[Food] Production - Poultry (was Backyard Chickens)

[Pops]

Sounds serious enough to search on over at Backyard Chickens, Kathy - http://www.backyardchickens.com/msgboard.html

Prolly a good idea to set a pan with some chlorine water or other disinfectant at the gate to the pen so you can wash your off boots (and your hands too I guess) after working with the sick birds; it’s a common practice on big ranches.

I wonder about mixing some diatomaceous earth with very dry dirt (maybe even baked in the oven to kill any existing bugs) for them to dust in? I’ve never tried this or even read it but it is a thought.

[Ludi]

Prolly a good idea to set a pan with some chlorine water or other disinfectant at the gate to the pen so you can wash your off boots (and your hands too I guess) after working with the sick birds; it’s a common practice on big ranches.

That's a very good idea!

[CarlinsDarlin]

The more I read, the more I worry that I probably ought to just put them all in the freezer. Here I was trying to do something good... Oh well, I'm not worried about the babies at any rate. They hatched from my eggs and have only spent a few weeks in that environment, and then in suspended brooder cages - i.e., their feet haven't touched the floor. They should be fine.

I will do additional research Pops, thanks for the link. And the chlorine water sounds like a good idea too.

I had heard of bumblefoot, but wasn't sure what it was. Sounds serious. I certainly don't want that here

Thanks again,
Kathy

[Ludi]

I have to show off my new babies. I got a whopping 2, count 'em, two, healthy baby chicks from my hens' eggs. These are the first babies produced at home by my hens and roosters.

My avatar, Onyx, was the setting hen who did the honors. That's her leg in the first pic.

[CarlinsDarlin]

Congratulations on the babies, Ludi! Our first batch hatched four, but the second batch only hatched one, and the third batch also only one ... so be happy you got two . They're adorable .

We've decided to do in the roosters this weekend, and treat the 6 little hens who are left. They don't appear to be in as bad a shape as the roosters, so I think they'll be fine, and they are already giving us a couple eggs every day - from their better diet, I assume.

Once the roosters are all done in, we'll clean up the temporary run, move it to a new spot (with fresh grass underneath) and put the babies in there. For now they're in cages and I hate doing that to them - they need to be able to scratch. The temporary pen is a sort of chicken tractor - not by deisgn, but will be by use . We'll be able to move it around the yard, if Carlin helps. So I think the babies will be fine.

We did have one of my original four hens, an Arucauna, die yesterday though . I dont know what happened, actually. There were no marks on her, but she was just dead when we went out to gather eggs last night. Nobody else seems ill - neither did she - so I'm hoping it was a heart attack or something. She was about four years old.

Today I put fresh hay in the chicken run, because thankfully we finally got some rain yesterday (after more than a month without it) and the run was a muddy bog. The chickens are happily scratching in the new hay, and it makes it much easier to work in there. I'll be adding some more hay - it was pretty well worked into the ground - tomorrow as well. So by tomorrow everyone will be happy except the roosters


Kathy

[CarlinsDarlin]

Well, the roosters are done in. We now have 14 more chickens in the freezer & I'm pooped. We also moved the 25 babies and two banties (itty bitty guys ) into temporary tractor and they're peeping and scratching and happy. I used the ladder/stairs from a pull-down attic door as a roost for the babies. Turn the steps upside down and they keep themselves unfolded, and the skinny side of the step board is up (and rounded) - perfect for a perch for babies. There are low perches for those who can't get higher, and high perches for all the rest. For the most part, tonight, the babies are all roosting on the top three steps.

The ladder was acquired from one of Carlin's co-workers who was planning to put it in the dumpster. He'd gotten a new one. Well, living in a mobile home, we don't even have an attic , but Carlin's a master scrounger and can't pass anything up that might be usable on the farm. We've had it here three days, and already found a use for it.

The same guy was also throwing away a perfectly good hinged metal garage door. It's the kind that sort of "rolls" up, not the single panel. It is now, temporarily, tied down as a roof on the same chicken tractor.

We acquired from another source (also free) a very rusty, but solid metal rabbit cage on legs and Carlin picked it up today. Not sure what I'm going to use it for, since I hate putting chicks in them, and most of my rabbits are running loose. If I can get the rust cleaned up, I might move Bugs the Bachelor Bunny to a new bachelor pad. It's larger than his current hutch (which is pretty big itself) and would give him some more space. It literally hung out the back end - past the tail gate - and filled the bed side-to-side, of our short bed, full-sized truck. So, it's pretty big. Of course, I'll only put animals of any kind in it if I can figure out how to get the rust off. If I can't I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. Maybe sell it to a scrap metal dealer .

Tonight I'm sunburned and this is the first time I've really sat down today, other than for a short break. We did get a lot done, though, so I'm happy.

Oh, in other chicken news - During the last week, a gentleman called our house to inquire if we had chickens for sale. He'd gotten our number at the local feed store, when he'd asked them if they knew of anyone. Carlin had mentioned to them that we sell eggs, and a chicken or two from time to time.

The guy came out and ended up buying 13 young hens (pullets), and 1 young rooster. I made $70. Could have made more, by charging more per bird, but I'm not trying to get rich, just pay for their keep. I decided that if I charged more, I'd sell fewer birds - so it wouldn't matter anyway. Besides, I spent considerably less than that on the 50 day-old chicks I bought. This one sale paid me back for buying the chicks, and I still have 33 of them (3 died young). My egg production went down from about 45 eggs a day to about 36. Still, plenty of eggs to use and to sell.

The same day, a friend bought two gallons of goat milk, and 6 dozen eggs from us. We also sold a couple other dozen eggs to other customers. It was nice to see a little money coming in from the animals for a change.

But, best news of all - though not specifically chicken related - is that we got two good rains this week, after more than a month without a drop. It's been a productive week on the farm . And I'm glad some good news finally started happening. I needed a pick-me-up.

Kathy

[casual_ties]

Great thread!

Quick question: what is the best use that can be made of the skins/feathers/ heads/feet?

[CarlinsDarlin]

what is the best use that can be made of the skins/feathers/ heads/feet?

Hmm. Got me there. In Japan, chicken feet are eaten, along with many of the innards - I saw something on it on food network the other night. Pretty disgusting to me but then again, I probably eat things they wouldn't like either.

Many of the guts can be used as catfish bait - in fact a neighbor offered to help us butcher the roosters just for the guts - he fishes a lot. He ended up not being able to help because he was out of town, so he didnt get them. We did feed the catfish in the pond, though .

As for the feathers, heads, and feet ... they were discarded. I don't have a clue what could be done with them. If you plucked the chickens and had skins without feathers, you can grill them or broil them in the oven, and dogs love them as treats. Anytime I cook chicken that still has the skin, I take it off, and do exactly that. We don't need the extra calories or fat, and the dogs love them.

Of course, if you went to all the trouble to pluck the birds, you may want to leave the skins in tact. Personally I just skin them. Too much trouble to pluck them.

Kathy

[CarlinsDarlin]

Tanada,
I had thought that some part of the chickens would make good fertilizer for the garden. I recall someone saying (maybe it was John Seymour in one of his books) that if you had a dead dog you could bury it under the corn lol.

We always kept the hearts, gizzards and liver when I was a kid as well. The only one I would eat was the heart. Didn't like the taste of the gizzard, and I've never been a fan of liver. Carlin doesn't like any of the above, though, so we didn't save any of them this time. The only way I like the heart is fried and we don't eat fried chicken often (too much cholesterol )

I have plucked chickens before, and did it as you suggested - dunking them in boiling water. It wasn't so bad, but perhaps my bad memories of it have something to do with the fact that it was about 20 degrees outside while I was doing it. It stinks to high heaven, so I dunked them outside, and then I froze while plucking them .

Anyway, like I said, since I take the skins off when cooking anyway, it's easier just to skin them. Now turkeys are a different story - they're worth having the skins on, just to roast them .
kathy

[CarlinsDarlin]

that's wierd... how did the posts end up in the wrong order?

[Pops]

Uh oh; getting between 1 & 2 dozen eggs a day now.

Anyone know where to get a good deal on Waterglass for storing?

[Tanada]

what is the best use that can be made of the skins/feathers/ heads/feet?

Hmm. Got me there. In Japan, chicken feet are eaten, along with many of the innards - I saw something on it on food network the other night. Pretty disgusting to me but then again, I probably eat things they wouldn't like either.

Many of the guts can be used as catfish bait - in fact a neighbor offered to help us butcher the roosters just for the guts - he fishes a lot. He ended up not being able to help because he was out of town, so he didnt get them. We did feed the catfish in the pond, though .

As for the feathers, heads, and feet ... they were discarded. I don't have a clue what could be done with them. If you plucked the chickens and had skins without feathers, you can grill them or broil them in the oven, and dogs love them as treats. Anytime I cook chicken that still has the skin, I take it off, and do exactly that. We don't need the extra calories or fat, and the dogs love them.

Of course, if you went to all the trouble to pluck the birds, you may want to leave the skins in tact. Personally I just skin them. Too much trouble to pluck them.

Kathy

Plucking is a peice of cake, you just have to dunk the dead bird in boiling hot water for a few seconds to relax the quills and it pulls out easily in handfuls.

As for what to do with the innards, we used to eat the gizzards, hearts, livers and use the rest as dog food if bone free, and as fertilizer under the corn for the heads and feet.

[elizabethlea]

What I love about having chickens -

They are a fun hobby. I really enjoy having them around.

Homegrown meat/eggs/fertiliser, making a family just a little more self sufficient.

Extra eggs are a great way to start smale-scale bartering. We trade eggs with family friends for cauliflower twice the size of what you get in the supermarket, onions the size of grapefruit and other beautiful fruit and veg. Which is lucky for us because we are terrible gardeners

So anyway. Just some thoughts

[sdcoyote]

Hello folks.

I also have a question. We have raised chickens many years, purchasing them in April, having them lay a few months and butchering them in Nov.

Now my wife wants to winter a few. The shed that I keep them in is pretty well insulated (has inside walls, etc) but has no electricity. When we first get chicks I keep them for 3-4 weeks in a playpen in the garage that has electricity.

Do you think chickens can live in sub zero temps for a week at time (we live in south dakota - it gets cold.)

Second, how would one keep water to them without it freezing almost immediately.

Suggestions?

[CarlinsDarlin]

sdcoyote,
We don't get sub-zero temps this far south (thank heavens ) but it does get below freezing - in the teens - on a regular basis in the winter. While we do have power to our henhouse, the only time I have ever used it was to keep heat lamps on young chickens this past spring. If all of your birds are adult, you'lll probably find they're more cold-hardy than you might think.

In the winter, I close the chickens in the building at night, after they've all gone in to roost, by blocking the chicken door into the run. I keep a good amount of fresh hay inside, so they can snuggle down into it to keep warm. I winterize the building when cold weather starts in, by blocking up any spaces where the wind might come though, and this past year, by stapling up large sheets of cardboard over the inside of the walls and ceiling. Chickens, in a large enough number, will produce some body heat (as will the litter they produce - a reason not to be so fastidious in cleaning during winter), so keeping them closed up at night and preventing drafts will help keep them warm.

As for water, I usually go out several times a day and add hot water to their bowls to melt the ice that forms. There are heating elements you can put in the water, if you had power, but short of that, adding the hot water is all I can think of to suggest.

Another thing I do during cold weather is to try to feed the chickens warm foods. I'll cook up a big pot of oatmeal and take it out when it's still hot. They love it, and it warms up their tummies . I also have some very old pasta that I'll be cooking up for them this winter. I offer this warm food to them inside their house, rather than outside, so it stays warm longer, and encourages them to stay inside as well.

You really need to keep an eye on the birds' combs and wattles in cold weather. That's the first place they will get frost bite if they get too cold.

My grandfather used to raise commercial broilers, and he had several wood burning stoves in the (very large) houses during the winter. They sat on heat resistant pads and up on cinder blocks, to keep shavings from getting too hot. The babies would often snuggle under the stoves to keep warm. As the chickens get older, they would generate enough of their own body heat that the wood stoves were not necessary. Again, that was a very large number of chickens, and very large houses. My grandfather never had any fire scares during his time raising chickens, but I wouldn't say it couldnt happen.

Regardless, my hen house is not large enough to do that safely, but if you have a large house, a small woodburning stove might be an idea as well.

So far, my chickens have done fine with just a bit of extra insulation, and making sure there are no drafts through the house.

Hope this helps,
Kathy

[casual_ties]

Thanks for the replies. My dad had urban chickens 40 years ago, until the neighbors made him stop. It was the rooster that did it if I remember correctly. I'd like to try and revive the idea since the folks are almost retired and living in the country now (and driving 50 mins to the groc shop). Cheers

[Ludi]

I'm in the process of designing two new chicken houses, so I'm looking for ideas. I found this site of chicken house designs:

http://www.rosecomb.com/random/coops/coops1.html

[skyemoor]

Has anyone read Joel Salatin's book Pastured Poutry Profits? If so, any comments?

And some interesting Pastured Poultry Links.

[Ludi]

Has anyone read Joel Salatin's book Pastured Poutry Profits? If so, any comments?

Yes, I think it's a very helpful book. Though I think his pasture houses need improvement, especially for hot climates. I went with a different design, that seems to work fairly well, except we haven't quite worked out the wheels for moving them easily.

I also like Salatin's You Can Farm.

[skyemoor]

Has anyone read Joel Salatin's book Pastured Poutry Profits? If so, any comments?

Yes, I think it's a very helpful book. Though I think his pasture houses need improvement, especially for hot climates. I went with a different design, that seems to work fairly well, except we haven't quite worked out the wheels for moving them easily.

I also like Salatin's You Can Farm.

I thought I saw in a post above that your were considering coops. Are you doing both? Or just using the coop in the winter? Does it depend upon the breed? You have us very interested.