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

[loanwizard]

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I can't really answer that one as I cannot free range my birds, way to many nasty critters in my neck O the woods who want a free meal. So I have chosen to protect them as opposed to constant replacement, and my breeder birds are way to valuable to accept any losses. As a foot note I wish I could free range and I envy those who can and do, it sure would be nice, but alas it's not responible for me at this point, maybe someday though

I think Bee and a few others can get you a good answer though.

Actually Al, I was rambling so not very clear I guess. I free range my layers.... I plan to tractor my $15.00 meaties lol! Plans are about 4x8 tractors for 25-50 birds depending.... not going to stuff em in there like sardines but will try to go with common sense.... Just wanted to know how much you fed how many in your 2 day moves.

Incidentally... You place an entire bale of wheat straw every two days? Isn't that expensive? We pay anywhere from $3.00-5.75 a bale depending upon size and where.

 

[southerndesert]

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You can sell your eggs from your home or deliver them to customers. The only restrictions are if you sell retail in a store or farm store....

 

[southerndesert]

perchie.girl :

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I have a friend who cans her own Tuna... Hubby is a Sea Captain (sport fishing). She puts it in Glass jars.... OH MY GAWD good..... Do you can chicken in glass as well? Do you de-bone? I am very interested in canning Guinea meat when I start processing.

Yes glass jars work fine for canning chicken meat.... Have fun.​

 

[Gypsi]

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Well then I won't be pampering them anymore. They might have needed the heat when they first went out, at 3 weeks, but I had a feeling not now. Thank you for confirming it.

Since they still sleep in a pile, rather than perching, I'm using that to guage when to move them to the coop. That and the blast of winter in January - I need to clean the coop and run and put in fresh bedding before I'd feel comfortable moving them out there, it is a "big birds coop". I'll move the pullets when I have time to clean it up, in the mean time the greenhouse stays chicken equipped - the hens may move in with the pullets if it gets real cold. Beats trying to run electric to thaw water out to the coop.

My coop and run were built to SHED heat, not hold it in. Last winter's conversion did ok - but was real hard on ME.

The green house was built to capture heat, and shed it as needed - windows open on 3 sides, sheltered from north and west wind.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
I can't really answer that one as I cannot free range my birds, way to many nasty critters in my neck O the woods who want a free meal. So I have chosen to protect them as opposed to constant replacement, and my breeder birds are way to valuable to accept any losses. As a foot note I wish I could free range and I envy those who can and do, it sure would be nice, but alas it's not responible for me at this point, maybe someday though

I think Bee and a few others can get you a good answer though.

Actually Al, I was rambling so not very clear I guess. I free range my layers.... I plan to tractor my $15.00 meaties lol! Plans are about 4x8 tractors for 25-50 birds depending.... not going to stuff em in there like sardines but will try to go with common sense.... Just wanted to know how much you fed how many in your 2 day moves.

Incidentally... You place an entire bale of wheat straw every two days? Isn't that expensive? We pay anywhere from $3.00-5.75 a bale depending upon size and where.

Well ............ see I think 25-50 meaties in a 4'X8' tractor is really super cramped, I put that many in a 12'X30' tractor and so a full tight bale is fine, I get my wheat straw bales from my farmer neighbor's pasture, during bailing season as I help him swath, rake, bale and load. In return I get a couple of hundred bales of prime seeded wheat straw for free.

My tractors are homemade from 2" tube steel with a heavy skirting of chain link secured with heavy metal stakes, the sides are clad in 4'X8' sheets of super heavy duty expanded metal that will last for decades and is impermeable to anything know to mankind, it has one end that is covered on top and sides with sheet metal for bad weather, and a large lift lid on top so I can feed, water and throw hay. I put a trailer hitch on the end and small 13" car wheels on the other end so I just pull it with my truck or tractor to fresh pasture.

 

[loanwizard]

Well ............ see I think 25-50 meaties in a 4'X8' tractor is really super cramped, I put that many in a 12'X30' tractor and so a full tight bale is fine, I get my wheat straw bales from my farmer neighbor's pasture, during bailing season as I help him swath, rake, bale and load. In return I get a couple of hundred bales of prime seeded wheat straw for free.

My tractors are homemade from 2" tube steel with a heavy skirting of chain link secured with heavy metal stakes, the sides are clad in 4'X8' sheets of super heavy duty expanded metal that will last for decades and is impermeable to anything know to mankind, it has one end that is covered on top and sides with sheet metal for bad weather, and a large lift lid on top so I can feed, water and throw hay. I put a trailer hitch on the end and small 13" car wheels on the other end so I just pull it with my truck or tractor to fresh pasture.

Perfect. If 4x8 is too tight for 25 birds I will adjust the size as the tractor(s) aren't built yet. I am still debating size vs numbers of tractors compared to using the tractor and or truck vs toting by hand but more tractors. I am lacking the practical experience that I will learn this spring which is why I am asking you.

You still didn't tell me how many coffee cans feeds how many in 2 days

BTW, that's a heck of a deal on the straw lol!​

 

[Tracydr]

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I am. I found adding nutritional yeast and kelp in the first few weeks seems to help with leg strength but still testing this. Also, I feed some whole, sprouted grains as I've read this helps prevent lameness. Mine are raised in a large area for exercise.
Seems to be working, I've had less lameness but my batch sizes are small so too soon to tell.
I'll be moving to some acreage in the next 12-18 months and plan to go into a heritage breed, probably Dorkings but will probably continue to raise some Cornish X or colored broilers.

 

[Tracydr]

perchie.girl :

Quote:
I have a friend who cans her own Tuna... Hubby is a Sea Captain (sport fishing). She puts it in Glass jars.... OH MY GAWD good..... Do you can chicken in glass as well? Do you de-bone? I am very interested in canning Guinea meat when I start processing.

Glass mason jars from ball or Kerr.
For instructions try NCHFP.com or get a Ball Blue Book or Ball Complete Book. You must pressure can meat and broth/stock. Some people can boneless, some do thighs with bones.
Either way, it's incredibly tender, great for sandwiches and enchiladas.
I love having a pantry full of stock. I use it for everything. I get 7 quarts from the feet, neck and carcass of one Cornish X. Considering a quart of organic, low-sodium stock at the grocery is now over $4.00 that makes my Cornish x pretty valuable. We eat so many meals off one of those monster chickens if I let them go until 10-12 weeks, too. Probably 4 meals plus tons of leftovers. We can eat off one chicken for a week!
A grocery store bird, maybe two to three meals?​

 

[juliaronan]

I'm subscribed! "bring it"!

 

[Tracydr]

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I skin my laying hens when we butcher because we can them. We take the carcasses, guts organs, skin and all and dump them out in the field. Or in a pile behind the grove. Or somewhere far enough from the house that we don't have to deal with the smell. And all guilt-free. We have plucked our meaties in the past, but we don't eat the skin anyway. I think this is a "to each his own" situation. The parts that we dispose of get eaten by something - whether it's our cats, coyotes, buzzards or what have you - or they end up decaying and becoming part of the soil.

The idea of eating chicken feet is something I can't quite stomach. I know where those feet have been and what they've stepped in!

I just don't think they could be boiled and peeled enough for me to be able to get past the fact that they're chicken feet.

It seems many cultures eat them. They were served on a Chinese buffet in Atlanta where I have eaten--the most interesting buffet I've ever been to. Very multi cultural gathering

I use them in stock. I also find them gross but they sure make lovely stock. I have to slip them in the pot when hubby isn't looking. He saw me processing them one day and asked what I was doing. I should have lied and told him I was prepping them for dog food. I didn't think he would ever eat anything with stock again.
After cooking for stock, I peel the foot meat off the bone ( its a strange texture but loaded with glucosamine)becomes comes a meal for the dogs and cats. Actually, lately I've been just giving them the whole thing, even though I don't normally give them cooked bones. It seems like the bones I boil for stock become rubbery instead of splintery and I've had no trouble feeding them. I wouldn't recommend it, though. You're never supposed to feed cooked bones to your dogs, only raw. I do also give them the keel off the baked carcass if I'm not doing stock, the back and breast bone seems to be incredibly soft compared to long bones. My dogs are also very used to eating bones though so could be they are better at chewing and digesting them. They only eat raw and get turkey or chicken bone with about every third meal.
I've yet to clean a head, even for the dogs. Any tips for how to clean the head? Does anyone use the head in stock? I've always had to cut it off and put it in the guts bucket to keep the chicken from staring at me. I need to get over that. I do hate waste and I know the cats love head meat. I often find baby birds and bunnies with only the heads eaten. They leave these presents for me laying around the house all spring.

If you don't want to deal with cleaning the feet they do make excellent chew treats for the dogs and they could care less if they are degloved. In fact, our raw dog food coop sells them and they're quite popular. You can buy them at ethnic/Asian groceries if you're trying to find them. Much healthier than rawhide treats, which can obstruct intestines and have no nutritional value whatsoever. ( not to mention all the recalls due to toxins from China)