***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[ashtree]

A week ago I bought 5 week old rir from a local guy who hatched them out. Everything was going great until I woke up this morning to a dead one. There's another one in the corner all by itself, not moving much, but it looks like its trying to sleep so I'm not sure if its sick or just sleepy. They all looked just fine yesterday. Could the dead one been squashed by the others? Or are they sick and I just didn't know it because I'm so new to this?? This is the same guy that's hatching out some lavender orpingtons I'm planning on buying but I'm a little nervous now.. especially if this other one turns out to be sick and dies too. What do I do??

How long ago did the first die? I know theres some state agency (department of agriculture I think) that will do free necropsies on dead birds if they get it within 24 hours or you freeze it. Someone please correct me if Im wrong. I would absolutely get a necropsy done on the 2nd if it dies and/or get the other birds tested. And I wouldn't buy anything from that seller until you figure out whats going on. Just my 2 cents. Have these 5 been exposed to your other girls? I hope someone with the info you need responds.

 

[NanaKat]

Go to the top of the page and in the search line type in the words processing birds
You will get numerous threads with information. This one gives you links to two videos....note they are graphic but relevant portrayals of the butchering process.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/765169/week-8-processed-birds-and-made-video

Before viewing the videos, prepare yourself that even in the old days when a chicken's neck was wrung...the bird ...without it's head...moved a great deal. The killing cone is a way to keep the body confined while it bleeds out.

 

[MrsDickey]

No they have not been! They are in my makeshift tub brooder in my laundry room lol. I haven't had the light on them since its been so hot. At last check the second was lively up moving around eating and drinking with the rest. Hopefully it was just tired.

 

[SharkmanDan]

A week ago I bought 5 week old rir from a local guy who hatched them out. Everything was going great until I woke up this morning to a dead one. There's another one in the corner all by itself, not moving much, but it looks like its trying to sleep so I'm not sure if its sick or just sleepy. They all looked just fine yesterday. Could the dead one been squashed by the others? Or are they sick and I just didn't know it because I'm so new to this?? This is the same guy that's hatching out some lavender orpingtons I'm planning on buying but I'm a little nervous now.. especially if this other one turns out to be sick and dies too. What do I do??

I lost two Sultans, that were crushed to death, by the flock piling together. OKDA necropsied them, found insignificant levels medical issues, yet, determined that they had suffocated, to death. They did all tend to pile up, on one another, in the grow out coop, and these two found themselves at the bottom of the pile, unfortunately.
I'd say stimulate them into activity, look them over closely for signs of illness, then, if none found, observe closely. A little Tylan50, seems to be the cure, for nearly everything, so you might give a few drops a day, to them, just for the sake of prevention. Though I am not one to advocate the prophylactic use of antibiotics. I tend to underuse it myself. IMHO, Overuse, is far more dangerous, than losing a few babies, to not using it quite timely enough.

 

[SharkmanDan]

How long ago did the first die? I know theres some state agency (department of agriculture I think) that will do free necropsies on dead birds if they get it within 24 hours or you freeze it. Someone please correct me if Im wrong. I would absolutely get a necropsy done on the 2nd if it dies and/or get the other birds tested. And I wouldn't buy anything from that seller until you figure out whats going on. Just my 2 cents. Have these 5 been exposed to your other girls? I hope someone with the info you need responds.

Yes, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture (I call them OKDA). Very good folks. Slow getting your report, but VERY THOROUGH, and detailed.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

One more question. I want to get a jump start, on raising these meat birds. Much of what I read, says caponize early. Even with what I've done so far, I'm not certain I want to attempt this right away. If I were to buy an order of all males, how soon do the need to be canonized, before they start acting like a bunch of fighting cocks?
I have several straight run chicks, housed together, right now, which likely includes some males, they are all under 7 weeks old. I presume they ought to be safe from each others' aggressions, until at least this point?

@Kassaundra
Are you willing to help show a newbie, how to do what you've learned? I'm willing to drive your way, with some appropriately aged boys.

You are right on the reasons for skinning. Plucking is time consuming. I did make a drill attachment to do the job but a cordless drill just cannot do the job, I've seen people clamp a corded drill onto a table and that process seems to work well. If you really insist in having the skin on at least try that setup first, I would never handpluck unless it was only one or two birds.

If you are buying "meat chickens" there is no reason to caponize. They are slaughtered at 6-10 weeks, WELL before maturity. If you are buying heritage or dual purpose breeds that is where you see the benefits of caponizing. It is easiest to caponize about 6-8 weeks, but can be easily done up to 3-4 months still most of the time. I have no experience with older birds but I know as the testicles grow it is increasingly difficult to perform the surgery. They will "play fight" from 8 weeks up to about 4-5 months old, after that it will depend on their temperament and personality as to when the real problem fighting starts. Some boys raised together get along really well for a long time, even permanently, but at any point they could snap and you would have to separate.

I'm anxious to see the size different in my capon boys, I'm growing out some of around the same age that were not caponized.

A week ago I bought 5 week old rir from a local guy who hatched them out. Everything was going great until I woke up this morning to a dead one. There's another one in the corner all by itself, not moving much, but it looks like its trying to sleep so I'm not sure if its sick or just sleepy. They all looked just fine yesterday. Could the dead one been squashed by the others? Or are they sick and I just didn't know it because I'm so new to this?? This is the same guy that's hatching out some lavender orpingtons I'm planning on buying but I'm a little nervous now.. especially if this other one turns out to be sick and dies too. What do I do??

Hunched, lethargic, sleepy chicks I ALWAYS treat promptly with Corid or Sulmet. 95% of the time Cocci is the cause, and you will want to treat the whole batch. Usually I see it if we have a long rain right after I've moved a batch of chicks to an outdoor pen, but sometimes I accidentally bring cocci into a brooder that has never been exposed to soil. Once they get an immunity to the cocci organism they will be fine.

 

[Sagetown]

A week ago I bought 5 week old rir from a local guy who hatched them out. Everything was going great until I woke up this morning to a dead one. There's another one in the corner all by itself, not moving much, but it looks like its trying to sleep so I'm not sure if its sick or just sleepy. They all looked just fine yesterday. Could the dead one been squashed by the others? Or are they sick and I just didn't know it because I'm so new to this?? This is the same guy that's hatching out some lavender orpingtons I'm planning on buying but I'm a little nervous now.. especially if this other one turns out to be sick and dies too. What do I do??

They are coming down with Coccidiosis. Treat them as lonnyandrinda described above.

 

[ashtree]

A week ago I bought 5 week old rir from a local guy who hatched them out. Everything was going great until I woke up this morning to a dead one. There's another one in the corner all by itself, not moving much, but it looks like its trying to sleep so I'm not sure if its sick or just sleepy. They all looked just fine yesterday. Could the dead one been squashed by the others? Or are they sick and I just didn't know it because I'm so new to this?? This is the same guy that's hatching out some lavender orpingtons I'm planning on buying but I'm a little nervous now.. especially if this other one turns out to be sick and dies too. What do I do??

I didn't realize you said 5 weeks. I would check them for mites/lice. I lost a few chicks to mites before realizing they had them and that an infestation can actually kill them. Just an idea.

 

[Kassaundra]

We think a lot alike!

Or just go Nekkid!!!!! I can hand pluck in just a couple of minutes.

 

[SharkmanDan]

If you are buying "meat chickens" there is no reason to caponize.  They are slaughtered at 6-10 weeks, WELL before maturity.  If you are buying heritage or dual purpose breeds that is where you see the benefits of caponizing.  It is easiest to caponize about 6-8 weeks, but can be easily done up to 3-4 months still most of the time.  I have no experience with older birds but I know as the testicles grow it is increasingly difficult to perform the surgery.  They will "play fight"  from 8 weeks up to about 4-5 months old, after that it will depend on their temperament and personality as to when the real problem fighting starts.  Some boys raised together get along really well for a long time, even permanently, but at any point they could snap and you would have to separate.

I have no intention of freezer camping 50 to 100 chickens at a time. The plan is to get heritage breeds, primarily, and a couple of dual purpose breeds, to add in, and harvest them, fresh, from the hoof. I want them to live long, healthy and happy, primarily organic lives. Then they go to the cone, fresh, from the yard, when we want to cook some chicken. I'm primarily interested in the Dark Cornish, simply because I keep reading that they are more pheasant like in flavor, having mostly, if not all, dark meat. I'm a dark meat guy. I don't want, nor would there be any real advantage, other than humanitarian, to getting the kind of meat birds, in the quantities we are looking to have, then slaughtering them young, and putting 100 chickens in a giant freezer. The idea is since we have room, we'll raise them fresh, and provide a healthy, humane alternative, to commercial chickens, to out families and friends, here locally. Not looking to make money. Never figured on doing any of this for profit. We just don't wish to support Tyson, Pilgrim's Pride and others, in their treatment, of poultry.
Our turkeys, for holidays, and otherwise, are Heritage breeds (Narragansett, Bronze and Red Bourbon). Why not get our "everyday" chickens, from the same humane source? And once we are setup for larger livestock, we'll do the same with swine and cattle, too.
So, yes, caponizing, sounds like our best option.