Oregon Fall Poultry Swap - October 22 - Corvallis @ the Fairgrounds!!!

[ZooMummzy]

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There is a place that will process your birds near Portland called Harrington Poultry Processing. They were recommended to me by someone. I haven't used them yet but they did get the OK from a very chicken savvy friend. It's not cheap but it's an option until you learn how to do it yourself.

Thanks. I guess I will have to learn sooner or later. I'm going to visit my sister later this year, she does her own chickens. She could show me how. I have talked to her about it. She hasn't ever done ducks or geese yet, but she wants to learn. She doesn't pluck, she skins her chickens. I'm just not sure if I can do it or not?!!?!!

You are a braver lady than me

I can't buy chicken from the store anymore, I can't watch them going around on that little rotisserie (I see Lottie, Gertrude, Annette, etc etc spinning lol) and I can barely stand to eat chicken. I never want to witness a bird being processed and I certainly would never ever do it to one of my own. We can't even cull our own. I take them to the vet because I just can't even fathom it. It is my one weakness when it comes to owning chickens.

 

[tallyho]

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Same here...just another day. I can't even sleep late because I don't trust them to take care of the chickens properly... change out waters, fill feeders and give the snacks. sad.

Yeah but in reality, it is just a Hallmark holiday so I don't get too worked up about it. They pamper me on my birthday which means a lot more

So true! And then I don't have to coordinate stuff for Fathers Day!

 

[AyeUpChuck]

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That's awesome, I had no idea they were there. For the price, it's worth it for me, because it takes me an hour per bird. If I take them a bunch at a time, the drive is worth it too!!

Harrington's is in Boring, and they do a good job - we've used them. I took in about 20 meaties last year that we didn't want to do ourselves, and they charged $3 a bird (probably more this year). It was worth it to us!

Awesome! That's not far from me at all!

 

[tallyho]

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Thanks. I guess I will have to learn sooner or later. I'm going to visit my sister later this year, she does her own chickens. She could show me how. I have talked to her about it. She hasn't ever done ducks or geese yet, but she wants to learn. She doesn't pluck, she skins her chickens. I'm just not sure if I can do it or not?!!?!!

You are a braver lady than me

I can't buy chicken from the store anymore, I can't watch them going around on that little rotisserie (I see Lottie, Gertrude, Annette, etc etc spinning lol) and I can barely stand to eat chicken. I never want to witness a bird being processed and I certainly would never ever do it to one of my own. We can't even cull our own. I take them to the vet because I just can't even fathom it. It is my one weakness when it comes to owning chickens.

I took one to the vet too! He thought I was nuts but he did it. I have one that I think I'm going to take soon. She seems fine, eats well, hangs out with the girls just fine but her abdomon looks awful. I think she has egg peritonitis. At first I thought she might be egg bound and I did the whole treatment for that but there is nothing hard in there...just swollen, soft and mushy. She looks like crap and hasn't been laying but she acts and feels fine. She's not even hanging with the elderly ladies who go to bed early and move as little as possible. I know chickens hide their illnesses but this has been going on for a while. I wormed everyone and treated them for coccidiosis just in case that was it. I'm waiting to hear from the vet about my 2 dogs and I might just include her in the vet visit.

 

[auntpa-k]

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Thanks. I guess I will have to learn sooner or later. I'm going to visit my sister later this year, she does her own chickens. She could show me how. I have talked to her about it. She hasn't ever done ducks or geese yet, but she wants to learn. She doesn't pluck, she skins her chickens. I'm just not sure if I can do it or not?!!?!!

You are a braver lady than me

I can't buy chicken from the store anymore, I can't watch them going around on that little rotisserie (I see Lottie, Gertrude, Annette, etc etc spinning lol) and I can barely stand to eat chicken. I never want to witness a bird being processed and I certainly would never ever do it to one of my own. We can't even cull our own. I take them to the vet because I just can't even fathom it. It is my one weakness when it comes to owning chickens.

That is what I am afraid of. I worked for a Vet, while I was in college. I couldn't eat meat for a long time. But I'm also worried about having more chickens, ducks, etc., than I need.

Oh I don't know. I over-think everything.

All I know, at the moment, is if it gets a name it is a pet. And right now, everyone has a name!

 

[DancingHen]

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Thanks. I guess I will have to learn sooner or later. I'm going to visit my sister later this year, she does her own chickens. She could show me how. I have talked to her about it. She hasn't ever done ducks or geese yet, but she wants to learn. She doesn't pluck, she skins her chickens. I'm just not sure if I can do it or not?!!?!!

You are a braver lady than me

I can't buy chicken from the store anymore, I can't watch them going around on that little rotisserie (I see Lottie, Gertrude, Annette, etc etc spinning lol) and I can barely stand to eat chicken. I never want to witness a bird being processed and I certainly would never ever do it to one of my own. We can't even cull our own. I take them to the vet because I just can't even fathom it. It is my one weakness when it comes to owning chickens.

You're not alone. I share that weakness as well.

 

[auntpa-k]

Good Morning!

Thought I would report on my new findings on chicken/duck processing as food.

My husband and I actually had a long and honest discussing about it.

Which is great to begin with, because Jim refuses to discuss anything chick related!

Well to make a long story short, I CAN'T DO IT!

I thought about what ZooMummzy said about seeing chicken on a rotisserie, and with what all my hubby and I discussed,

NOPE, not going to happen!

Decided if it came down to needing some form of protein for our dietary needs and needing to supplement income, or just wanting healthier foods; it would be a heck of a lot easier to grow soybeans and make tofu!!

Especially when I went in to check on my babies last night, one last time before bedtime.

I just looked at them

and almost cried.

I still have a lot of respect for all of you that can raise the birds to feed your family, etc. And I haven't went back to my Vegetarian ways.

I can't hatch, watch something grow, feed, and do all things that is involved with the care of something living, then........well......um.....you know.

So I'm just not going to think about it anymore. If I put too much into this,

it wouldn't be long before I would start thinking about all the care and love I put into my garden.....

..........Then what am I to do! I'm doomed!

For now, I'll just have to make those weekly trips to the grocery store, try to buy more locally, and try to find better options when buying meat type products.

(look into the more humane companies, etc)

And lastly, I would like to give thanks for this forum for giving me the chance to even think about something like this in the first place.

And who knows, I could change my opinions later. Maybe after I mature

and can think differently about poultry as more then just pets. OR...Just after my first experience of being flogged and spurred by a great big old Rooster!.........

.............................

Thanks to all my new friends

in this new, exciting, and ever changing WORLD OF CHICKENS!

Paula

 

[herbandteas]

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I would love to come out your way for a swap.......I live in Kitsap county and we do freqent the area quite a bit during the fall. DH is a surf kayaker. We use to have a sail boat named gnarley dog and have a picture of our dog standing next to it.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Like you I have respect for those that can...some days I wish I could because it should would relieve the stress of rehoming all these roosters, lol but I can't so I just don't even think or talk about it anymore. I have found plenty of other options for the free range, organic meat my family seems to love and none of them have a name

My husband and I discussed the loss of one of the roosters I rehomed at the swap and we decided that I will not hatch anymore...or at least until I am not so emotional (both daughters moving out this summer, one to Canada

to live with her internet boyfriend....long story) about it. He said just sell "no name eggs" for others to name and love

Which brings me to the next thing I want to throw out there for all you new (and old) Serama lovers

Since I'm not going to hatch, I need a way to test fertility and hatch rates of my new trios and pairs this summer. All the eggs I've opened have been fertile, but I would really like some testing on that before I start selling them in the fall. So anyone who would like free Serama eggs to hatch over the summer (I get about 1-2 a day now, that should increase here in the next month or two), let me know. If I had to ship them to you, I'd just charge you the smallest box (I think it's $5 or something?), or I'd deliver them if it worked out, or we could meet somewhere in between etc.

 

[ZooMummzy]

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I would love to come out your way for a swap.......I live in Kitsap county and we do freqent the area quite a bit during the fall. DH is a surf kayaker. We use to have a sail boat named gnarley dog and have a picture of our dog standing next to it.

We would love to have you!!!