Years ago, I experimented with different ways of defleshing skeletons
for a skeletal type collection, I buried various birds.  After 8 months
there was practically nothing left while medium size mammals were just
fine.  I have noticed the Best preservation of bird bones is from dry
environments, such as crawlspaces and under pouches. 

Keith Doms   

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Carol Serr
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 2:42 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: poultry consumption - missing bones ?

But WHERE are the bones...if it was common to raise or eat
chicken...'back then'???

I don't yet have the totals for our '1908-1920' period Grant, Jr. dump
bone assemblage (it is being analyzed out of office)...but I remember
seeing maybe 10 fowl long bones (could have been from 5-7 birds)...among
nearly 2 banker boxes full of large mammal bone.  Why such a LOW
percentage...and at a rural summer home...where one would think it would
be common to have chickens for eggs and meat (even if they 'help' did
the raising). ???  Was the family of higher status...so they didn't eat
chicken? (were the chicken bones in the dump from the meals of the hired
help? But would still expect a higher frequency).


But...WHERE are the chicken bones?  Do they disintegrate sooner than the
more robust large mammal bones?  Wouldn't think so...since in much older
prehistoric sites...we find a plethora of small mammal bones.  

>-----Original Message-----
>From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On 
>Behalf Of Dan Allen
>Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 9:21 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: poultry consumption
>
>Fried chicken or chicken and dumplin's (and cornbread)were 
>also a Sunday (after church) meal where I grew up in Middle 
>TN.  One of my most horrific memories is of my grandmother (b. 
>1910s and d. 1980s) chasing my blue-dyed easter chick, now 
>full grown with only blue tips left on a few feathers, around 
>the yard, catching it, wringing its neck and chopping its head 
>off before my very eyes.  She kept a special hatchet just for 
>such purpose on the pumphouse for the well behind the house.  
>Unfortunately, all of the kids in my family, cousins, etc. had 
>to go through this whole ordeal annually in alternating colors 
>(red, green, blue, etc).  You could buy them from vendors on 
>the side of the road or at grocery and some department stores. 
> While she would try to be subtle about it and do it when kids 
>weren't watching, she was busted quite often and always dried 
>the tears, making up for the killing by tabling the best 
>chicken to ever pass a tonsil.  I've excavated a few axe and 
>hatchet heads behind historic houses and thought of that murderous
>hatchet::)  We chidren would not go near it.  Incidently, in 
>the 1950s from her (and my other rural and older female 
>relatives) point of view preparing store-butchered chicken was 
>considered a luxury because it was considered expensive.  It 
>was cheaper to raise them for meal-ready-eats and you had the 
>benefit of fresh eggs.  We always kept some banty hens for 
>little bitty eggs for the kids. Also interesting, her married 
>surname was Hatchett:)
>
>dan allen
>cumberland research group, inc.
>www.cumberlandresearch.org
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "David Parkhill" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 10:16 AM
>Subject: Re: poultry consumption
>
>
>> Chicken was considered the" Sunday special meal" by many folks in the
>> '30's. Those of us living on the farms in Texas always took fried
>> chicken with us most of the time while working in the fields. Many
>> times while working in the fields (ours and our neighbors) the wives
>> and mothers would meet us in the field under a shade tree with fried
>> chicken, biscuits, iced tea   et al for lunch.
>> DTP