Arizona Chickens

[ArizonaNessa]

Sounds like you are doing what you are supposed to. If you are wanting to put antibiotic ointment on her you can use neosporin but make sure it is just plain neosporin and not the kind with pain reliever in it.

 

[snowflake13]

Ouch... I would have her on extremely clean straw bedding... no dirt. I would flush it with hydrogen peroxide... maybe do a suture or two... and pack it with honey. Yes... honey. It works wonders on the skin gashes of horses, humans and sheep I have mended. Flies do not go after it...

 

[H2OKarensa]

Well I went out and got some blu-kote. It is a purple spray that clings and prevents infection. She's happy and eating all her favorites and I think mostly glad she isn't around that roo anymore. I'll keep you guys posted on how she does.

 

[rachel]

I hope your hen gets better soon!
Back to the meat processing question, there is no reason not to do it in your backyard as long as others can't see you. I live in central Phoenix and we processed a few chickens the other day

I think technically you are allowed to in the city of Phoenix if your yard is 10,000 sq feet or more... I forget the size, but ours is smaller than that anyway.

I wish there was a processor in town or a mobile one that would come to you, I really do not enjoy that job. I know so many people that would raise meat birds if they could get someone else to do the butchering. If someone was willing, they could have plenty of customers.

 

[rufus]

Try White Tank Meats, 19249 W Earll Drive, Litchfield, AZ 85340-9674. (623) 853-0601. I cannot vouch for them, but their ad says that they do custom butchering, but do not sell meat.

All of the custom butchers we used to do business with are gone. I guess that is what I get for living so long.

Good Luck,

Rufus

 

[phoenixmama]

Quote:
Thanks for the tip, Rufus. I did call them already. They only do beef and bison. They guy was really nice though, I'll give him that. He even called me "Sugar"!

I haven't been called that since my Grandpa passed away.

 

[phoenixmama]

Quote:
Boy you aren't kidding, Rachel. If I had the start up money, I'd be on that business like white on rice. There isn't a single small time processor that will do chickens and turkeys in the whole state!

 

[LavenderAndRoses]

Quote:
Boy you aren't kidding, Rachel. If I had the start up money, I'd be on that business like white on rice. There isn't a single small time processor that will do chickens and turkeys in the whole state!

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here! But, how do you all cull your birds? We're new to chickens and don't plan on eating ours, but in the event of major catastrophe (illness, severe injury, etc...) I'm trying to get "mentally prepared" to be able to "do the deed". Any recommendations? We live on an acre in a county island so I don't think there are many restrictions.

Thanks for the input!

 

[ArizonaNessa]

There has to be more to the fact that NO ONE processes poultry. The more I think about it the more I wonder WHY there is no one that does it. We few can't be the only people in Arizona that would like this service or that has thought of creating this service. So I wonder what is the reason for not doing it. There has to be something we are not taking into consideration. Could profit be a factor? Maybe too small a customer base? I know that people that work in slaughterhouses don't last long because of the mental factor of it. I mentioned a mobile poultry processing service to my husband because that is something that he could do and he side stepped that conversation like it was the plague. Another thing might be permits or regulations or something. If someone figures out why we don't have this service please let me know.

 

[tofuranch]

I bet that there isn't profit in doing chickens. We are setting all of the stuff to do it up here including the plucker. Also, not trying to gross anyone out, killing chickens smells really bad, unlike doing other animals, even pigs smell better when butchering, I know this from first hand experience