100 Broilers and Fermented Feed Project

[kuntrygirl]

Sorry to hear about you all not feeling well. The weather will be beautiful this weekend. I hope that you all get a chance to enjoy it.

Just from cleaning out both brooders, putting chicks in and back out of the pen, I have sunburn on my back 

We all have Nordic looking skin, we weren't built for this Louisiana sun, lol.

LOL @ Louisiana sun. You better run come summer time. This will be our worst. Sorry to hear about the skin.

 

[kuntrygirl]

KG-- nice numbers to get 10 done!! 

Coralietg-- geez not sure which is worse the enteritis or the sunburn . . . how everyone heals up quickly.

Yes, 10 was great !!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I love the week after too. We feed less, less poops and the remaining are happy birds (most that end up being left are often smaller always fighting for room before processing, then we process big guys and they get plenty of room! Lol) or they saw what happened and are on their Best behavior!

Although last set we did, had zero remorse/fear/or feelings of any kind but hunger, the ones not being processed had to be literally chased away constantly so they didn't steal organs or try to eat their buddy hanging out of killing cones :/

You bet I noticed a difference. When I was feeding last night, there was not a lot of pushing and shoving and a lot of feed let over. I loved it. I hope to see more of a difference this weekend. I will have to count to see how many are left.

How are yours coming along?

Chasing them away sounds like what happened with me when I processed. IT's looking better and better out there. Almost done. :/

 

[kuntrygirl]

Came in to take a break. I am out processing . I started at 2:00 PM and had 2 customers come over to "talk" and that slowed me down. I am on bird #6. I hope to be done with 3 in the next hour. Then I will take another break. I will try to work until dark, which is about 7:40 PM. I will post pics and weights. Everything is going ok. Oh, about that smell that everyone was talking about . I AM SMELLING THAT SMELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Will update when I'm done.

Isn't it gross??? Lol

I had a really busy day today. Over 25 orders filled with 200 chicks. I am so glad my wife was laid off from work. This has become a full time farm this spring. 

Oh and that peafowl egg is getting close to hatch too thanks to your advice. The rest were infertile, and this one survived a power failure for 7 hours at 2 weeks. I put it in there February 25th. Should be soon.  

25 orders with 200 chicks!!!!!!??????????? WHEW !!!!!!!!!!!! That's a lot of work.

CONGRATS ON THE PEA EGG !!!!!!! e You are welcome. So glad that I could help. Keep us posted on the hatching.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Great job! It's can be a pain when people "drop by" and want to chat. At our place, it always seems to be at feeding time and I'm trying to get everything done before it gets dark.

Thanks. I was trying not to show my anger and upset that they had dropped by and THEN they saw me working and KEPT ON TALKING !!!!!!!!! My blood pressure rose to high, I had to calm myself. And the other night, I went to the Dollar General at 8:30 PM and I saw one of my relatives. He asked me what did I do that day and I told him I processed 9 broilers and everything else I did. His next response was, "Ok, I'll be over". I was like, "HUH, so you're coming tomorrow?" He was like, "No, I'm coming over now." I was so upset when he said that. Why would you invite yourself over to my house at 8:30 PM and YOU KNOW how much work I have in the evening. I wasn't rude. I let him come over. But I should have been rude and told him no, because he didn't leave until 10:00 PM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I still had to go out to feed and water and pick eggs and bottle feed the new lamb for the last time. I was NOT a happy camper this weekend.

 

[CackedNut]

Thanks.

I was trying not to show my anger and upset that they had dropped by and THEN they saw me working and KEPT ON TALKING !!!!!!!!!

My blood pressure rose to high, I had to calm myself.

And the other night, I went to the Dollar General at 8:30 PM and I saw one of my relatives. He asked me what did I do that day and I told him I processed 9 broilers and everything else I did. His next response was, "Ok, I'll be over". I was like, "HUH, so you're coming tomorrow?" He was like, "No, I'm coming over now." I was so upset when he said that. Why would you invite yourself over to my house at 8:30 PM and YOU KNOW how much work I have in the evening. I wasn't rude. I let him come over. But I should have been rude and told him no, because he didn't leave until 10:00 PM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I still had to go out to feed and water and pick eggs and bottle feed the new lamb for the last time. I was NOT a happy camper this weekend.

Hang in there. I don't think most people have a clue what taking care of animals entails. People just don't think! I always try and remind myself that they think they're being friendly and are not purposely trying to be inconsiderate. Just clueless!

When people stop by at feeding time, I go out to the barn and start chores. I'll talk to them while I work. If they don't get the hint REAL QUICK, I put them to work dumping feed, watering, etc. They usually find it's time for them to go...LOL...

 

[Coralietg]

LOL @ Louisiana sun. You better run come summer time. This will be our worst.

Sorry to hear about the skin.

I isolate myself during the summer, lol. I moved here in 2007, and my tolerance hasn't improved much. I don't faint as much as I used to, but that's mainly common sense and keeping myself hydrated. I was awful with that in the beginning.

I really don't understand why people would stay and chat when they can see you are busy! Sorry you have the extra work of bottlefeeding the lamb, too. I know you had wanted to avoid that.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Ok. Here are my results from this weekend. My final count was 9 broilers processed (11 weeks old). Due to people stopping in, I couldn't process any more. I may try to process 3 every evening when I get off from work and more this upcoming weekend. I'm hoping. The broiler pen seems so much more quieter and the food is lasting longer.

Live Weight - Processed Weight
Broiler #1 4.18 lbs - 3.88 lbs
Broiler #2 4.80 lbs - 4.10 lbs
Broiler #3 3.80 lbs - 3.50 lbs
Broiler #4 3.14 lbs - 2.60 lbs
Broiler #5 3.15 lbs - 2.68 lbs
Broiler #6 3.14 lbs - 2.62 lbs
Broiler #7 2.98 lbs - 2.55 lbs
Broiler #8 2.92 lbs - 2.50 lbs
Broiler #9 3.10 lbs - 2.76 lbs

Here is a pic of all of them bagged for resting in the fridge. Bought 100 bags for $3.00 at a local poultry place.

Here is a pic of one of them skinned.

Here is a pic of a broiler that I smothered last night. This is a broiler from the batch that was processed on last Thursday. It was SO GOOD!

Here is a pic of the first order that went out this morning. This customer wanted 1 small broiler and 3 leg quarters. This broiler weighed 3 lbs 5 ounces.

As long and as much as I have been complaining about the small weights, I am surprised that people are calling and requesting small broilers. Everyone wants either 2 lb'ers or 3 lb'ers. No one has requested anything over 3 lbs. They say they prefer the smallers broilers because they feel the meat will have more flavor and be tastier and juicier and more tender than a big broiler. So, it sounds as if the smaller weights are working out better than I expected. And there I was worried about the weights. I guess it's a good thing that I didn't have the larger broilers because no one would have wanted them. No one wants a big broiler.

I did give 3 of the broilers away to 3 elderly people in my neighborhood. They are all on a fixed income and I know they love fresh farm chickens. I will probably give 1 to my neighbor and offer another broiler to the neighbor across the street whose dog killed my turkey and duck. (That's another story).

The ones that were resting in the fridge from last Thursday have been bagged and placed in the freezer. We're off to a great start. Some of the broilers that were processed Saturday, will go in the freezer on tomorrow after I get a few orders together. As people are placing orders, I'm giving them a day that the order will be ready and I will deliver on that day. It's not as bad as I thought.

 

[kuntrygirl]

LOL @ Louisiana sun. You better run come summer time. This will be our worst. Sorry to hear about the skin.

I isolate myself during the summer, lol. I moved here in 2007, and my tolerance hasn't improved much. I don't faint as much as I used to, but that's mainly common sense and keeping myself hydrated. I was awful with that in the beginning.

I really don't understand why people would stay and chat when they can see you are busy! Sorry you have the extra work of bottlefeeding the lamb, too. I know you had wanted to avoid that.

I wish I could isolate myself every day.

People have a bad habit of just wanting to hang around when they see I'm busy. I don't know if they think that I need company but I really don't.

The bottle fed lamb is going to be challenging to say the least. That's making me get up 30 minutes earlier. I may as well not go to sleep at all. Last year almost killed me having to bottle feed 2 lambs every day. And I still have 3 mamas who will be delivering any day now. :/ I PRAY they nurse their own.

 

[Coralietg]

They all look amazing! Did people who were buying have a preference for skinless? Skinning sounds so much easier, though I was hoping to pluck half of them to keep whole.

It's funny how much of a difference it makes getting rid of some, but I'm sure you still have loads left! Are they all much smaller? It's crazy how slow growing your batch was.