This morning when I came down to let my 8-week-old Freedom Rangers out of their coop I found one dead inside and three more missing. I'm thinking raccoon, but may actually be a bear...something strong enough to force in the metal covering on the window but small and agile enough to climb in and out...probably several times, since we found feathers and body parts scattered over a fairly large area.
Anyway, while I was down replacing and reinforcing the window covering this afternoon I realized that one of the little roosters had also been injured. He has what looks like a quarter or dollar coin-sized wound right above the tail that looks like something tried to take a bite at him but he pulled away, tearing out the feathers and some of the skin. While nasty, I'm guessing he could heal from this if it doesn't become infected. I posted a request for help and advice in the "injury, disease..."thread, but wanted to ask you meat birds folks a different question.
I was planning on "harvesting" 5 or 6 of the largest roosters 9 days from now, and doing the rest over the following two or three weeks While this guy isn't one of the largest, I'm wondering if I should just do the deed early? To complicate matters, we are leaving for a weekend vacation on Friday and my mom (who is part owner of the chickens) will be looking after all of them. I don't know if I should dose him with antibiotics if we are going to be eating him in a week or two. I don't want the little fellow to suffer inadequate care, my goal being to raise them in as kind and stress-free manner as possible. And I don't want to over-react and butcher a chicken that would have been fine.
What would you do if this were your chicken?
Anyway, while I was down replacing and reinforcing the window covering this afternoon I realized that one of the little roosters had also been injured. He has what looks like a quarter or dollar coin-sized wound right above the tail that looks like something tried to take a bite at him but he pulled away, tearing out the feathers and some of the skin. While nasty, I'm guessing he could heal from this if it doesn't become infected. I posted a request for help and advice in the "injury, disease..."thread, but wanted to ask you meat birds folks a different question.
I was planning on "harvesting" 5 or 6 of the largest roosters 9 days from now, and doing the rest over the following two or three weeks While this guy isn't one of the largest, I'm wondering if I should just do the deed early? To complicate matters, we are leaving for a weekend vacation on Friday and my mom (who is part owner of the chickens) will be looking after all of them. I don't know if I should dose him with antibiotics if we are going to be eating him in a week or two. I don't want the little fellow to suffer inadequate care, my goal being to raise them in as kind and stress-free manner as possible. And I don't want to over-react and butcher a chicken that would have been fine.
What would you do if this were your chicken?
