Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[Tomtommom]

Tomtommom-- hmm. Not sure what to suggest. My 3 older birds act like they owne the place and harass even the tom turkeys , pulling out tail feathers as they waddle along chasing the toms. Perhaps they need a little encouragement to get out on the grass. Can you fence a small area to show them the idea??

THe benefit of broodies is that the mothers showed the 14-15 ducklings around for the day and returned to her coop at night. She did all the work. BUt initially I had to show the first birds the outdoors ( brooded in the house ), then in the morning I just left the door open and they made their way out to the porch and yonder. Not ideal giventhe amt of poo they left onthe porch but it was a beginning. lol

They're young, 11 weeks old, only had them 3 weeks. They'll warm up, I'm sure. My chicks raised by a broody are the same way, wont come near me.

I'm the bringer of food, silly feather butts.

I like broodies because they do all the work and the chicks learn chicken things from day one. But incubator babies are tamer.

 

[chicken pickin]

At what age do you all typically decide to process your "older" laying hens? I have processed many roosters and turkeys but haven't worked up the nerve to do any hens yet. Im not sure why I feel so torn.

I have been contemplating processing all my "older" hens that are roughly 2 1/2 years old. Some aren't laying fantastically while some still are. These are some of my first hens from a hatchery and were all named ( I don't name chickens anymore). I have been thinking about processing them this Fall so I will have extra space and room to work with just 2 breeds and maybe a small miscellaneous layer flock. Not to mention my freezer is nearly empty and I wasn't able to raise CX this year.

I just cant seem to fully talk myself into it and commit

How did others work through this?

 

[AZChiknGoddess]

At what age do you all typically decide to process your "older" laying hens? I have processed many roosters and turkeys but haven't worked up the nerve to do any hens yet. Im not sure why I feel so torn.

I have been contemplating processing all my "older" hens that are roughly 2 1/2 years old. Some aren't laying fantastically while some still are. These are some of my first hens from a hatchery and were all named ( I don't name chickens anymore). I have been thinking about processing them this Fall so I will have extra space and room to work with just 2 breeds and maybe a small miscellaneous layer flock. Not to mention my freezer is nearly empty and I wasn't able to raise CX this year.

I just cant seem to fully talk myself into it and commit

How did others work through this?

I let my old girls live their lives in the wild so to speak. They get turned loose in the yard to have a good time. Eventually something gets them. I am too much a softy about my hens. Roosters or cornish x are not the same to me.

 

[LindaB220]

That makes sense. Poor hubby will be shaking his head at me. Although he was already talking about "when the ducks hatch babies" as I talked them up as prolific breeders.

They're so quiet and unassuming, you hardly know they're there. I wish they were a little tamer, right now they wont even come out to graze

May have to sprout fodder for them.

What kind of ducks did you get. I'm thinking of White Muscovies.

 

[chicken pickin]

I let my old girls live their lives in the wild so to speak. They get turned loose in the yard to have a good time. Eventually something gets them. I am too much a softy about my hens. Roosters or cornish x are not the same to me.

I couldn't do that. That seems like a waste to me to let wild life eat before my family did, not to mention the death of getting eaten alive seems far worse than the quick method people use.

I do appreciate your take on this though

 

[dsbailey70]

I'm new to raising chickens, having only been at it for about 3 months or so. My neighbor asked me if we'd be having fresh chicken sometime. I told him no. I would gladly take some of it if it was offered, but I have no desire to learn how to kill or clean them. I have absolutely no problem at all with others humanely processing their chickens, I just can't (and won't) do it. I didn't name my first three chickens, and haven't named the four I have now; only because I haven't figured out good ones for them yet. Unfortunately, my first three chicks (a black Silkie, and EE, and a BR) had to be euthanized. Unknown to me at first, the Silkie chick was sick when I got her. Following a blood test at my vet, all three had MG, and two also had MS. Now I hunt, for food only (deer, hogs, etc), and will even cull dangerous or nuisance animals (coyotes, hogs, etc), but I couldn't cull those first three. I had my vet euthanize them and then he had to send them to be cremated, due to the diseases. He gave each of them 'the shot', and I stayed in the office with them, petting them and talking to them, until they were gone. Now I have 2 Partridge Silkies, 1yo & 2yo; and an EE and a BR, both 3mo old. As long as they're able, they'll live out their lives here

 

[BullChick]

I think the Leghorns heard me talking to my DH about eating them. Well, using them as soup. I said that when I am sure they are done, I need to either give them to a local guy, or we need to do them. Then we began discussing other ideas on the matter Guess who suddenly began laying again?

I do have a question. Just how meatless are leghorns? Are they only good for soup, or can I get a meal for two out of them? DH likes dark meat, and I like white, so enough white meat isn't an issue.

 

[Tomtommom]

I think the Leghorns heard me talking to my DH about eating them. Well, using them as soup. I said that when I am sure they are done, I need to either give them to a local guy, or we need to do them. Then we began discussing other ideas on the matter Guess who suddenly began laying again?

I do have a question. Just how meatless are leghorns? Are they only good for soup, or can I get a meal for two out of them? DH likes dark meat, and I like white, so enough white meat isn't an issue.

No experience with leghorns, but surely there would be enough for two people on a bird, even a scrawny one. Ofcourse it may be all tendon on the legs. I have found that legs on backyard birds are a lot darker and almost gamey than what you get from a store.

 

[Wynette]

I let my old girls live their lives in the wild so to speak. They get turned loose in the yard to have a good time. Eventually something gets them. I am too much a softy about my hens. Roosters or cornish x are not the same to me.

Allowing your "old girls" to range until "something gets them" is not being a softie. It's cruel.

Please consider finding someone to handle it for you if you cannot bring yourself to dispatch them. It's much less painful/fearful and much faster for an experienced dispatcher to kill them rather than allowing a predator to get them.

 

[Tomtommom]

At what age do you all typically decide to process your "older" laying hens? I have processed many roosters and turkeys but haven't worked up the nerve to do any hens yet. Im not sure why I feel so torn.

I have been contemplating processing all my "older" hens that are roughly 2 1/2 years old. Some aren't laying fantastically while some still are. These are some of my first hens from a hatchery and were all named ( I don't name chickens anymore). I have been thinking about processing them this Fall so I will have extra space and room to work with just 2 breeds and maybe a small miscellaneous layer flock. Not to mention my freezer is nearly empty and I wasn't able to raise CX this year.

I just cant seem to fully talk myself into it and commit

How did others work through this?

If you have room and money to feed them without getting eggs, keep them around. When they become a nuisance, eat them. It's much easier to eat a bird you're mad at

If you want it over and done, think about how good their life was compared to a commercial egg layer.

Once I took "Meanie" out, I started eyeing my other hens too.

(I like to sit and stare at them and think "Hm, I think you may need to go soon")

What kind of ducks did you get. I'm thinking of White Muscovies.

Muscovies

Love that they're so quiet. And big for their age!

I'm new to raising chickens, having only been at it for about 3 months or so. My neighbor asked me if we'd be having fresh chicken sometime. I told him no. I would gladly take some of it if it was offered, but I have no desire to learn how to kill or clean them. I have absolutely no problem at all with others humanely processing their chickens, I just can't (and won't) do it. I didn't name my first three chickens, and haven't named the four I have now; only because I haven't figured out good ones for them yet. Unfortunately, my first three chicks (a black Silkie, and EE, and a BR) had to be euthanized. Unknown to me at first, the Silkie chick was sick when I got her. Following a blood test at my vet, all three had MG, and two also had MS. Now I hunt, for food only (deer, hogs, etc), and will even cull dangerous or nuisance animals (coyotes, hogs, etc), but I couldn't cull those first three. I had my vet euthanize them and then he had to send them to be cremated, due to the diseases. He gave each of them 'the shot', and I stayed in the office with them, petting them and talking to them, until they were gone. Now I have 2 Partridge Silkies, 1yo & 2yo; and an EE and a BR, both 3mo old. As long as they're able, they'll live out their lives here

I know not everyone will agree, but MG has been proven to be EVERYWHERE and can be spread by wild birds. I had a scare last year and thought I had to kill my flock, but after A LOT of research I decided not to. Haven't had issues since, so it may not have been anything at all and just my overactive imagination (the webMD syndrom

).

If I have a sick bird, I quarantine it.. I give vet RX, garlic/red pepper/cinnamon/oregano oil/yogurt/ACV (sounds like a recipe... lol) either it gets better or it gets worse. I do not use antibiotics, ever. If a bird is -that- sick, they're dinner (or compost, if I don't feel ok eating them). Not sure if your birds were actually ill or got tested 'just in case'.

My two cents. I just hate to see people lose birds they enjoy over a disease that has shown to pop up again and again. Most people don't even KNOW their chickens have it until one gets sick. MG only causes issues if there's stress involved and only then a flock keeper will realize their flock is infected.. which is why it's near impossible to avoid unless you keep a completely closed flock and even then wild birds can bring it into your flock.

(Marek's is bad like that too.)