Local farmer just offered 22 meat chickens-7 weeks. Should I get them?

[chickenannie]

Quote:
Does the whole leg look oversize or mainly at the joint?I had some go lame before and the joint in their leg looked swollen or puffy but was not soft.It was rock hard.
Will

It's one whole leg is about double the size it's supposed to be. It's not just around the joint, it's the whole leg and foot too. It looks like it was stuck on this little bird from a big bird.

 

[silkiechicken]

Could be that his leg started swelling after being twisted and so fluid has built up on that one side. Elephantitis comes to mind, but not in how it is formed, but rather the principle of fluid build up. I'd butcher him soon and make sure the meat still looks good on that side before eating it. Doubt it is inbreeding, since they are crossbred birds. Parent strains are probably somewhat inbred, but that shouldn't make the crosses inbred.

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
Do you think I could tell by feel if it was fluid or elephantitis?

The meat chickens have other weird characteristics that aren't like my other chickens, that's what I meant by inbreeding -- their excessive eating and growing, for example, and I'm noticing they all breathe really fast like they're systems are being taxed by all the eating and fast weight gain.

 

[coondog74017]

I used to get them every 6 weeks from the chicken houses that had the meaties any thing to small to butcher they give away and when the trucks come in to load them up alot of them would get smothered while being push up in a corner to catch them and they would have someone to call and come get them free to get them dress before they ruin and now chicken are so high the company put the dead one on the truck to take to the plant if you have any chicken houses in your are you could proably check with them and get put on their list the only thing wrong with them is they get push away from the feed trough

 

[chickenannie]

Well, I drove the "free" meat birds to the butcher tonight. I'll pick them up tommorrow. When I add it all up, I didn't really make any money, but it was very educational for me.

I fed them for 3 weeks (and they ate and drank like pigs the whole time). They doubled in size. I lost 4 to "flip", I think? So I'll have 18 meat chickens for the freezer. And already one order to buy plus likely several more.

18 chickens is really too many for me to use. Has anyone ever given away a chicken as a Christmas gift!?

 

[skeeter]

just putem in the freezer and youll be surprised how fast theyll go

 

[Beekissed]

CAN them! This frees up your freezer, makes a great gift or just stays on your shelf for a quick and easy meal!

 

[mksenoj]

freeze them

 

[chickenannie]

I have to 'borrow' space in my family's freezer to hold this many.

Wow, never considered canning -- I'm not much of a canner and it seems intimidating. Do you have any instructions for how to do it?

I guess that means no chickens for Christmas gifts...

 

[becky3086]

Easy steps to canning chicken and turkey

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/438736/easy_stepbystep_instructions_for_canning.html?cat=22