Recent content by sksmass

  1. sksmass

    Parking the tractor, should I build a raised floor for the winter?

    Quote: It is a "hoop coop" with no floor. I've moved it around the yard all summer. Now I've parked it and attached it to a winter run. I'm just trying to figure out what to put on the floor of the hoop coop.
  2. sksmass

    Parking the tractor, should I build a raised floor for the winter?

    I have parked the tractor (~8x8) and am winterizing it. Question: Should I put palletts down inside the tractor with planks on top to kind of raise the flooor off the cold ground, then cover that with shavings? Or would that actually make things colder? is it actually better to have the...
  3. sksmass

    Chickenstock fiesta yardsale August 21

    Free buff polish crested roo. I have a delightful rooster is need of a good home. Or, actually, any home -- I'm not picky. I live in Berkshire County and could drive to meet you. We have a 15 week old Buff Polish Crested that has turned out to be a rooster (we were hoping that “he” was...
  4. sksmass

    BYC members in Massachusetts?

    Free buff polish crested roo. I have a delightful rooster is need of a good home. Or, actually, any home -- I'm not picky. I live in Berkshire County and could drive to meet you. We have a 15 week old Buff Polish Crested that has turned out to be a rooster (we were hoping that “he” was...
  5. sksmass

    The math behind “straight-run” (RESULTS)

    Quote: Thanks Brunty_Farms. There is nothing better than getting info from someone with experience in the industry. Even though your data point is just an n=1 sample I am convinced by it. So, let me understand this, what you are saying is that there are certain times of the year (spring...
  6. sksmass

    The math behind “straight-run” (RESULTS)

    Quote: Researchers often are stuck with non-random samples in the social sciences. Every survey you have ever taken is subject to response bias making it, in effect, non-random. But that doesn't stop researchers from drawing inferences from the data. You go to war with the data you have...
  7. sksmass

    The math behind “straight-run” (RESULTS)

    It depends on what you are considering the sample. 16 is number of orders, but 417 is the number of male/female observations. Of course a larger sample size is always better but I think there is enough power in n=417 to run the binomial test.
  8. sksmass

    Post your straight-run M/F ratio, let's see if hatcheries are honest

    Thanks everyone for commenting! I have aggregated the data provided by everyone above, performed the analysis, and posted the results in a new topic. Please visit this new post to view the results.
  9. sksmass

    The math behind “straight-run” (RESULTS)

    A couple weeks ago I posted and asked fellow BYC'ers to tell me the male/female ratios they experienced in their “straight-run” hatchery orders. My intent was to gather data to better understand what “straight-run” really means. I received a lot of data and present below the findings of my...
  10. sksmass

    Post your straight-run M/F ratio, let's see if hatcheries are honest

    If you got straight-run meat birds please post how many females and males you had, the type of bird, and the hatchery. If enough people give me data, I will be able to statistically prove* whether or not "straight-run" is really what we think it is. In general, we'd expect our straight-ruin...
  11. sksmass

    McCleary Chicken Massacre! (a bit of blood)

    Is that a homemade raccoon trap next to your tractor? And, how many meaties did you raise in that tractor? Looks like a good design.
  12. sksmass

    Help With Slaughter! Desperate! He's dead now, Sankyoo

    Keep a pair of long-handled brush loppers with you as insurance. If you screw up the artery cut, and don't have the cahones to just take the head off with the knife, use the loppers to take the whole head off. Easier than having to reposition the bird for an axe swing. I read that on BYC...
  13. sksmass

    Please Help! How do I "dispatch" roosters?

    Quote: I did my first roosters yesterday and learned everything I knew from BYC and affiliated sites. Specifically, I found these six sites to be very good resources and would recommend them to other beginners: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=109583...
  14. sksmass

    Just finished processing my first birds EVER!

    Me & My Peeps : Nicely done!! Did you read up on it before starting? Or did you just do it and figure it out as you went? Any pointers, things you would change for next time? I researched it from these sites that I found via BYC (thanks BYC!). Specifically, I found these six sites to be very...
  15. sksmass

    Just finished processing my first birds EVER!

    I took the day off, steeled my nerves, and processed my first birds ever today. Three male CXs were 8 weeks old and weighed 9lbs live so their time had come. They dressed out at 6.5lbs. They seemed too big to fit in a bleach bottle cone so I cut a hole in the bottom of a 3 gallon peanut oil...
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