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

[Beekissed]

Why doesn't he sex his chicks, I wonder? Easier to make money that way and get rid of unwanted roos, I figure.

Killing a 3 wk old bird is much the same as one older...just easier. The head comes off very easily when that young so just about any motion putting tension on or cutting the neck will result in pretty quick death. Holding the head in your hand and letting the body go, give a quick up and then down motion and the weight of the body will do the rest. Dislocation of the neck...and sometimes the whole head will come off in your hand, but that comes with the territory.

Some folks just cut their heads off with scissors, nippers, pruners, etc. You can even hold the feet and give a sharp swing of the head against a hard object to kill. Or place the head under a broom handle, stand upon the broom handle and pull upwards on the feet very quickly...but the head will come off if you put too much torque on even an older bird while using this method.

I've even killed birds using a tailgate cable....just slide the neck into the "V" formed by the cable and the tailgate, bend the head sideways a little, hold firmly and then pull downwards on the feet...on a bird this young the head may come off as well.

ETA: I don't recommend freezing if wanting to do this humanely and quickly. Go outside in subfreezing weather, no coat or adequate clothing, and sit in a box with air holes cut out and see just how long it takes for you to "sleep peacefully away". All mammals die pretty much the same way while freezing...shivering, discomfort, etc. before sleeping.

 

[bigbama]

Greetings to all;
I've been enjoying this forum for sometime now. Recently retired from the U.S. Army after 32 years and decided to raise chickens as a hobby. I can't say that I'm new to chickens because I was raised in rural Alabama by my great grandparents who pretty raised or grew every thing we ate. However it has been over 40 years since I had to deal with the little critters. So getting to the point. I have thieteen 21 week old pullets. Yesterday I found an egg about the size of a bottle cap in a nest box. If this mean the pullets are starting to lay how long will it take to get a standard sized egg or is this just a random thing? Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Most breeders DO NOT sex their day old chicks.

 

[loanwizard]

Bee, can YOU sex chicks?

It would make my life a lot easier and profitable if I had that knowledge.....

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Greetings to all;
I've been enjoying this forum for sometime now. Recently retired from the U.S. Army after 32 years and decided to raise chickens as a hobby. I can't say that I'm new to chickens because I was raised in rural Alabama by my great grandparents who pretty raised or grew every thing we ate. However it has been over 40 years since I had to deal with the little critters. So getting to the point. I have thieteen 21 week old pullets. Yesterday I found an egg about the size of a bottle cap in a nest box. If this mean the pullets are starting to lay how long will it take to get a standard sized egg or is this just a random thing? Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

This thread is a great place to start. Also check out your state's thread at https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread

Those little eggs are commonly called "fart eggs". You should start seeing some normal eggs in a few days.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Bigbama It takes a couple weeks or a couple dozen eggs laid for the pullet to get up to size. I always felt it was nature's way of easing into it.

 

[bobbi-j]

Why doesn't he sex his chicks, I wonder? Easier to make money that way and get rid of unwanted roos, I figure.

Killing a 3 wk old bird is much the same as one older...just easier. The head comes off very easily when that young so just about any motion putting tension on or cutting the neck will result in pretty quick death. Holding the head in your hand and letting the body go, give a quick up and then down motion and the weight of the body will do the rest. Dislocation of the neck...and sometimes the whole head will come off in your hand, but that comes with the territory.

Some folks just cut their heads off with scissors, nippers, pruners, etc. You can even hold the feet and give a sharp swing of the head against a hard object to kill. Or place the head under a broom handle, stand upon the broom handle and pull upwards on the feet very quickly...but the head will come off if you put too much torque on even an older bird while using this method.

I've even killed birds using a tailgate cable....just slide the neck into the "V" formed by the cable and the tailgate, bend the head sideways a little, hold firmly and then pull downwards on the feet...on a bird this young the head may come off as well.

ETA: I don't recommend freezing if wanting to do this humanely and quickly. Go outside in subfreezing weather, no coat or adequate clothing, and sit in a box with air holes cut out and see just how long it takes for you to "sleep peacefully away". All mammals die pretty much the same way while freezing...shivering, discomfort, etc. before sleeping.

Agreed - decapitation or dislocation of the neck is quicker and far more humane than freezing them to death. Less than one second, and they're gone. Much faster than being stuck in a box, put in a dark, cold place and left to shiver and suffer discomfort before "peacefully falling asleep". Less than one second vs. a minute or more.... Sure, if you stick them in a box you don't have to see them die. It may seem more peaceful that way. Decapitation or neck dislocation with the chance of the head coming off isn't quite as neat. But sometimes the hardest things for us to do are the kindest for our animals.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, can YOU sex chicks?

It would make my life a lot easier and profitable if I had that knowledge.....

I've never tried except by comparing wing feathers...but I was just doing it out of idle curiosity. It was pretty easy at a day or two of age.

But I'll tell you this....if you watch any of the shows where the people who work in these hatcheries are sexing chicks, they do it quickly and on the fly. From seeing that I'd say it can be learned and learned so well that you can tell if a chick is male or female as you are throwing it one bin or another. These people were going on wings but they also did a demonstration on vent sexing...these were all day old chicks, so if these hatchery wage workers can distinguish the difference, I'm betting the breeders could learn it as well...and sell their chicks accordingly.

A quick Google can find you sites that show the difference and even a video of Mike on Dirty Jobs:

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/dirty-jobs/videos/chicken-sexer.htm

I don't breed for selling nor separate my birds out in any way, so it's not been a priority in my skill set on chickens....but I know I could learn if I wanted to do so. If I were a breeder who sold hundreds of chicks a year for profit, you can bet I'd be learning this real quick and in a hurry because it would increase my profit to be able to sell only pullets or only roos.

Or not..... I guess...if I can get rid of all the birds for one price, I guess that would be the easiest and most profitable of all, wouldn't it? Then the people needing hens when they buy 10 chickens and only get 4 females will have to come back to take another gamble at my place to round out a flock of any good number. Kills two birds with one stone, that method, by getting rid of my excess roos and guaranteeing repeat customers who really just wanted hens in the first place.

 

[thedragonlady]

Sorry - I think everyone has so many more problems with hawks, that your ground squirrel question sorta got hijacked.

I don't have any experience with ground squirrels, but we do have moles and gophers. My cats help a bit with the problem, but not much. They're lazy.
Gopher plant also helps keep gophers away, but I don't know much about it. It might be poison to chickens, and I have no idea if it helps with other underground varmints.

If you are talking Castor Bean plants, Ricinus Communis...They are HIGHLY toxic to almost everything. The deadly poison RICIN is made from them. I would not have any in my yard for any reason!!

 

[7961]

I had forgotten that a group of crows were called a murder. Thanks!
I will make sure the murder is verra well fed...

I always refer to them as a "mob".