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

[al6517]

Quote:

The best way to get an idea if you have the gut's to do your own butchering is to just get a hen or a rooster from your flock and just do it. The worst thing is to think you might sorta be able to on a good day won't work, then when the time comes and you can't for one reason or another, now you have to find a processor, pay extra cash, impose on several friends to do 25 or 50 birds and so on. If you can do one of your own flock for the pet cute thing or whatever, go buy one at auction or swap meet or buy a few ragedy roo's off CL and do them, it sure beats doing all that work and then wimping out and losing a bunch of $$. Realisticly speaking.

 

[chickletteSarge]

Hey OT, got a Q about tie outs for my roos.... do y'all buy or make your tie cords? I posted a thread in the DIY section but no help.. just a vid on how to tie an ornimantal knot.:/ we are going to have a min of 3 roos and 2 of whitch are oriental game fowl. Those 2 id like to have a teather on to prevent fighting between the layer roo and them. I have found some sites that have them but I was looking for a less expensive way to do this. I have a few hundred yards of 550 para cord from my time in the army and I can use that if need be but I don't want to hurt my roos legs... any wisdom that can be layeth on my noob @** would be apreciated!

 

[al6517]

It has been my experience that people who find even the cheapest of things made in the simplest of way's is still never cheap enough, until they try to do make that same thing even cheaper at home. Ok so if you can't afford a $4.00 item and have some Chute cord you would still need to buy a few things and if you just have 3 roo's to tie out your outlay of cash will be even more $$ than the original price of the item you think is over priced.

You still have to get the wrap or teather cinch for each tie out, try buying or finding an old but in good shape rubber tire innertube from a bicycle, buy some small grommet eyelett's and a grommet press, a must no cheapy way around that. You also need to get some type of good swivel for the stake end or you'll end with a knotted tangled mess on a daily bases. Pay special attention to your knot's as chute cord must be tied correctly or they will come loose faster than a 3 yr old shoestrings, Tie out's are not real hard to make with a little thought, it ain't rocket science, but you do have to have at least the basic's to make good ones that will last and work for the birds, when it's all said and done you may wish you would have fessed up the few pennies extra for the real thing...................... Just sayin. I make all sorts of things for my chicken operation and sometimes I just have to figure the true cost of all that is involved. Good luck with them.

 

[chickletteSarge]

Ok where do I find the $4 tie out cords? Because all the cords I have found were in the $40-$65 range! If I can find a 4buck tie out cord that would be awesome!

 

[Leahs Mom]

The best way to get an idea if you have the gut's to do your own butchering is to just get a hen or a rooster from your flock and just do it. The worst thing is to think you might sorta be able to on a good day won't work, then when the time comes and you can't for one reason or another, now you have to find a processor, pay extra cash, impose on several friends to do 25 or 50 birds and so on. If you can do one of your own flock for the pet cute thing or whatever, go buy one at auction or swap meet or buy a few ragedy roo's off CL and do them, it sure beats doing all that work and then wimping out and losing a bunch of $$. Realisticly speaking.

That's a great idea and very sensible.

 

[al6517]

Ok where do I find the $4 tie out cords? Because all the cords I have found were in the $40-$65 range! If I can find a 4buck tie out cord that would be awesome!

Your kidding right !!!!! I am sure you can find them much cheaper, I haven't bought any in quite a few yrs and I can't see paying that sort of cash for some leather and cord. Broaden your search for those who peddle them homemade and I am sure you can get a deal that will be to your liking.

 

[chickletteSarge]

This is where I saw the highspeed high$ cords.
http://www.randallBurkey.com/Tie-Cords/products/246/
I have some time to get them about 3 months or so. And its not that I don't want to fork over the cash for them I just would like to know how to make them myself. I like to be a bit self sufficient.... that and my gramps has his on shoe laces and it just looks bad! He's been raising game cocks for as long as I can remember and treated them like they were fighting dogs. Sham on feed to make them more aggressive, abusing them for the same reason,ect....
I am not like that and he found that out when he found a cluch of eggs under my shed from a neighbos hen.
I raised those chicks and treated them well spent all my earnings to feed and house them. When they were old enough he gathered the cockrels and took them to the same neighbors that owned the hen to show how wimpy they were... they proved him wrong! And he kept the best roo and ate the rest! I got nothing in return! I love the old geezer but I don't aprove of his methods. I am better than that and I loved the beauty of my 1st flock! I was 17 then and knew nothing about raising chickens back then. I still don't know much but I know that they aren't to be treated in that way!

 

[fowlman01]

Your kidding right !!!!! I am sure you can find them much cheaper, I haven't bought any in quite a few yrs and I can't see paying that sort of cash for some leather and cord. Broaden your search for those who peddle them homemade and I am sure you can get a deal that will be to your liking.

That price may be the price for 6 or 12. Randall Burkee sells them like that.....in packages.

Walt

 

[chickletteSarge]

Well that is a good deal then! Did not know that! Now I can order them nxt time I get my guvment check!lol
Ill let them pay for it!

 

[al6517]

I also found a few sites that give instructions on how to make them yourself's, try not to use those generic sponsor sites here but there are many Game bird sites that you can find exactly what your looking for and I am sure at more reasonable prices than RB.