb that says God honors a man who considers his herds and flocks. Thanks for sharing.
It seems as if it could go wrong it did. So thankful that you are willing to share the good and the bad of raising your birds. Your respect for the life of your animals shows and is appreciated.
@Lau taro Why do you feel the need to bash on this dude on every single video you see on this channel? Most of your comments are either "you kill them you bad" or "unessacery killings" He damn well made it clear that he started the duck farm for the experience and to make profit but not to keep them as some sort of pet. Do you even have a reason to why you believe he's actions are unessacery? You do know farming has been around for centuries right?
@Lau taro What do you mean by that? How is he a slave driver or a human trafficer? Edit: Oh nevermind you're a vegan, right? I'll just be willing to agree to disagree, mate.
@Lau taro No one is “winning the life of others” with money. He’s providing a service and being paid for supplying the service. It’s been going on for millions of years my dude. Even if it wasn’t always money, there was something in equal trade. No, I just know a lost argument when I see one. I don’t see the point in a debate when neither side is going to win anything out of it. I’m not going to convince you that what farmers and butchers do is provide a service, and you aren’t going to convince me that this is “winning the lives of others through monetary gain”. It was my mistake in assuming you were a vegan strictly because you don’t agree with the killing of animals, however, that has nothing to do with why I didn’t want to continue this debate. It’s a battle no one will win. I’m still going to go to a supermarket and pay for meat that someone else got paid to slaughter. At least the animals in this man’s farm are being well taken care of and loved before they’re butchered for a meal. Many animals that are slaughtered and sold to stores don’t get that luxury.
@Lau taro ...Dude. You good? This rant makes me question if your mentally alright. You seem hostile and confrontational. Do you need a hug? For real do you need a hug?
Start looking for raw dog food feeders there’s huge groups on Facebook. What I would do is set up a local group for raw feeders if you don’t have one and then invite them to the group and post whenever you have some birds that didn’t come out that clean sell them there. There’s a lot of people doing whole prey too. And people looking to source hearts, lungs, brain, etc it’s also not regulated by the usda. Some Raw feeders will even go the extent of processing them themselves. I raise rabbits and no one local wanted the meat until I found raw feeders.
Watching those geese waddle silently to bed for the last time...they were literally walking the green mile. 🥺 But thats farm life ay. Was vegan. Not anymore. Humanly raise freerange animals and humanly harvest them four my family. Don’t feel disheartened mate, every farmer that loves their animals goes through some really shitty learning curves.
There is no such thing as Humane Slaughter, its called Play on Words. Why aren't you vegan ? you had made a good decision to avoid any animals being killed for the food on your dinner plate, why choose to inflict pain and suffering to other living beings when it isn't out of necessity?
Thank you for showing your viewers the process of learning and growing as well as giving us an understanding of where our food sources come from. My Grandad, a farmer, would have liked you. He began his life in the 19th century and grew up using your methods of sustainable and humane farming. I am so glad you are carrying on and showing your process. It gives me real hope in a corporate world.
I hunt a Geese every year and instead of trying to leave the bird whole, we breast them out. This includes removing the skin from the bird instead of plucking. Have you considered this option instead of doing whole geese butchering. I don't sell so i'm not sure how much this would affect your bottom line for individual sale.
@@monteengel461 I agree that there is much more meat to work with but my concept would be to break down the goose into it's parts and sell skinless. Just a thought but the other comments about specialized plucking devices also seems very practical.
I want to try to raise some sort of bird (was thinking quail, but geese are growing on me ;) ), and every time I bring it up people look at me funny. I don't come from a farming background or anything, but I want to see if I can do it. And later in life I think it would be a fun thing for my grandchildren to be able to visit grandpa's farm. I love watching these videos and seeing the ups and downs of this sort of business. I imagine it can be very stressful, but I'm still convinced it's worth it and this just makes the dream a little more real. Thank you.
I try to watch these videos to help me for the future with my husbands family’s farm. They bring up and butcher their own meat which is awesome because it’s good to know where your meat comes from, but after rescuing two ducklings and watching them grow, it’s so hard to think our future flocks would be put down. Idk I know we’re giving them a healthy and happy life but it’s tough. I’m a huge animal lover and I can’t even kill a fish because my heart hurts but I’ll continue to watch these videos to help me ease into the life style. Obviously my in-laws are amazing people who will let me have my own animals to keep alive and will respect the ones I chose to rescue and take care of so I’m not worried about the ones I bring up. This video was hard to watch but I keep reminding myself it’s the circle of life.
@Lau taro shut the fuck up, i seen you in various comments you are seriously annoying. And guess what if you farm vegetables you need more space,water that means you would need to reduce the homes of other native or not animals and you would end up getting a dog or cat to get rid of rodents who destroy your vegetables. In your ideal world of no killing to eat or to produce things with animals cats,dogs,etc wouldn't have a healthy life because they need meat in their diet and they couldn't live without hunting animals
Look into the Whiz-Bang chicken plucker for yourself. An easier way to pluck the ducks and geese is a higher water temp, and a longer time to scald them. The Dawn helps more then. I made a scalder from a washing machine tub, had legs welded to it and it sits over the turkey fryer base to heat the water. Better control of temps that way. I found that hot water sprayed into the plucker also goes a long way with removal of the pins.
What tells me the temp of the water wasn't correct is how hard the guy had to tug to get those wing feathers to let go after he dropped them into the plucker. Been there, done that and if the people aren't doing water fowl as a main line of business, it's easy to get these issues. The way to tell if the scald is enough, the feathers should pretty much just come out if you touch them .
Yea, I remember seeing the same thing on several videos that I have watched over the years, different temps and different rubber fingers for the pluckers.
@@candidethirtythree4324 I only have the one kind of fingers for mine. These are the larger black fingers. They do it all from bantams right up to turkeys, geese and ducks. You will always have a few pins, but they are easily pulled with a pair of needle nose. Another thing that helps is having one large enough to handle more than 1 large bird at a time. That way you get more tumbling action for the most feather removal.
@@danmartin5516 it's hard to do water fowl. Really hard and that is why most butchers won't touch them. I have pulled some, but luckily all I had was the real tiny just started pins. A good way to take care of the small ones is with a torch, just lightly/quickly go over them and they just pfffft. Trial and error to find the right distance away from the meat, but it does a decent job. What kind of plucker do you have by the way? Have you looked at the Whiz Bang? One other thing I learned, if you cone geese and ducks, you have a miserable time doing the cut as their throats are tough. That can determine how the feathers will come out as well. Never would have believed it, but I saw it with my own eyes. I don't think the upside down puts them out like it does chickens. Not sure exactly, only knows what I know.
@@danmartin5516 I'd say close to 300 personal use. I too have done the meaties, turkeys and dual purpose chickens, for myself as well as friends. Myself and a couple of friends would set up the line, one culling, one scalding and running the plucker [that would be me] and one doing the processing of the meat. The water fowl, I found did better with a quick lopping and then into the cones. Chickens and such are different and for the most part, I have never had any issues once they were into the cones. Quiet, no fuss. I'm sorry you had issues with the WB plucker. They can be a pain to get them right at first, but once there.... One person I know used the WB for doing small pigs with pretty good success. I don't think I could do that myself... Lately I haven't been able to do the raising of the animals because of life. I am not pro and as I said, I knows what I know. If you ever do need to do water fowl again, add some baking soda as well as Dawn to the water. The soda helps the soap strip the oils faster for easier feather release and plucking. Now I will go on to say this, I wouldn't want your job. Not the process, I get that, but the dealing with the peoples. In Maine, I would take all my pork and beef to a place in West Gardiner and did the fowl myself. Hard work, but get the rhythm and it moves along. I really haven't found anyone or any place that does the water fowl here. Most look at you and laugh, so you are to be applauded for your undertaking. One other thing I have in my arsenal is an on demand electric hot water heater that is set up with a hose, just for processing, as well as the fryer under the tub. Proper temp in the beginning and then maintain with the fryer, all the difference in the world. Good luck to you and I hope neither you or Gold Shaw gets discouraged. Think of this, lol, one of these same friends of mine was raising Emu. Imagine having to do that one!
I would ignore those who are saying cut up and skin because surely the whole point of raising the geese like this is to sell them whole so they can be roast. The skin and the underlying fat are intrinsically an important part of the roasting process. We often have goose at Christmas and I can say that even commercially produced birds have remaining feathers and pin feathers. If I were you, I would research how big commercial producers do the feather plucking to see how they go about it. Also is the big barn of a sufficient size to set up some type of processing area? Or perhaps a poly tunnel? It would make things less weather dependent
Have you tried roasting a free range or wild goose ? I have. It doesn't work. the meat is like boot leather. The only reason any store bought goose or turkey is roastable is because its totally grain fed in a battery situation and matured within 6 - 8 weeks. Wild or "free range birds are different. You MUST slow boil until the flesh is almost falling off the bone then you may proceed to roast. Same with goose.
Much Love Morgan and sorry to hear things did not go as planned , that whole Homestead Farming learning curve thing ... on the up side , and you always always need to find an up side , now you know what to expect and change and it will get better ! Love your work ethic about raising animals and what goes into that ( the struggle is real ) ... I definitely see you as a force to be reckoned with and see you making your Farm a Success !! Great video and have a Great Week 🙂❤🙌
Morgan, nothing ever comes out like we want it too. It is a learning process. Next year will be better.. I hope you can get some goslings from your geese. My geese (George and Gracie) did pretty well this spring but then I put out ducklings and they imprinted on them and Gracie left her nest. :( She had 25 eggs in her nest... Next year will be different, I will not get ducklings... oh and also you might want to look and see how many your type of geese lay per year. I harvested about 30 eggs to be sold. and she still had that many. Toulouse generally have 40 or 45 a year and from all I have read the first hatching should be about 15 eggs for successful hatching. That is why I took the first 30... so she would not have a huge clutch. Good luck with the breeding geese this next year... Around Feb is when I got the first egg. Love your videos, keep them coming! Say hello to Allison for me!
You put yourself out there. Most people will never step out and take a chance. We learn from our mistakes. Keep challenging yourself and good things will happen.
I like that. The feast of Samuel the puddle duck. I think that's a great way of honoring him. You've learned a lot. I think it will only get better from here.
It's sad that your processing plans hit a snag. I'm sure most if not all your followers are dabbing tears from their eyes because we care about you and enjoy watching your farm grow and prosper. I look forward to next year watching your farm team with many geese and ducks. Don't let this get you down, as many of the other comments mention, you might perfect and patent a great waterfowl de-feathering process.
I've bought geese a couple of times.... I've heard you can get the water temp regulated to do better, but I've always had a few feathers in them. I understand that's just the way it goes. Sucks that it rained on you! That had to suck! I'm glad you're trying it again next year! We all go through things when we are learning! That's life! If you could ship, I would've ordered one. Seems there's a lot to that though. I think we all over-think sometimes! Go check out places who sell geese (grocery, as in cleaned). You might try getting ahold of another farm that sells them to see if they clean in-house or have a butcher service. Keep on truckin'! Glad you honored your duck friend by having a dinner in his honor. Very kewl! Seems you were attached to him. Remember they aren't just pets, they're food too! Have a great evening! From California
Chin up and lessons learned. My Dad used the wax technique for ducks he hunted so maybe that would work better? Great process to watch, and so grateful for ethical farming!
Great video! Gives us a realistic look at farming! For the past decade or so I have kept hens here in Tucson to have my own eggs. It is a very rewarding experience!
Growth is in making mistakes. I have started journaling my days and listing success/failures so I can have a personal reference sheet that holds me accountable.
@@NiftyShifty1 I would gladly invest in a good feather pillow. I have one thats over ten years old. My husband bought it not realizing it bothered me. But its the best pillow. It was $50. I so need a new one but I only want humane feathers.
Sara Gold, actually a lot of the goose down you get is plucked while they are alive. The time to do that is in the late Spring, early Summer when they start to molt. As long as you do small bits at a time, you are not hurting the birds, it actually helps to relieve them of their Winter coat when it starts to get warm. Just the breast feathers. Anyone who has seen a goose make her nest will understand. feathering their nest is a real thing. She will pull out the down, under the outside feathers to line the nest for the eggs. Soft and the down keeps the eggs warm.
@Lau taro he did. He raised them, cared and gave them an amazing life till they pass/are in pain. they put them down and don't waist what comes from the animals after they pass
I've only been subscribed to your channel for a few days now, but I really do love it. There is an honesty about experiences in your video that I really appreciate. I want to start off by saying I eat meat with the only caveat that I prefer to eat meat slaughtered/harvested humanely and raised/cultivated in ways that are environmentally sustainable. It is clear that you give your birds a good life. You allow them to form the necessary social dynamics so they can live as fulfilling, natural lives as possible. We all have to die at some point, and their time to die is no different except that they don't know it's coming, so in one way their experience on Earth is even more positive than ours. That said, I do wonder if naming your animals doesn't complicate the relationship. You clearly care about the lives and the experiences of your birds. You empathize with their struggles (e.g. that of Bruce the Goose). I do not think that if I were to form those bonds and connections, creating intricate backstories for them, that I could then slaughter them. It would be like killing my dog. When you create special friendships with animals, there has to be a mental block there to dispatch them unless you're a sociopath, which you clearly are not. Our ancestors had to overcome that, and maybe it is because they appreciated that the quality of an organism's life is as important as the length of its life. If your goal is to make the farm profitable off of meat, slaughtering may be necessary. But perhaps the ducks and geese could serve other roles like natural pesticides for your crops or by giving their eggs/siring more offspring to sell. Just some thoughts. Again, no judgment here. I appreciate your thoughts on this, and I look forward to more great videos.
I was sad to see the ducks and geese go but I understand that this is the process of life and I am very thankful to have the numerous replies in the comment section comfort me.
Awww. Your viewers are so proud of you! I just love your videos. Never been around geese, this is so exciting. Maybe next time, you can lick in the time for the goose processor to come in early. Keep going...your fans are rooting for you.
Well done, stick in there and keep learning. Your animals have a good life and your customers have an honest supplier. We’re too far (Scotland) to buy from you but you are exactly the kind of place we look for.
@Lau taro it's not murder because they were taken well care of and the killing process was humane and they are being used as food. Is a predator killing its prey item murder?
Appreciate your honesty and transparency in your learning curve. It is encouraging! My kids and I watch your channel every day and they love Toby and now they yell "Release the geese!" when we let ours out! Lol
I was wondering how that was going to work out for you. Glad you got it done. Would you be so kind and give a rundown on production cost and profit for the geese? I see that they are $5/lb on your website. Just wondering the cost of raising. Thanks.
I felt it so hard when you talked about separating the keepers from those to be harvested. I cull my chickens on occasion for meat and it's always a bit sad. The acknowledgement of what's going to happen. You're a good farm
Ok so here's my deal. We have meat tearing teeth for a reason, period. The number of animals killed etc especially when you raise them yourself providing a good life and humane death pales in comparison to the number destroyed by clearing 1 acre of land to be more humane and eat plants. A proper diet includes both and I will never insult someone that chooses to be a vegetarian regardless of the reason. I suppose that I have come to feel like the "farm/homestead" lifestyle and off grid living to be the purest life a person can lead today. I applaud your raising them in such a happy place and being so concerned for their happiness. On a side note I can tell that you have definitely lost some weight recently just by your face alone so I hope that was intentional and if so congratulations! otherwise seek a doctor's assistance. I think your stubbornness is something to be admired the most important inventions and discoveries in history came after more than a few failures so don't ever give up on the dreams that you guys have!
Meat tearing teeth? ever seen a dog's canine's or lion's ? what about Hippo's teeth ? They have the largest canines and yet are still herbivores... Sure anecdotal evidence always suggests whatever a person prefers is the "proper diet" but if you look at thousands of peer reviewed studies from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics which is a collaborations of 100,000 medical practitioners , you'll see that a vegan diet is the most ideal and effective diet to not only stop cancer but also increase life longevity and quality of life.
@@mridularul1 Vegan diets just don't work for everyone, also Hippos have those teeth because they are perfect for defense and for killing as they are quite vicious and easily bothered, it's after all an evolutionary trait. Furthermore, humans aren't "omnivore" just due to canines, intestines length are also part of the reason. Our intestines are the perfect mid-length to be able to consume both meat and plants. Shorter intestines belong to strict carnivores and the much longer ones to the obligate herbivores too. Also we have been living great long healthy lives without necessary veganism (Here in Spain we have a great number of people over a century that still enjoy functional lifes, quite awesome) but it's true to some a vegan diet would be a key point in their life for the better. Then again, human bodies are complex and what saves some could kill others. This is taking from a more biological pov, not an ethical one.
You do so well with choosing which to process and which to keep and are very professional, you also have an amazing amount of love for these ducks and you take great care of them, I’m sure they’re happy to be your ducks
There's a dry pluck drill you can make DIY. Which I'm a little surprised your mobile butcher didn't use. Then you can use fire to get rid of the pins. It's not my favorite way. Natural gas to remove the pins is still a fossil fuel. The good thing about the wax is you can wax the bird when you dry pluck as well. just wet the bird before you wax it.
If farming were easy and lucrative, everyone would be doing it! I know I am enjoying the process of learning this lifestyle, and having a blast doing it!
Hey but look at it this way too I think every farmer on this planet has had a regret and that’s a part of learning you got a learn from your mistakes and I love how honest you are in every video but this just goes to show it’s not all pitch perfect on every farm and I respect your videos for showing the lesser side of farming too
