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

[Mountain Momma]

I'm planning to get a pressure canner this year. Walmart has a nice one thats a good size for 25.00. This is the first year I've canned in 20 years so I'm certainly not confident. At altitude every website said to heat way longer so thats what I did. The sites also had serious rules for disposing of botulism if it happens and never getting it near the dirt ever. So it did give me the heebie jeebies. One site said bvoiling the food for 15 minutes would kill anything in it. I got the produce from a huge public organic farm that I have no previous experience with. That farm had thousands of people and school kids there every week with all those shoes all over the fields....so I'm paranoid about it. This year if the green house works out i'll know the produce is not exposed to nearly as much but by then i'll have the pressure canner anyway....

On another topic...my friend bought some Americaunas from a guy last week. One of them has a breathing problem this morning. She is seperated. Any advise? She is in a panic.

Thanks guys

 

[capayvalleychick]

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/9/03-0745_article.htm

 

[Mountain Momma]

Sorry, had to ditch quick the water guys were here to check the interior and exterior meter to make sure they matched.

I'm prepared to go to my friend's house and cull this chicken for her right now if that is the advice. She has antibiotics and would rather not use them. She is chucking her whole coop and replacing the litter with new right now. ACV in the water and garlic in the food. All help appreciated. I cannot remember the details I know this has been discussed before. I think what was said is that if they live they will be stronger and healthier and if they dont then its a natural cull of the weaker birds. Her beak is open and she is struggling to breath.


I know. I can here all the voices already....bad idea to mix flock what was she thinking and well there you go punk.



The guy she bought em from has 50 chickens and is about 70. His flock was picking on these Americanunas so he wanted to get rid of them. She said he was the quintessential farmer with the bib over alls and everything. She is trying to find his number to call him and warn him his flock has been exposed.

Somebody that knows please log on....I'm sending a mental plea toward the East!

L

 

[MagicChicken]

I like it when Bee get's all riled up over a subject, I can even imagine smoke coming out of her ears LOL.
I agree though about not worrying your head off over getting sick from home canning, if done properly you needant worry. We can here at home by the cases and often and have never even once came close to throwing out a batch and that's been years and years. The scare tactics started when the current 40-50 yr old mom's who have children but refused to make time to teach them the way around the kitchen and real food, not the stuff that just comes off the shelf at the corner market. So now we are left with the 20-30 yr old moms with a kitchen full of overly processed tasteless foods and still need to read the 2 paragraphs of directions on the back every time they make them LOL. They hold in very high regard the large box that sit's so convienantly on the counter on it own alter shrine they call they the microwave, generation X calls it the stove LOL. In a few years they won't even sell real ovens in stores, you'll have to buy them off the antiques section on e-bay LOL.

What is happening here is very sad, you call us OT's like were some kind of dinosaur but we don't have to search the internet just to make a simple dinner of real food, and we don't listen to the idiot people on TV that say everything in the world that doesn't come in a box is bad for you either. I almost stopped handing out recipe directions on forums and such when people ask because in the directions i give calls for some basic knowledge kitchen utensils and technics. and after they read the recipe they ask wellll can't I just put it in the microwave for like 30 seconds LOL NO NO NO NO. After all how do you explain what a whisk is to a 20 something yr old mom with a 3 yr old who's entire vocabulary consist of words like ...................... Whateveeerrrr, Like and like and like, dude, LOL. you think I am kidding?? I'm not.

Anyway for those of you that want to try and can, go ahead you'll love it and have fun too, don't listen to the nay sayers, listen to somebody who actually knows where the kitchen is LOL.

Bee You go girl !!!.

Go, AL!

Sorry, had to ditch quick the water guys were here to check the interior and exterior meter to make sure they matched.

I'm prepared to go to my friend's house and cull this chicken for her right now if that is the advice. She has antibiotics and would rather not use them. She is chucking her whole coop and replacing the litter with new right now. ACV in the water and garlic in the food. All help appreciated. I cannot remember the details I know this has been discussed before. I think what was said is that if they live they will be stronger and healthier and if they dont then its a natural cull of the weaker birds. Her beak is open and she is struggling to breath.


I know. I can here all the voices already....bad idea to mix flock what was she thinking and well there you go punk.



The guy she bought em from has 50 chickens and is about 70. His flock was picking on these Americanunas so he wanted to get rid of them. She said he was the quintessential farmer with the bib over alls and everything. She is trying to find his number to call him and warn him his flock has been exposed.

Somebody that knows please log on....I'm sending a mental plea toward the East!

L

Disclaimer: I am definitely not an old-timer in terms of chicken-keeping. Just attitude. So I'm taking a stab at this one anyway.

If the Americaunas were being picked on in their original flock and now after being moved they are showing signs of respiratory distress, there is a good possibility they were being picked on because there was something wrong with them. The other chickens in the flock could tell. Your friend could not. I would guess that the stress of the move has aggravated whatever was wrong with them to the point where the signs of illness are now obvious to all. Why keep a sick chicken? Especially when you don't really know anything about its background, other than it was being picked on by its original flock? That is a sign you've got a generally weak chicken. Unless they want to diaper the thing and spend their lives playing nursie there is no good flock management reason for keeping the new, sick bird around.

Now, IF she had a good, healthy, long-established, closed flock of birds before bringing this sorry trio into the group, and she KNOWS her original birds are strong and healthy and of good stock, she might consider letting whatever it is run through her original flock now that they have been exposed, and keep the ones that either don't get it at all or who get a mild version of it and recover quickly. That could help strengthen the original flock. She may lose some birds in the process. But if it were my flock I would cull those new, sick birds immediately.

Sarah

 

[delisha]

Upper respiratory problems are never good in flocks. You have read enough to know what should be done. Necropsy one of the birds and find out what she brought onto her land. Make sure you wash every fabric of your cloths before you walk back onto your property. Bring a spare set of clothing Take a spare pair of shoes. Do not touch one of your animals until you shower and stick the cloths in the washer. I am sorry this happened to your friend. She is going to feel awful.

 

[smyers32]

Sorry, had to ditch quick the water guys were here to check the interior and exterior meter to make sure they matched.

I'm prepared to go to my friend's house and cull this chicken for her right now if that is the advice. She has antibiotics and would rather not use them. She is chucking her whole coop and replacing the litter with new right now. ACV in the water and garlic in the food. All help appreciated. I cannot remember the details I know this has been discussed before. I think what was said is that if they live they will be stronger and healthier and if they dont then its a natural cull of the weaker birds. Her beak is open and she is struggling to breath.


I know. I can here all the voices already....bad idea to mix flock what was she thinking and well there you go punk.



The guy she bought em from has 50 chickens and is about 70. His flock was picking on these Americanunas so he wanted to get rid of them. She said he was the quintessential farmer with the bib over alls and everything. She is trying to find his number to call him and warn him his flock has been exposed.

Somebody that knows please log on....I'm sending a mental plea toward the East!

L

So NOT an OT, and not in a position to give advice, but I can tell you my experience, how I handled it (right or wrong) and the outcome. I got 4 young pullets first then brought home 6 adult hens the next day. Honestly, I didn't spend enough time with either flock to know whether they were sick or not, we just caught them up and brought them home....stupid, I know. But didn't know any better at the time. Anyway about 3 days later, one older hen had a swollen eye. and was gurgling, another one was sorta wheezy. I separated them and put antibiotics in the water for everyone. After a couple days of ointment in her eye, it got much better, but her breathing stayed the same and about 4 other birds showed respiratory symptoms. So I said to heck with it threw 'em all back together and finished out the meds. (10 days) 3-4 never showed any symptoms, 2 would occasionaly sneeze, but that may have just been dust from the dry crumbles, don't know, but the rest all slowly got better. I expected faster improvements with the meds, so they may have all recovered w/o them honestly. I guess my biggest take away from it is by the time you see symptoms it's most likely too late to quarantine.

 

[Sally8]

I wasn't going to comment but something is mentally pushing me to do so. I haven't canned in many years. But I used to. For over 25 yrs. One of the last years that I did, I think my pressure canner wasn't sealing so neither were the jars. But before that, my mil gave me a bunch of beans (the kind used in chili, I'm not sure of the exact kind or brand). I water bathed them. Two weeks later, my hubby ended up in the hospital, my son and I very ill. Was it the beans? Yes. We had them checked. Was it something I did? I'm positive it was. Not long after my hubby and I went through a very nasty divorce and one of his complaints was that I purposely tried to kill him. It's in my divorce papers. Will I can again? I'm getting everything ready for next year. We have primarily eaten just from the garden. My point being, no matter how long you've canned, you can have something happen. I was always so clean when canning. I still don't know what happened. ( I probably won't water bath beans again, though. My granny always said it was a big no no.)

 

[Maven]

Boy, spend a couple of days hunting and when I come back, I have to check the thread title half a dozen times while trying to catch up just to make sure I'm in the right thread - all dogs and canning, nary a chicken in sight!

Well, I'll stay off topic for just another minute for a little brag.... 2 deer in the freezer, one hanging now, and one tag left to fill before sundown tomorrow - guess who is all tagged out?!?! I'll give you a hint - it AIN'T the hubby.

WOO-HOO! Got a nice little 4pt buck and a real nice sized doe. The Mr. has a buck already and we are hoping he gets his doe - still plenty of time. I'm so happy - this means we'll have plenty of venison for the winter, and we will also be able to supply our 3 daughters' families with plenty of stew meat and burger for the winter as well.

Ok, back to chicken business!!

Question/request for the OTs: Talk to me about roosters - all about them and the correct/proper behavior among multiple roosters on one place, and about cockerels coming of age and how you expect them to act from day one thru maturity to tell you that you have a keeper in a rooster. I know all about the interaction that is acceptable and proper with humans - thanks again to AL for that marvelous thread that still makes me giggle when I think about it - but I want to know about rooster-to-rooster, mano-a-mano, and inter-flock behavior that is acceptable.

In other words, if your grandchild sat you down and said 'Papaw, (or Granny) tell me all about roosters!' what would you tell them?

Let's start with that and then I'll make questions more pointed towards the answers you give.

Just sit back, rub your chin, get that far away look, and tell me about roosters....

Thanks!!

 

[just me]

Boy, spend a couple of days hunting and when I come back, I have to check the thread title half a dozen times while trying to catch up just to make sure I'm in the right thread - all dogs and canning, nary a chicken in sight!

Well, I'll stay off topic for just another minute for a little brag.... 2 deer in the freezer, one hanging now, and one tag left to fill before sundown tomorrow - guess who is all tagged out?!?! I'll give you a hint - it AIN'T the hubby.

WOO-HOO! Got a nice little 4pt buck and a real nice sized doe. The Mr. has a buck already and we are hoping he gets his doe - still plenty of time. I'm so happy - this means we'll have plenty of venison for the winter, and we will also be able to supply our 3 daughters' families with plenty of stew meat and burger for the winter as well.

Ok, back to chicken business!!

Question/request for the OTs: Talk to me about roosters - all about them and the correct/proper behavior among multiple roosters on one place, and about cockerels coming of age and how you expect them to act from day one thru maturity to tell you that you have a keeper in a rooster. I know all about the interaction that is acceptable and proper with humans - thanks again to AL for that marvelous thread that still makes me giggle when I think about it - but I want to know about rooster-to-rooster, mano-a-mano, and inter-flock behavior that is acceptable.

In other words, if your grandchild sat you down and said 'Papaw, (or Granny) tell me all about roosters!' what would you tell them?

Let's start with that and then I'll make questions more pointed towards the answers you give.

Just sit back, rub your chin, get that far away look, and tell me about roosters....

Thanks!!

Congrats on the successful hunt!!

 

[bruceh]

first congratulations on the dear kills.

roosters well we all different opinions on them. what i look for in a rooster is this.

1. how is he with the flock

2. how does he free range- find food , protect and observant

3. how does he mate aggressive or gentleman

4.how much does he crow and why ( i personally don't like excessive crowing )

5. how is his structure - build

6. aggression towards others- humans included



these are some of the characteristics i look for and not in exact order. with multiple roosters there will an order of the top rooster. also rooster to hen ratio is about 10 hens to 1 rooster.