Colorado

[wsmith]

I know, strange right?

That's what we have here!

 

[wsmith]

Would a culling and processing class at the chicken swaps be too barbaric? Haha

Hmmm...... Anybody want to do a short presentation on a chicken raising related subject during ChickenFest? Not necessarily culling and processing, but almaost any chicken raising subject?

 

[cosbackyard]

Our local feed store started having trouble selling chicks and I think it is because the price of feed is so high and then after a couple of years, most people are stuck with animals to feed and not that many eggs for the cost of the feed and now they do not know what to do. The cost of the chicks is nothing compared to the rest of it. Some of us on here process our extra birds but most just can't do that and so you should figure out how to make a cost effective cycle for people and then they will buy more birds. That would be the overall solution and Murdoch's should be willing to help considering the money they can make selling chicks. Community bulk feed purchases help lower that cost. It won't help in the short term, but I really think that is what is going on.
What do others think???

I wonder if there's a business opportunity there. I'm not sure that I'd want to process my birds myself, even if I knew how. I wouldn't be dealing in the quantities to make it worthwhile.
But I would pay to have mine processed...

 

[ScottLovelandCO]

I wonder if there's a business opportunity there. I'm not sure that I'd want to process my birds myself, even if I knew how. I wouldn't be dealing in the quantities to make it worthwhile.
But I would pay to have mine processed...

I'm sure one could do some sort of start up business. I just don't know the FDA implications of processing birds for other people. Do you start getting into licenses and inspections? That could be a pain.

 

[cosbackyard]

I'm sure one could do some sort of start up business. I just don't know the FDA implications of processing birds for other people. Do you start getting into licenses and inspections? That could be a pain.

I share those thoughts. I have heard that there's some organization in denver that you can bring your birds to for processing. I saw it advertised along side some chicken swap up there.

I know of so many people in the springs who raise chickens now and only one who has the equipment/knowledge to process them.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Funding....., grants for homeless and soup kitchens etc seeing as how most of the birds processed would be older layers
Equipment...., Mobile truck for processing, easy to clean, would have to have a scalder, plucker and a freezer, like one of those food trucks?
Set up a travel route for every couple of months and do a CO tour. (Or maybe just 4x a year)
A backup plan would be to have the ability to process lamb and goats and other small critters. "Custom processing on the farm."
It could work and there seems to be a definite need.

 

[ScottLovelandCO]

Funding....., grants for homeless and soup kitchens etc seeing as how most of the birds processed would be older layers
Equipment...., Mobile truck for processing, easy to clean, would have to have a scalder, plucker and a freezer, like one of those food trucks?
Set up a travel route for every couple of months and do a CO tour. (Or maybe just 4x a year)
A backup plan would be to have the ability to process lamb and goats and other small critters. "Custom processing on the farm."
It could work and there seems to be a definite need.

What do people pay to have a bird processed? Would it be worth the price of fuel to drive to someone's house to cull their flock and only process 4-6 birds?

 

[Natural Mama]

Wow ScottLovelandCO,
How awful! When my hubby and I first moved to Colorado part of our requirements for a house was that there was no HOA. It sounds like that was a smart move on our part. I have parrots and a large outdoor flight for them. I knew an HOA wouldn't allow my flight. Luckily I have really cool neighbors and they all like the birds. The kids in the hood ask to come over and see them frequently.

I'm glad you got out of that hellish HOA. I am not HOA material, I would never survive in one.

 

[ScottLovelandCO]

Wow ScottLovelandCO,
How awful! When my hubby and I first moved to Colorado part of our requirements for a house was that there was no HOA. It sounds like that was a smart move on our part. I have parrots and a large outdoor flight for them. I knew an HOA wouldn't allow my flight. Luckily I have really cool neighbors and they all like the birds. The kids in the hood ask to come over and see them frequently.

I'm glad you got out of that hellish HOA. I am not HOA material, I would never survive in one.

Smart woman! I'm from Southern Illinois, our little farm towns barely had any rules at all. I don't remember dad pulling permits for building anything. And people call this the wild west. I will never do an HOA again. I said that exact same phrase 2 years ago. I landed myself a sweet rental in a decent neighborhood. One beautiful summer day I hear a ruckus in the backyard, my dogs are going wild. The lady THREE doors down was mowing the vacant house next to me while it was on the market. I caught her standing on the fence rail and THROWING rocks at my dogs. She claimed that they were bothering her while she was mowing. They're DEAF and would not have heard her mowing if she were driving circles around them while they slept. A few days later I got a letter from an HOA stating that I had 14 days to get rid of my chicken coop and birds as backyard poultry is not allowed. They also kindly attached photos of my chicken coop as proof. They were taken from an angle as to only have been photographed from the vacant backyard. Turns out that even the property management company didn't know the house they were managing was in an HOA. Apparently it is an inactive HOA that only enforces violations based on homeowner complaints. Upon talking to other neighbors in the area, I found out that this lady walks around the neighborhood with a pen and paper and sends in a minimum of 10 complaints a week. My lease is up in 28 days and a wake up....GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!

 

[Mtn Margie]

What do people pay to have a bird processed? Would it be worth the price of fuel to drive to someone's house to cull their flock and only process 4-6 birds?

There would have to be a minimum number of birds/ animals for on the farm but I bet if the truck was at these various swaps, it would be busy.