Hens on Board

[clausont]

I'm probably a little late to chime in on this one but I will anyway.
For what my 2 cents is worth, we have 13 chickens on our 10 acres ( they mostly range) and considering the mess they make here, I would never consider trying to keep even one live chicken on a boat.
They would probably not lay on board (although that is a guess from our experience in owning chickens for a long time) and trying to store enough feed for them without it getting wet may pose a whole other set of problems.
Just my thoughts.

[rtbates]

Not since my square rigger days. You're kidding, right? Ever been in a chicken coop? Want that smell on your boat??

[TaoJones]

. . . and she's post-menopausal, so . . . no eggs. She still keeps laying though, bless her heart.

TaoJones

[Tim francis]

I’m about to add a couple coops. I have dingy davits that go far from my stern and the chickens woukd have some shade and **** down off the stern. Either way I’m going to give it a try

[kenbo]

Originally Posted by Tim francis

I’m about to add a couple coops. I have dingy davits that go far from my stern and the chickens woukd have some shade and **** down off the stern. Either way I’m going to give it a try

Tim,

Is your boat Kolea, a C400?

[Fore and Aft]

I am surprised no one has mentioned this guy. He is single handed so a fowl mess probably doesn't matter. I wonder how much fowl weather he has seen on his voyage?
Cheers
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tod.../amp/tdna97921

[Tim francis]

Yes kenbo

[Dusty Mac]

I was going to mention the 24 year old sailing around the world with a chicken.

https://www.guirecsoudee.com/projet

Be sure to read the chicken's bio.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

I am surprised no one has mentioned this guy. He is single handed so a fowl mess probably doesn't matter. I wonder how much fowl weather he has seen on his voyage?
Cheers
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tod.../amp/tdna97921

Guirec made it around the world (in his unusual fashion) with Monique. Apparently she likes to eat lobster and fish and loves the smell of the sea...

Link to his new website:
https://www.guirecsoudee.com/?lang=en

He's now rowed across the Atlantic (in another boat) - Instagram pics here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BGHhDedqSy_/?hl=en

and is currently biking the Loire. (He's currently 29 years old.)

There's a book, too (!)
https://www.guirecsoudee.com/boutique/livre-recit

Intrepid!
LittleWing77

[nolakennedys]

Its doable, if you set up the space correctly for it. My concern would be all the issues with having live birds on board pulling into other countries. Chickens are one of the things you see the most on islands and in many third world countries. As far as eggs, you can put them in lye water to preserve, but it's a lot of space and extra weight and they still could break. I would opt for one of the dried egg options like Ovaeasy brand. They work well for most applications underway.

[Cheechako]

What a mess, what a lot of noise, what a bad idea for you and the hens.

[RollingAlaskans]

If a person is set on fowl on board - they should seriously consider quail. They require considerably less space ... yeah, considerably smaller eggs, too!

Quail are good living in a small rabbit hutch type setup & reproduce fast enough that a fairly small flock would be sustainable to provide eggs & the occasional roasted bird.

While I’ve not personally cleaned quail, I understand it is similar to grouse where you essentially “skin”them and eat just the breast skipping the whole mess of plucking. You could also pluck them for an entire bird to roast akin to Cornish game hens... but wow, what a mess that would be.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by RollingAlaskans

... While I’ve not personally cleaned quail, I understand it is similar to grouse where you essentially “skin”them and eat just the breast skipping the whole mess of plucking. You could also pluck them for an entire bird to roast akin to Cornish game hens... but wow, what a mess that would be.

Ruffed grouse, also known as partridge, are very easy to clean and fairly mess-free.
It is best to clean the birds as soon as possible, as they are easier to pull apart while they are still warm.
Lay the bird breast side up, and place your feet on its wings.
Slowly pull the bird up by the feet, making sure you have a firm hold. If you grab too high on the feet, the legs may just come off, which is not what we want.
Pulling will separate the breast and wings, from the rest of the bird.
The head, insides and legs should all pull up and through the breast cavity. If you would like to eat the legs, cut them off using clippers or a knife, and keep the fleshy part.
Now that you have pulled off the rest of the body, you should be left with wings attached to the breast. Pull any remaining feathers off the fleshy part of the breast, and pull out any remaining entrails, left inside the breast.
Once you can see the joints of the wings attached to the breast, cut them off using a knife. It is a good idea to remove the wings once you have your bird at home, as at least one attached wing is necessary while transporting your kill to help conservation officers identify the bird.
To debone the breast meat, find the backbone. Take a sharp knife, and cut against that bone on each side, all the way though the breast.
That’s it! You should be left with a nice grouse breast, ready to be washed, cut and cooked.

[Mirage35]

Originally Posted by s/v 'Faith'

Not sure about chickens.....


... I have had goats before, and they might be suited to cruising.

They eat darn near anything, and the wonder of the things is that they poop little round pellets that look like rabbit turds. I mean you can literally pick up the waste with your bare hands straight from the goat and not even get your hands dirty.

Maybe an idea for what all you 'big boat' sailors could do with all that extra space...

I seem to remember that Joshua Slocum received a goat as a gift in some port or another; rapidly became disillusioned after it started eating the rigging.

[Tim francis]

I wanted two hens but the girl was pissed. So I figured she’d be less pissed with ducks. So I had my friend find ducks for me and we paddled into shore to get them. So far so good.

Oh and it led up to a breaking point from cabin fever and I lost it when she started emotionally attacking me and ASKED her to get off the boat, after pulling anchor to get to a harbor. Anyway this is about the ducks. We’re all good now and needed to blow off steam and the ducks are good.

I think they’re mallards but Larissa googled pictures of the gigantic swans and she premeditated that’s what these are.

I figure they’ll fly away or I’ll keep the girls and there shoukd be more eggs than we need. I’m trying to get deep off grid and practicing I guess
Aloha
Sailboat kolea