Recent content by ShadyHoller

  1. ShadyHoller

    Is this Marek's? [link to video]

    Thank you friends, one more bird from the main flock has come down with the same symptoms, and I have moved it into isolation with the first two in the video. They've got a strange jerky, twitchy thing going on, like a palsy. Based on the BYC FAQ on Marek's, it seems like afflicted birds...
  2. ShadyHoller

    Is this Marek's? [link to video]

    Hello all, thanks in advance for helping me understand what's going on here. I've posted a video to YouTube that shows two young roosters who are very wobbly on their feet. They also have a strange wide-eyed appearance. I have seen some very orange runny droppings in their coop. The bird...
  3. ShadyHoller

    Eggtopsy: What happened to my egg? {Graphic Pictures}

    Ok, an update and a renewed request for feedback. We had 18 eggs in the bator. When I posted that picture above, we were about 24 hours into the hatch, so some birds were fully out, some were just pipping, and others hadn't started yet. We ended up with 9 birds hatched, three birds pipped...
  4. ShadyHoller

    Eggtopsy: What happened to my egg? {Graphic Pictures}

    troubleshooting: good pip, but then dead inside Here's what I've got: turkey eggs pipping right on schedule, or a few hours early. Some of the poults hatched out with no problem, but three of them got a good pip, with the beak fully out of the hole, and then expired, as pictured below. As far...
  5. ShadyHoller

    emaciated, but otherwise healthy-seeming hen

    I should also add: if it's coccidiosis, why aren't the other birds showing signs of sickness? Egg production for the flock as a whole is normal. The skinny bird has been that way long enough that, if the disease was contagious, I would have expected other birds to come down with it.
  6. ShadyHoller

    emaciated, but otherwise healthy-seeming hen

    Hi all. Apologies in advance for a question that surely has already been asked. I just can't seem to find it. Here's what I've got: a year-old buff orpington hen who has been skinny for a long time, and who is gradually getting skinnier and skinnier. She is now about the size of a pigeon...
  7. ShadyHoller

    Deer questions- Graphic

    Quote: You can freeze the burger meat right away. A double-wrapping with squares of white butcher and you are good to go. Don't forget to label each pack, as soon as it's wrapped, or you'll be defrosting "mystery meat" for the next year, and you won't know if you've got a tenderloin or...
  8. ShadyHoller

    PO and chicks

    Kfacres, I just reread my previous post, and it sounded punchier in tone than I meant it to. I wasn't trying to be pushy, but I did want to make the point that the USPS is revenue neutral, so it's not a direct culprit in regard to the national debt. When people stop using the USPS, it has to...
  9. ShadyHoller

    PO and chicks

    Quote: I agree that the USPS has become obsolete and the rest of the world has moved on to alternative methods for communicating, but it is unclear to me how a reduction in USPS service is going to help with the debt. USPS is not funded by tax revenues, except for minor subsidies helping to...
  10. ShadyHoller

    Smoking a Bourbon Red - Need Suggestions - Updated w/ Pics Page 2!

    All previous posts are good advice. There are two reasons why I quarter turkeys and don't smoke them whole. The first reason is that the legs take longer, and the breasts are prone to drying out. So, I like the option of being able to take the breasts out an hour early. The second reason for...
  11. ShadyHoller

    Smoking a Bourbon Red - Need Suggestions - Updated w/ Pics Page 2!

    We love smoked turkey. I use an old-school, offset fire-box smoker, and we burn apple wood or pear wood or alder. What TomG said: brine first. That's essential. The brine starts a physical change in the muscle that prevents it from becoming so dry and stringy after hours in the smoker...
  12. ShadyHoller

    Lots of fat in Tom's chest area

    This question has come up a few times, and, while there are different opinions out there, it looks like the general agreement is too much food and treats. Here are my two comparisons: last year our birds were confined in a coop (about 25 sq. ft. per bird, so plenty of room, but definitely not...
  13. ShadyHoller

    Maximum time for duck in fridge?

    Quote: That's totally consistent with what I do. In my view, people are often overly-concerned with using the meat as quickly as possible. I think it's important to keep in mind that with home-processed meat, we have more control over the food sanitation compared to high-volume industrial...
  14. ShadyHoller

    Ages & tendering time...

    No, you will be fine. You can always let them rest in the fridge for a couple of days once you take them out of the freezer to thaw. Some people don't rest the birds at all. Most of us do it because it improves the texture.
  15. ShadyHoller

    Fatty Bird

    Here's a link to the thread I started about this time last year. I don't know if we ever settled on an explanation, but it shows that you aren't the only one encountering fatso birds. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=422785&p=1
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