Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Bee,

Do you have any idea how old BUD is?

I'm not sure but judging body, feathering, size and sex characteristic development, I'd say BUD is around 3 mo. old, if that. He's very tall for his age but he is really just a big chick. I know he may be on the big size for this kind of thing and I may not attempt it, but I was handling him today and he has very little feathering in that space and I was thinking, "Hmmmmm....wonder if I could yank his hoo-hoos and change his meat production, not to mention his attitude....."

Poor BUD...he's probably thinking, "What did I do to deserve this lovely~ but sometimes suddenly painful~ hell into which I have been dropped?".

 

[waltandlori]

I'd just send you something next year, but importing to Canada is not exactly easy. I know a breeder who does, but it's with 4 mo old fowl, and they have to be painstakingly gone over at the border. She only goes once a year, with a few *hundred* to make it worthwhile (??) Yikes.
Auto sexing traits are pretty nifty, but the only breed that piqued my interest was Rhodebars. And they are in such a state of disrepair, I don't have the space to work with them. Maybe some day. Do you have a solid source yet? Have fun absorbing - at least you will hopefully have time to do infrastructure before birds. That's super rare! LOL

Thats right just jump right in (over your head like everyone)(ME), then worry about it later.

Walt

 

[waltandlori]

Not much cuter than a little chick doing what chicks do.

Went up to the coop to check the birds and found the coop so snug and warm, just by dropping the flaps. I don't know how folks can walk into a fall/winter coop and not feel that temperature change of warmth inside the nighttime coop. Or maybe very few folks go in their coops at night? For some reason people seem to want to put a heat lamp in the coop at the first chill in the air but if they would only go to their coop in the night and feel the difference between the night air and the coop air, even with a coop that is open air on both ends...it's very noticeable. Damp and chilly outside, warm and snug inside.

Armorfirelady too, I go out every single night of the year just at dark (tiny bit late tonight) count heads and close doors. My critters are lucky, the chicken coop looks like it was a kiosk that guards stay in. It's a small insulated building with a house door on it, 2 windows 1 each side which are never closed. They go in by themselves I just make sure no one got lost lol. The goats have a "chicken coop" I built, it's in a chain link fence and raised off the ground 2-3 feet idea being in the summer they could get under out of the sun. Funny thing is the goats do that too. The door on it is also the size and shape of a house door but is hinged on the bottom so it folds down into a ramp. I built my own window and it stays open. I learned my lesson the first year, when I went into the henhouse with the widows closed it was like a sauna in there, condensate everywhere. I also heat with wood so I've been out cutting a 2 year old red oak that fell. I'm getting too old for this

Walt

 

[BCMaraniac]

I'm not sure but judging body, feathering, size and sex characteristic development, I'd say BUD is around 3 mo. old, if that. He's very tall for his age but he is really just a big chick. I know he may be on the big size for this kind of thing and I may not attempt it, but I was handling him today and he has very little feathering in that space and I was thinking, "Hmmmmm....wonder if I could yank his hoo-hoos and change his meat production, not to mention his attitude....."

Poor BUD...he's probably thinking, "What did I do to deserve this lovely~ but sometimes suddenly painful~ hell into which I have been dropped?".

Yes, it would improve meat quality. But keep in mind as far as caponizing, that the best time to do it is 4-6 weeks(the Chinese perform it at 3 weeks) because the testicles are smaller, with less connective tissue so they are easier to remove, and with less blood supply there is reduced risk of bleeding. That being said, if he is an immature 3 month old, I think it would be easier than if he had more sexual development. That has been my experience, albeit limited.

There is some increased risk of getting a slip with the older birds, but if you get most of the testicles, you will see a lightening of his comb along with a reduction in its size, along with a more docile attitude. As the testicle begins to regenerate, which will vary according to amount of testicle left behind, you will gradually see the secondary sex characteristics return, and quite often, they will begin crowing. It still gives him additional time to grow and get more meat on his bones, though, so there would be a better quality of meat than he would have been at the same age had he remained intact. If he is 6-7 months of age when that happens, then he will have more meat on his bones than if he were 4-5 months old.

So, worst case scenario, you have a slip, but he is heavier (because he is older) at the time of slaughter and has equal or better meat quality than if he had been left intact. Plus you get experience with caponizing. I caponized a couple of 16 weekers earlier this week, but they were immature, so things went pretty well. It seems their combs and wattles have already lost some of their color.

Just remember if you decide to caponize BUD, get the testicles and all of the vas deferens and surrounding connective tissue that you can....even peritoneum around the testicle that you can pull loose and remove. You don't want to leave even a smidge of testicular tissue if you can help it.

 

[KelsiNS]

We have to use a dummy folgers can placed at the back of the run so we can run into the gate. I think we have a winner for feed.

 

[Beekissed]

The pics and vids I saw they just removed the testicles but not the spermatic cord or adjacent tissues. If these are left behind, what are the results? Was watching some Asians doing this and they did 4-5 birds~held between their feet~in under a minute. Looked like they had an assembly line where one person would cut the bird and put in a thread, hand it to the next guy to remove the beans and knot the thread...looked to be one stitch. Pretty slick but the vid wasn't close enough to even see the close up action.

 

[BCMaraniac]

The pics and vids I saw they just removed the testicles but not the spermatic cord or adjacent tissues. If these are left behind, what are the results? Was watching some Asians doing this and they did 4-5 birds~held between their feet~in under a minute. Looked like they had an assembly line where one person would cut the bird and put in a thread, hand it to the next guy to remove the beans and knot the thread...looked to be one stitch. Pretty slick but the vid wasn't close enough to even see the close up action.

In those videos, the birds were 3 weeks old, so there was not as much of that tissue there because there was no sexual development and the very small wheat kernel is firm. If they are older, development has begun, the testicle is larger and more friable, so the potential to leave testicular tissue is higher. Even residual cells with blood supply will regenerate to some degree.

 

[Beekissed]

A wasted effort at that point and ol' BUD would suffer needlessly. I noticed he doesn't have much space between that last rib and the hip..without spreaders, I doubt if I could retrieve his peanuts.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Yes, you definitely need a retractor in order to visualize the testicles. You are correct, the older birds thigh has more development, so I simply cut the skin, then locate the thigh muscle, which can be seen moving over that lower rib as the bird breathes. I get a curved retractor, and gently pull the muscle back to expose the lower ribs before cutting those intercostal muscles. The other thing I make sure of is that when I put the retractor in and begin opening that, that I don't pinch the skin or the thigh muscle with it.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Can anyone tell me if the white spot on the egg yolk at the top of the pic is from fertilization ?