Hello. I'm in the process of "harvesting" my chickens. I had a supply of 11" x 18" plastic bags in which the birds were placed to go in the freezer but I just ran out and forget where I purchased them from. Can anyone recommend a bag they use? These were NOT shrink wrap bags. Thanks very much!
It's been a couple of years since I've raised meat birds and need to refresh my memory on the feed. What I do remember is during first few weeks feed 20% or higher in protein and then reduce to 16-18%. I bought pellets and used a coffee grinder to make a mash of sorts. I've been doing some...
Hello. I've raised meat birds before (Mostly Freedom Rangers). I usually get 30 at a time. In the past I've gotten free run, so a good mix of male / female. It seems my go-to hatchery doesn't have free run available but they do have a good supply of males. My question is ..... is having 30...
Thanks for the reply. I bought the Red Rangers from Murray McMurray which is where I also purchased them last year. Which is why I don't understand why last year's flock was such a great size when butchered and this year's size was pretty scrawny even after I let them grow a couple of weeks...
Hi....
Last year I raised 25 Red Rangers and butchered them at about 14 weeks (roosters at 14 weeks, hens a couple of weeks later). The birds were all a nice size when "harvested".... I didn't weigh them but they were at least 4 pounds with nice breast meat.
This year in March I purchased 32...
Hi.... This past May I had purchased 25 Red Ranger chicks. I harvested them in late August except for one, which I kept and integrated her into the coop with my egg layers (which she integrated just fine). It's now December and she is so much larger.
Which got me to thinking, even though the...
I have Red Rangers I'll be "harvesting" is a couple of weeks. I've read various
strategies for avoiding the tightening of the muscles after the slaughter and some
recommend putting the bodies (after evisceration) into a chilled ice bath of 40 degrees.
I've not found any into on how long to...
Hi,
I've got a rooster (unintended) who is starting to crow a great deal. Anyone have any experience with
the No Crow Rooster Collar. If you could share your experiences with the product I'd appreciate it.
Thanks!!
Hi,
I've acquired a new chick and am trying to figure out what breed it is (in this photo is about 6 days old).
Anyone have any clue?
See attached pict.
Thanks very much.
Hi, I've a hen with, what looks like, an introverted vent. I've tried to push it back in
with no luck. Any suggestions at all would be a help. Photo attached. Thank you!!
One of my hen's (a Red Star) was sick and died this morning. I wanted to
educate myself as I thought she might be egg bound and died from that.
So... I did an "autopsy" to try and determine what the cause of sickness / death
might have been.
She was very bloated in her abdomen and when I...
Hi... I'm the original poster of this issue.... bare belly.
I've concluded it's NOT mites. and again... it's not a molting issue. And to be honest....
I'm still not sure what 's causing this.
It could be a pecking issue.... I've got a couple of Black Stars and I've noticed one of them
goes...
I've got a hen who is sick. Stands in the corner. Doesn't seem to be eating. Over the past 4 weeks her weight has dropped very significantly. I'm faced with 2 choices: 1) just letting nature take its course in which case I''d presume she'd die sooner or later and 2) kill her, for lack of a...
I'd like to know what others do on a regular basis to keep your flock healthy. This could include medications, supplements, procedures....any suggestions. Thanks.
Thanks for the replies.
Michael, when you suggest giving probiotics, electrolytes and vitamins, could you be a bit more specific about what to give them. Thanks.
One of my Barred Rocks, I noticed when I pick her up, is really light in weight. She's almost 4 years old. The other 3 barred rocks are of their normal weight, 5 or 6 pounds…. but for some reason she seems to have lost her poundage. I'd say she weighs about a pound…. she is really light...