Hello! Newbie from NE OH

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In the Brooder
9 Years
Jun 2, 2010
10
0
22
Hi, my name is Jamie and I am a chicken owner.
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While my hubby and I have had chickens for a little while, it's been mostly for our small family and a few friends. We've just recently expanded and now have a LOT more chickens that will be increasing the amount of eggs and meat we share with our family and friends. Husband has been reading a free range poultry book that was recommending doing salmonella(sp?) testing on our birds. How do I go about this? I called my vet., and this was something the office wasn't famaliar with. Is there a "kit" I can purchase? I'm really not interested in going in to this production on a major scale, but I'd rather make sure I don't accidentally kill off my friends and family if I can avoid it by testing my birds. We're kind of an inbetween free range and cooped set up. Now that our garden is in, we clipped the worst offenders to keep them from flying the coop and they're allowed to roam their fenced in area. They just no longer have access to the rest of the farm and our harvest until WE are done with it!
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I mostly have RR and BR for my egg layers and Cornish X for my meat birds. There's a couple of SL Wyandotts, Golden Comets, Black Austrolorps and two Black Jersey Giants (
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cool birds!). Kind of a mish mash mix of birds that have come our way with some of them being our choices here and there. Nice little banty rooster, that we've officially decided will be our last roo. Chicken Little has gone above and beyond the call of duty and since we don't need a roo for what we want, he can pass on as being hailed as the finest king who ruled our roost. I can't imagine befriending an other one like him anyway.

Is this kind of testing common? Is it something that only the larger production (commercial) farms do? Is my husband reading too much? I don't think that's possible! Please help me learn.
Thank you! Jamie Fletcher-Phillips
 
Thank you so much for all the warm welcomes! It is much appreciated.
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To my other Ohioan, I apologise. I've heard of Oberlin, but frankly I'm not native! I'm actually from OR of all places, and having been blessed enough to be a stay at home Mommy and farm hand here at home, I make it to the school, the feed store, the grocery store without getting lost, I'm lucky!
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I'm well in to the NE corner, chosen specifically for economic affordability and a phenominal school district for my elementary aged kids.

Thank you also for the info on testing. Turns out hubby is reading a book published in the UK. Could that make the info different from our back yard requirements? My background is in equines for the most part and I'm aware of different tests and licenses required for breeding over seas for that. Possibly he might be alarmed regarding something that is not common place in our area.....?

I share my surplus eggs and will share surplus meat with friends and family. I don't want to hurt them!
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If I were to offer eggs (for eating, not hatching and within state) or meat chickens, for sale from my farm, is there a place to easily research the requirements? I've tried the search engine here on reg's and testing but I mostly end up with egg testing for hatching and across state lines. I'm easily confused, I'm sorry! Seriously, I'm not worried about the selling so much as I am the accidentally poisoning people! LOL Sounds funny to say it, but I give my surplus away so often without worrying about the cost (which I should! Chickens eat like mad!) There's new stuff coming out where I need to worry about giving an extra zucchini away (who with a garden doesn't have an extra one of those that they don't want GONE?) I don't want to be in trouble if I sell ($2.00/doz seems acceptable) or flat out GIVE a doz or 18 eggs away because I didn't meet some silly regulation, testing or whatever standard that is floating around.

My equine vet, which handles all farm animals, pets, name them, big and small, wasn't sure what I was talking about. Suggested more research and threw in the caveat that I might be better off finding a way to do it myself through a kit if possible because it sounded cost prohibitive. God bless them!
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I called the hatchery I got the day old chicks from and told them the tale, lady didn't have a clue and told me that we'd all survive. Chuckled with me when I asked if I should only ask people I wanted to NOT survive for a chicken dinner. I have a cracked sense of humour and if you're not laughing, you're probably crying, or at least frowning. I'd rather have a half smile than no smile at all.
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Do any of the backyard chicken people here, say 100 chickens or less, sell their meat chickens (whole or slaughtered) as well as eggs? I don't know what my husband intends because I have no intention of becoming a chicken farm! LOL I love the girls, love them all actually. I have to admit, I prefer four hooves and hair, I'm a horse girl. I'll do what I got to though to maintain my happy way of life. I like chix well enough to adapt. I get in trouble because I name though. Limited lifespan animals are apparently to remain nameless even if they still get the attention and affection that helps grow a healthy, happy and productive animal. Henh, who knew?! Guess I should have been calling them "Dumpling", "Stew Pot", "Soup" etc.!
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Again, thank you for all the generous, warm welcomes. If I should pose my questions re:testing in the feeding or diseases or whatever sections, please let me know. I've read this forum off and on for a couple of years. I actually found you through the COTH forum which is a forum I merely lurk on as well but enjoy too. I'm a better eavesdropper than I am a participator(sp?), sorry. Love the pix though, and because I don't know anything, I always have good things to say!! If I don't have anything to say.....henh, I probably won't!
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Jamie

eta: Oh my! If the map is correct, Oberlin looks like it is well on it's way to MI! I am pretty darn close to PA, that is even where I have to look for a vet.
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Still very interested in people, near or far, whom might be raising chix the way we would like to, even if we're not there yet!
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from Washington!!

I don't have answers for salmonella but I can say, don't fear naming your chickens, they love have names and some of mine actually come to their name!! It truly is very cool!!
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Hello and welcome to BYC! I'm new to the site, and only have 2 ladies. I don't know anything about the testing you are asking about, I'm sorry! I just wanted to say hello and welcome you. I'm from NE Indiana, but I went to school in NE Ohio at Kent State.
 

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