Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[GreenGoddess]

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I made a "Chicken Hook" like the ones my grandparents made and used. I never knew this was a item available for sale in some catalogs until recently.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/36435_caught.jpg

Oh no! You shouldn't use that! That's cruelty to animals!!! The horror!!

The first chickens we got were caught using this method, although the guy grabbed them by the neck in it, not their legs.. Luckily, because my chickens are enclosed and not free ranging, it's pretty easy for me to get one if I need to.. But if I had a much bigger area for them to run in, I would definitely get one of those...

Goddess

 

[CheekyMare]

This is a very interesting thread. Thank you to those who choose to contribute and also to everyone participating in good humour.

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

To Bee, Al or any of the OT.

What is the best type of pot to dunk the birds in after they have been culled? I have a tamale pot, would that be big enough?

I would like to raise meat birds in the spring, but am a bit girly when it come to the culling & gutting. Have never processed a chicken before, and do not want to freak my girls out by doing it wrong.
I have explained to them that when we do get the meat chickens, they are not pets, they will provide us with food, but in a different manner than the egg hens do.

I just want my girls to understand the circle of life, and to appreciate where their food comes from, and how to raise it.

When I was in the second grade, we went to visit my first grade teacher on her farm. She went out and cut off the chicken's head with a hatchet, and then let loose. Scared the crap out of me, I remember running and screaming, because I thought the headless chicken was coming after me.

We had that chicken for dinner that night, but I did not realize it, till years later.

 

[RHRanch]

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I find that specific point pretty hard to disagree with. That's part of what makes it fun.

X2

X3 - And guess what? I'm a real life actual sociologist, so I would know! LOL

 

[sourland]

Has anyone heard of or using alfalfa as a 'booster' to start egg production in hens that have stalled for one reason or another? I was just reading another thread where some are claiming that this works for them. This is a new one on me,

but I don't discount the possibility. Anyone tried this?

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I made a "Chicken Hook" like the ones my grandparents made and used. I never knew this was a item available for sale in some catalogs until recently.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/36435_caught.jpg

LOL, my Granny used the same design. Been using one myself all my life. Like you, I just recently saw one offered commercially. Couldn`t believe it.

Hey, here`s one for ya`ll. I had a Puerto Rican cocker keeping his roosters at my house before I moved from FL to GA about 6 years ago. When he transported his birds, he merely put them in an old pillow case and tied the end. The birds didn`t seem to mind as they couldn`t see anything. They were calm and well at the end of the ride. I tried it myself and adopted the method for short rides. Just thought I`d throw that one out........Pop

Until I was in my teens, when birds were harvested, we placed them in burlap sacks. Worked fine so long as ventilation was good and temperatures were not too high. Negative was it was hard on feathers but most birds so handled were dressed the next morning for Sunday dinner. When stags and pullets not to be dressed, the sacks were easy to label using wax pencil with what walk they were harvested from.

 

[CheekyMare]

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I'm no chicken expert, but Alfalfa has a very high CAhos ratio and also has estrogenic properties. Wouldn't surprise me if it gave layers a boost.

 

[al6517]

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I have a big 40 gal shrimp and crab pot, only because i wanted to do my turkey's also and they are very big. I like the big pot because it can do a few chickens at a time and one really big 51lb turkey alone. You can really just use about anything that can take the preasure of a high heat flame and heat it through quickly, a large metal trash can or a metal half barrel . These all workk very well, I use a propane tank on a large turkey fryer burner with high output, it's very stable and heats fast and hot. I hope this helps.

 

[centrarchid]

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I'm no chicken expert, but Alfalfa has a very high CAhos ratio and also has estrogenic properties. Wouldn't surprise me if it gave layers a boost.

I value alfalfe first as a fiber and vitamin A source. Former is important for normal GIT function and latter promotes desired egg yolk coloration with more orange. It also gives birds an outlet for browsing / scratching / searching in an otherwise boring environment. It does have other nutrients (protein, calcium and phosphate) as already noted but most commercial diets are more than adequate for these.

 

[dirtsaver]

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I had to laugh when I read this.. I am still only on page 9 and loving every minute of it!! Tonight as my husband was playing on his HF rig and I was reading posts on this site, we heard over the scanner something to the tune of, "Respond with Animal control... Neighbor called in someone holding a chicken upside down... Rooster is still alive!"

Minutes later, I went outside to "rip the caps off my roosters legs" (couldn't resist imagining THAT 911 call! LOL) to despur him... Glad they didn't "report" me as being cruel...

Goddess

Terri you mentioned your husband "playing on his HF rig" He'a a ham I guess ?
KG4ZAR here!