Thanks for the detailed info! I sure hope it's as easy as it sounds. I also hope that I don't accidentaly puncture anything.
My rooster tried to eat me...should I eat him first?
No. The chicks I have now were incubated here at the farm. My rooster is the father to them all, and three of my RIR's are the mamma's. The older chickens came from the local farm and home...and they get them from local farmers.
That's neat :)
Yeah...I AM really tempted to go back and get some of the broler chicks...that way I wont feel so bad about culling my rooster and no one else! But I think those are cornish broilers...anyone done those before? My wedding is in 8 weeks...so I would have to do them before then. Not sure if 7 weeks is enough time to get them big ebough to cull.
It takes 8 weeks to raise broilers to about 3 3.5 lbs. Is that what you mean?
I didnt know about the different kinds of broilers. I know there are Jumbo, XX, Cornish...and not sure what other kinds. The ones here local are cornish broilers (I think cornish are smaller)...so not sure if there are time differences between them. I just watched a few butchering videos on U-tube. I think I can handle doing this now.
this is by far the best visual step by step for butchering, very thorough. i have it all printed out and handy for every time we do it...
www.themodernhomestead.us
they write for Mother Earth News and Backyard Poultry.
it is hard. it is also rewarding and satisfying to know what you are eating...
We also have a processing plant just about 20 miles from here. I think I will check to see what the minimum # of birds they will process is as well.
Fabulous site Tamara. Thank you for letting us know. I've put it in my favorites.
You can butcher them in 7 weeks they just won't be as large. Actually you can butcher them even younger if you really had to. You can also let them go a little longer for roasters.
The only problem is that we are leaving May 4th for our 2 week honeymoon...and wont have anyone here to feed the broilers. The older chickens have a feeder that will keep them for 2-3 weeks, and the water will be the same. I just want to butcher before we leave so we dont have to worry about it when we get home...maybe I will go buy some broilers tomorrow night. :) Then we will plan to butcher around 7 weeks or so.
Have fun on your honeymoon mcamden! I think we have all have the problem of finding someone to take care of our animals when we want to go somewhere. I'd butcher too before leaving-this way you can relax and not be worrying if they are doing well.
Well I just called the local poultry processor...NICE GUY! I think I want to adopt him. :) He gave me all kinds of information about what to feed, how to care for them...ect. He said that he charges $1.25 to process, or a $1.70 to process and put into a thick vacuum packed freezer bag. He doesn't have a minimum order either, and said I could watch if I wanted. They do cut the heads off, and a machine does the rest. He also said I could pick up my chicks from him next year at only $.80 each. Bomgaars charges $1,20 each.
Although...I did have a nightmare last night that I went out to tell Ryan that I wanted to keep the rooster after all...but it was too late. I just think he is pretty. :)
Well, Blanca attacked me again, today. I was ready for
her this time, and caught her as she flew at me. Big ruckus
going on, and Davey didn't like it. He thought about it, too,
but did not. So, I held Blanca for a good long while and we
had a talk. There was a time before we got Davey she would
sit with me and was very sweet. But, of the two, since she was
the first aggressor, it started with her and will end with her,
one way or another. I have a lot of chickens growing now, and
can do without any with a nasty temperament. We will see if she
listened.
may princess tammy have sweet birds.
This message was edited Feb 28, 2008 1:21 PM
I also had a talk with my roo last night. I waited until they all went home and he was in his normal spot. He never roosts with the hens...but instead stays close to the door. I pet him for a few minutes and told him what we had been discussing in regards to his 'future'. We will see if he learns his lesson. He has 6 weeks to shape up...or he is shipping out! Although...I would almost rather stuff him! He is just SO pretty!
well, he IS pretty. you could take a lot of pictures, naybe even have a painting commissioned...
Yep. Tawny was really pretty, but since he got so mean, he had to go.
He tasted jusy yummy.
I will have new pics to post soon. Yeah...I did it. I bought a dozen broilers...and 5 more RIR's! The broilers were on sale since they were already 2 weeks old! I guess that is just two weeks less we have to pay to feed them. The RIR's were on sale too...but only 4 days old.
Yep, Mel, and it is also that they will be 2 weeks older when you have them butchered. So much the better.
Looks like you have made the jump to processing birds,
without too much remorse. That's a good thing. Even if
you have the butcher do it. You are going to be getting
marrued so very soon, before you know it it will sneak up
on you!
may princess tammy have a great day.
I KNOW! But I have always been known to decide to do something...and 24 hours later it is being done! Here is a picture of the broilers. They are pretty big!
And the new RIR's...
And a cute one of the same chicks...
And our half Buff Oprington half RIR chicks...
I think about 5 weeks old now.
Mcamden, Did you get the broilers from the farm near you? They look to be about 3 weeks old and if so, then you can butcher then in about 5 weeks. If you are getting married in 8 weeks, see if there is a local processing plant and save yourself a lot of time and frustration.
That's an adorable picture with the cat and the chicks....
The spotted ones are RIR? They are pretty cute...
:) Kathy
I did get them local. The guy said they were at least 2 weeks, but not yet 3...so we are somewhere in between. I could only find feed that was 21% protein, and my butcher (who will be doing these for me) said that 23-24% is ideal...and at 21% we should give them an extra week to get to the idea size. I will weight them when we get close to find out if they are ready.
The spotted ones are the RIR's...you can tell my half breeds look more like my buff orptington roo who will also be butchered. We will keep one rooster from the pure RIR's chicks to raise and keep to watch our flock. Then next year we can raise all pure RIR chicks here. I may even get some barred rocks and do sexlinks...but we will see.
? about your setup.. the pic in post http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4604890 looks like you have two rooms, one with the heat lamp the other has the feed.. is that what I am seeing...
So I take it, as they get a little older, you are allowing them the choice to leave the warm room and stroll to a cooler place?
Or different rooms for interest?
I have tried out meaning/aggressiving my roos and I just can't. They are simply more persistent ( although I bet they don't make up words like meaning and aggressiving!) My turken roo had my husband and I walking around the yard with a shovel for protection! He was brutal!
My best luck has been taking the roos and sticking them under my armpit while I do my chicken chores. They seem to get the idea that I am the boss lady and they leave me alone. I have had very good luck with my current roos.
I have been doing that since they were little, though, since i didn't want to have to put down any more roos due to aggressive behaviors. I'm not sure how it would work with someone who was already really aggressive.
mc, your kitty looks real impressed! LOL!
Susan
Hahaha...that one brooder does have a couple rooms. They have the living room...dining room...and a bedroom. Just kidding. They are so big that we attached a few server boxes (Ryan is a computer programmer). They can stay in the room that has the heat, or go where the water and feed is. That area does not get too cold...but keeps the water from getting really warm, and does give them the option. We will add additional boxes in the next 4 weeks so they will never be outside...and should be as fat as possible!
My kitty is very inpresses. She loves the new chicks while they are small...then runs from them when they grow up.
Here are my cute kitty/chick pics from last spring:
And here is the other one
Hey mcamden,
I have nearly the same prob.. I`m only 11. My rooster, Dandee has been flogging everyone. Me, my dad my sis. Everyone. I`ve raised him from a chick and I love him sooo much, along with my other chicks. My dad wants to kill him. I don`t want to do that but I`m scared of him. Please help!
You know those cat/chick pictures are very cute but you should be aware that a cat's teeth,saliva and claws have a bacteria (Pasteurella) which can kill a bird rapidly if the skin is broken in anyway. They don't have to inflict lethal damage to kill a chick. Nature gave them the weapons to catch a meal easily.
This page was set up to warn cockatiel owners but a bird is a bird so I'll post it here http://www.cockatielcottage.net/cats.html
Just a heads up.
MollyD
Thanks for the info, MollyD.
You're welcome Granny. Don't want anyone heartbroken by something they weren't aware of.
MollyD
Well, at least now I know why I don't allow any stray animals around the chicken pen. We used to have a few feral cats around, but they went to that big litter box in the sky. And since I called the sheriff's office on our neighbor's dog, we haven't had any trouble there, either.
And I also know why I don't let my dog kiss me. She eats kitty tootsie rolls. Yuck!!
LOL! That is a hoot Granny!
MollyD
I have a buff brahman that did the same thing once. I grabbed him and held him by the neck firmly and made him understand I was the dominate roo. He never did it again. I still have him and he is very sweet now. You can not handle roosters like you do hens. They look at you as another roo.
I guess it's best to have one rooster at a time then?
MollyD