Audrey, Joseph's wife sent this photo. She went to visit an old lady in nursing home and they had chicks on display for Easter. Yesterday they wanted the chicks to go to good home. Audrey brought them to be layers.
Mother used to buy chicks to rear them as layers or for their meat. These Australian hens were very good. We fed them with pellets. These chicks fly in planes. I have no idea where they are from.
We also have our own Kampong or native chicken. We call them San Ba chicken and they run around a lot. We have nesting boxes for them to lay their eggs. We normally do not eat these eggs as they are quite small.
When there are about 15 eggs, Mum shines a torch on them. If there is a round disc, mum makes red mark, and a mother hen will sit on them. Not sure how she chooses the privileged clucky hen. The hen is very fierce as she protects her future brood. If you go near her, she will defend her eggs and peck at you.
A chick takes about a month to come out. Half way through, Mother shines the eggs again. You see the fertilised egg turning red. If there is any duds, Mother takes them away.
Mother cooks this dud eggs, and I suppose it is likened to the Filipino balut egg except it has not gone so far advance. Mother cooks this egg in wine and says it is very good. But we are not allowed to take it. At any rate, I feel too icky to want to eat the soup.
After a month, most of the chicks are hatched. There are a few which are duds. Mum learnt the lesson not to help the chicks come up. She says they are too weak. Once Mother helped the chicks crack the shell and help the chick. The chicks die. Mum just throws these unhatched chicks away.
How do I know all this? Because from the age of 11, I was mum's assistant. I fed the chicken and the ducks.
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I would love to have chickens. I would love the fresh eggs - but not killing them for meat.
ReplyDeleteHo hum.
Thanks for sharing your experience!