Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[oletymer]

A couple weeks ago there was a 4-H / ag days at the Franklin Mall Washington Pa. There was an older Man in a wheel chair selling chicks (polish) , I bought 3 and my 2 pullets died from unknown reasons, But if you might know who this was , I want to buy more polish pullets, Thanx for reading

Well I got the persons namewho was selling the chicks....Dick Horstman...

 

[SilkieSensation]

I have heard multiple people say they wish they can turn the fan off during the hatch part. is that possible? would it help more or hurt more?

Thanks!! My questions are :
how much do you make at a time, or how much should i assume each bird will eat?
how long does it keep? how long does it take to ferment? do you need to do 2 stagered batches so you don't run out and it has time to ferment? what feeders can/can't be used? Do you need to wash out feeders at every feed? am i making this too complicated??? lol I DO tend to over think things!!




I also was thinking of starting to make tote bags out of the feed bags. any one else do this? I have found a good pictorial about it. http://www.instructables.com/id/Feed-Bag-Tote-Bag/step2/Sewing-the-top/

I need pics to learn something new. LOL.

Guessing a heavier nylon thread is needed to do this to hold up.

FF questions I can answer a few:
I use rubber or plastic pans or trays. Gravity feeders do not work with FF because it sticks & won't come out.
FF will keep as long as it is kept wet & fermenting. If you let it get dry it will start to mold.
Ferment time will depend on temperatures. Warmer temps of air & water produce a faster ferment. Usually 6-48 hours to get the ferment going the 1st time with the standard method (I think Sally mentioned a faster method). You can feed right away, but allowing the process to work for 12-24 hours is better. I always leave some feed & water in my buckets to start the next batch. This gives it a head start & makes it so you don't have to keep adding UPACV (which can get a bit expensive). You can keep the whole process going in 1 bucket. Just add more feed & water each time you take some out.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

I believe my hatch is done.  Still to many to count, but I have the following in the bator:  an Ameraucana, a MF bantam Cochin, a duckling, 2 Tolbunt Polish and 5 bantam Orps - one is one of my own chocolates.  I will let them in there until the last Tolbunt fluffs and then I'll get a total count.

I have had pre-fluffed chicks like that.  They do not appreciate it much.  I run my 'bator at 68-70% humidity at lock down now.  I was helping over half the hatch out at 62%.  Yes, a few more may drown, but my shrink wrapping has gone down by 80%.  Drowning up to 1-2%.  Those darn fans fluff and dry them in the Sportsman before they can get out of the shell!

Ok so this makes sense. I usually incubate in the Genesis and hatch in the still air LG. but I have eggs in the LG so just left these guys in the Genesis with a fan. Mystery solved. Thanks Rev.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

I believe my hatch is done.  Still to many to count, but I have the following in the bator:  an Ameraucana, a MF bantam Cochin, a duckling, 2 Tolbunt Polish and 5 bantam Orps - one is one of my own chocolates.  I will let them in there until the last Tolbunt fluffs and then I'll get a total count.

I have had pre-fluffed chicks like that.  They do not appreciate it much.  I run my 'bator at 68-70% humidity at lock down now.  I was helping over half the hatch out at 62%.  Yes, a few more may drown, but my shrink wrapping has gone down by 80%.  Drowning up to 1-2%.  Those darn fans fluff and dry them in the Sportsman before they can get out of the shell!

Ok so this makes sense. I usually incubate in the Genesis and hatch in the still air LG. but I have eggs in the LG so just left these guys in the Genesis with a fan. Mystery solved. Thanks Rev.

 

[chiques chicks]

OK, so I'm trying some FF. two buckets, one with holes, ACV, water, some dry dog food, cracked corn, feed. See what happens.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

you don't need to strain and pain! lol just make it thick enough at start and then it will be thick enough you don't need to strain

 

[fisherlady]

For meat birds, I've bought several times from both of these hatcheries, and have been very pleased with the birds. Both are located in PA, and neither have an online presence. The page for Reich's just has contact information. AFAIK, they cater mostly to the Amish and other Plain farmers who don't care about websites.

Reich's have a couple kinds of Cornish crosses that do well on pasture and aren't nearly as annoying as Cornish x from Tractor Supply. One is a barred cross that is hardy, forages well, and dresses out to 5# in 12 weeks. Not as fast as the less hardy Cornish x, but faster than Freedom Rangers. they do fine in hot weather.

http://reichspoultryfarm.com/birds/



Clearview Stock Farm & Hatchery
David Hartman
PO Box 399
Gratz, PA 17030
717-365-3234

Clearview's version of the barred broilers are called Kosher Kings. Good experiences with them, too. If I don't fill my freezer with spare roosters, I'll buy these later in the summer.

Thanks for the info! I will have to check them out for this fall or next year. Not ready to settle on one type of meatie yet.

We were visited by the biggest bear we have ever seen back here in the hollow last night. The dogs alerted us at first. DH was scaring him off with a flood light and he kept coming back. He busted a window out of my coop, so for now everything is boarded up. DH has to go out of town today and will be back Thursday. We'll do more re-enforcing this weekend. Admittedly, we hadn't predator proofed the coop to our liking yet anyway.

So all 30 chickens are fine, but I'm a bit nervous. It will keep coming back, no? What are you best bear deterrent ideas (other than getting rid of the darn garbage)? I am not comfortable enough with guns to use them when DH is not home.

Ugh.

Glad there weren't any casualties beyond the coop itself and the garbage bags. You may try spraying the garbage cans with amonia to deter the bear from getting too close, and barbed wire and planks with nails through them (laid pointy side up) placed under windows may make the dang things think twice about getting near the windows. Just make sure you know where you place the planks and it's not anywhere that your dog or kids can step on it.

Trying to talk my BF that we should raise a steer for meat. Our butcher cost would be about $600 for 1,000 lb steer (not sure how big they are when you butcher) but that would give us meat for a YEAR!!! We have plenty of field, i say we get rid of some of our extra rams and get a steer. The problem? He get's too attached to animals. Not that i don't, but if i get something for the SOLE purpose of eatting it. Then i know to not get emotionally involved with it, Just feed it and take care of it and that's it. I however grew up on a farm, he did not. I wonder sometimes about him.... LOL Does any one else have eperience with raising beef? I like the fact of knowing where my food comes from. Not sure i could sell him on getting a pig or too.... I have been around cows, but not pigs. Not sure what all is involved with them. Sorry to be off topic (is there a topic??) But i thought SOMEONE on here should have some insight for me. I hunt, and can kill, gut and butcher my own deer. I had thought about butchering the steer our selves, but not sure i can do something THAT big.

My mom has done the beef cow... I named them 'Lunch' and 'Dinner'... and 'Chips' and 'Dip' to remind her they weren't pets. She eventually sold Lunch and Dinner to a neighbor for breeding and sent Chips and Dip to the butcher. Some of the best tasting meat I've ever put a fork to!! I have a friend raising one this year to butcher, he asked if we wanted to go in for half of it and it took me about a nanosecond to jump on that opportunity! If you have the time and the space it is great... I wouldn't begin to try to butcher it ourselves though, they are just too big to handle the hanging up and cutting apart. Bone saws make all the difference. It can be done, but you would need a block and tackle to hoist them and a somewhere you can hang them to cool before you even cut them up. For what it costs it is worth every penny to have an experienced butcher handle that unless you are set up to do it already. But that's just me.

Wingstone, the barred broilers from Reich held over for longer times pretty well. I'm lazy though. When I'm sick of them, I don't worry about finding time to process them - I make them an appointment and they get to go for a ride in the truck...

For those of you new to raising meat birds, be aware that different breeds and ages of birds will result in the need for different cooking methods. If you're accustomed to eating tender grocery store chicken that's 6 weeks old and has never walked more than a couple feet, you might be disappointed in older heritage birds, if you are expecting the same texture. Generally, the older a bird is, and the more it has used its muscles, the more flavor it will have, but the trade off is that it will lose tenderness. These birds are better cooked at lower heat for a longer time.

If your preferred way to cook chicken is to pop it on the gas grill for a few minutes, you might be better to stick with a quicker growing bird, like a Cornish x. If you enjoy soups and stews, this is where older heritage birds shine. Barred broilers and Freedom rangers are somewhere in between these two.

I'd recommend trying a few of several types of meat birds and seeing how they fit into your usual cooking methods before committing to a lot of any one type.

Great breakdown on the options!

Freedom rangers should be good for that. Since Cacciatore has wine and tomato in it, and is baked for along time, even old roosters would be good.

I'm not doing 'meat' birds this year, but two of my breeds are dual purpose breeds, so we'll be eating the extra males. I'm also getting some Delaware eggs, with the idea of experimenting with my own meat bird crosses with marans.

We hope to be butchering just our own after a couple of years... just something 'right' about that for me, and I like the idea of just being able to go out and do a few at a time instead of a major issue 2 or 3 times a year.

 

[BirdbyGavin1103]

Wingstone, the barred broilers from Reich held over for longer times pretty well. I'm lazy though. When I'm sick of them, I don't worry about finding time to process them - I make them an appointment and they get to go for a ride in the truck...

For those of you new to raising meat birds, be aware that different breeds and ages of birds will result in the need for different cooking methods. If you're accustomed to eating tender grocery store chicken that's 6 weeks old and has never walked more than a couple feet, you might be disappointed in older heritage birds, if you are expecting the same texture. Generally, the older a bird is, and the more it has used its muscles, the more flavor it will have, but the trade off is that it will lose tenderness. These birds are better cooked at lower heat for a longer time.

If your preferred way to cook chicken is to pop it on the gas grill for a few minutes, you might be better to stick with a quicker growing bird, like a Cornish x. If you enjoy soups and stews, this is where older heritage birds shine. Barred broilers and Freedom rangers are somewhere in between these two.

I'd recommend trying a few of several types of meat birds and seeing how they fit into your usual cooking methods before committing to a lot of any one type.

My son's (and fiance's) favorite meals are wings, soup and chicken with waffles. I slow cook the chicken after browning for the c & w, soups and stews (usually taking 4-6 hours in the stock pot). For the wings I usually marinate them then partially cook a mild brine, or seasoned water, then deep fried or baked them. I'm still doing my homework, and will most likely experiment with different breeds as you and other's have suggested. Thanks for the info, the more I get the better my flock will be as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Gardeningmama]

Open Thank You To GRANDPAW ROO!!! Thanks for the message and wonderful info. on the auctions.

I feel a little more educated now!!

 

[beaglady]

We hope to be butchering just our own after a couple of years... just something 'right' about that for me, and I like the idea of just being able to go out and do a few at a time instead of a major issue 2 or 3 times a year.

If I had a better setup, I wouldn't mind doing it. As I have to do it now, 2-3 birds take what seems like forever. If I had a more convenient setup with killing cones, a level spot to set up the scald pot and work table, plus a well drained area near the hose, where I didn't have to search for all the supplies every time, it wouldn't be too bad. Under roof, of course. Oh, and a tub picker in my fantasy world... I 'could' have all this if I'd process birds on my carport, but I'd either have to catch them and keep them in crates til it was their turn, or do a lot of hiking back & forth from the chicken area to the house. And I'd have feathers outside my kitchen door.

The Amish guy charges $2 a bird.