Chickens In Ya Window

[scflock]

5 days in the fridge is probably ok, I would probably try for 4 days. I have read that when people finish the meat birds like bresse they add grains and milk for the last month. You could check the bresse page. They have several different methods.
Sounds tasty.

I am switching my turkeys to a finishing diet now. It's too late to add more meat, so now all you want to do is get them soft and add fat. You just need to turn them into well-fed couch potatoes. Confinement helps.

I feed my turkeys a finishing diet of broiler finisher crumble, stale bread begged from every bakery around, cracked wheat soaked in milk, a decent amount of scratch grains, leftovers from the kitchen, and lots of sweet tasting green scraps, and if I get an early deer, I toss the carcass scraps in. If it doesn't taste good, don't feed it. If I had surplus or stale eggs, I'd scramble them up and add them too.

I will be processing my turkeys the Friday before Thanksgiving. It is essential to chill the carcass thoroughly and quickly immediately after killing. While dry chilling is great, I don't have a walk-in cooler. I have to ice water chill them. After an hour or so in ice water, I drain and bag them. If saving giblets, bag them separately. I keep my turkey fridge chilled to 32F, they won't freeze, they just stay very chilled. 5 days is fine at under 37F.

Thanks for the replies. Great advice, and very helpful
Adding fat is exactly what I need. My first 2 were extremely lean.
Well, my growing and thinning season is over. I just gave away 16 cockerels to my best friend, who just happens to be mexican. I'm sure they will be very happy
I started January with 4 BCM pullets from a straight run batch. Now I have 24, so that's perfect for a BCM pen and an olive egger pen
Now if those AMs would just start laying...

 

[scflock]

Actually my hubby does not have an accent at all. And my husband is working towards his English major or minor not sure yet but he is a stickler for proper english....trust me!!
When we lived Alaska our house did not have cable because it did not come out that far so we lived without it...we are now coming up on 10 years without it so....not too far behind you!!

I speak properly, although heavily accented
I watch a ton of TV, but you guys probably figured that out from all of the vague references

 

[chicapee]

I speak properly, although heavily accented
I watch a ton of TV, but you guys probably figured that out from all of the vague references

Well as you maybe sure that I speak the Queens English...NOT.
used to, but living over here has made me sound more cockney. Yuck.

This is such a satisfying feeling.

Some feeders I just finished to install in the turkey and juvenile chicken grow out pen. I already put one in the bachelor pad.

Some of the rest of the logs I need to split.

 

[WVduckchick]

Ok I will. I still have to do my homework and I have lots of genetic questions I need to research.
Wow, that's just sad. Nothing irks me like a very irresponsible animal owner.
I can't stand tv! If it wasn't for my kids I would not have cable.

Ruby, did you see Ravyns comment that you can't ship live birds if you aren't NPIP?

Well as you maybe sure that I speak the Queens English...NOT.
used to, but living over here has made me sound more cockney. Yuck.

This is such a satisfying feeling.

Some feeders I just finished to install in the turkey and juvenile chicken grow out pen. I already put one in the bachelor pad.

Some of the rest of the logs I need to split.

Dang woman, you rock!

 

[chicapee]

Ruby, did you see Ravyns comment that you can't ship live birds if you aren't NPIP?
Dang woman, you rock!

We saved $1500 last year by installing a Woodburning stove and cutting up fire wood. We cut up the fallen trees in our woods. And we had a job to cut up and remove an oak that had fallen on a house, that is those huge logs. We hot paid $2000 to cut it up and bring it home for winter. When you grow up in the uk, you learn to be very energy efficient because it is so expensive there. I really need to sort out the vegetable garden next spring and put in some more fruit trees. I love to stay home and work my little homestead. It has been my dream. Last year we had that arctic freeze and we ripped out the old fireplace and installed the stove the day before it hit. When you live in a sub tropical clime it was a shock. But we were toasty.

 

[napdognewfie]

Good planning. I used to stay in shape shoveling coal and stacking wood. Nobody trusted me with an Axe or chainsaw. Shudder. Lol

 

[frmboyinthecity]

Does anyone have any experience rescuing chickens? Especially mostly starved ones? I just went and caught those chickens my neighbors just left in their back yard when they left. They clearly haven't been fed well for sometime. I gave them a full feeder of the flock raiser pellets, as well as a couple handfuls of whole oats. After watching them attack it, I decided that after they had put down all the oats and about 2-3 cups of the pellets in 15 minutes, I decided I better take the feed away for a little while because I didn't want them to eat too fast. Anyone with experience with this?

 

[Ravynscroft]

Does anyone have any experience rescuing chickens? Especially mostly starved ones? I just went and caught those chickens my neighbors just left in their back yard when they left. They clearly haven't been fed well for sometime. I gave them a full feeder of the flock raiser pellets, as well as a couple handfuls of whole oats. After watching them attack it, I decided that after they had put down all the oats and about 2-3 cups of the pellets in 15 minutes, I decided I better take the feed away for a little while because I didn't want them to eat too fast. Anyone with experience with this?

In normal conditions, I am a big proponent of free access to feed... but I agree with you, I would be concerned about them overeating right now... if possible, glfeed them in morn and in evening right before dark... give enough for them all to eat in about 15 mins or so, then take it away... give a little more every couple days until they slow down and start gaining weight...

JMO, others may have different ideas...

 

[chicapee]

In normal conditions, I am a big proponent of free access to feed... but I agree with you, I would be concerned about them overeating right now... if possible, glfeed them in morn and in evening right before dark... give enough for them all to eat in about 15 mins or so, then take it away... give a little more every couple days until they slow down and start gaining weight...

JMO, others may have different ideas...

I totally agree. If you give too much too soon it can kill them. Little and often.

 

[WVduckchick]

I totally agree. If you give too much too soon it can kill them. Little and often.

Yep, I'd agree with that too.

Frmboy, how old are these chickens? Its very nice of you to take them on. Did you quarantine them from your flock?