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

[donrae]

Sometimes it's just harder to kill a good rooster than it is even a good hen. They tend to stand out more, we keep them longer and they are such an integral part of the flock success, not to mention they are just beautiful, so cutting into them and getting those pretty hackle feathers besmirched is a hard thing to do. Sending you good thoughts on getting Bob where he needs to go and enjoying him down to the last bite...sounds like he's earned respect.

On the really good roosters I keep some hackle feathers in a keepsake box...some just have earned that right.

Amen to this! My hens are simply part of a flock, for the most part. Not so much individuals to me. My roosters are selected on purpose and cherished as much as a good broody hen.

Last time I culled a long term rooster, I had Honey cull two more birds the same day. I wasn't doing the processing, I was doing the clean up inside. Once they reached me, I couldn't tell who was who. Pressure cooked them right after butcher, shredded the meat and packed it in the freezer. By the time I pulled those bags out, it was simply meat, not attached to a name anymore.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

Well, Bob's in the isolation cage.

Which means Curly Toe has graduated to being the main flock rooster. He now has the run of the entire chicken yard. He's one happy boy... So, there's an upside to this.

 

[ronott1]

Well, Bob's in the isolation cage.

Which means Curly Toe has graduated to being the main flock rooster. He now has the run of the entire chicken yard. He's one happy boy... So, there's an upside to this.

Good job!

 

[MargaretYakoda]

I have the big pot boiling. I'm about to begin Bob's butchering and processing.

But I'm stalling as much as I can....

At least my partner has taken my husband out of the house, so I don't need to handle questions from him. (his dementia makes it impossible for him to easily process ANY sort of butchering or euthanasia. I just become the meanie-pants who wants to kill everything... )

 

[ronott1]

I have the big pot boiling. I'm about to begin Bob's butchering and processing.

But I'm stalling as much as I can....

At least my partner has taken my husband out of the house, so I don't need to handle questions from him. (his dementia makes it impossible for him to easily process ANY sort of butchering or euthanasia. I just become the meanie-pants who wants to kill everything... )

Thanks for the update!

I was thinking about you earlier today.

I hope it goes well.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

It is done. Bob has gone to the big free range beyond Rainbow Bridge.

It was one of the hardest ones I've done so far. But it's done. The carcass is resting in the fridge.

He had a grey liver, which had spots and was hard. He also didn't appear to have a gall bladder? Which was odd...
He also had a hex nut in his crop. And there wasn't any rust on that nut, so it was probably galvanized? It probably wasn't doing him any good, in any case. It might explain the liver and the blue comb.

 

[ronott1]

It is done. Bob has gone to the big free range beyond Rainbow Bridge.

It was one of the hardest ones I've done so far. But it's done. The carcass is resting in the fridge.

He had a grey liver, which had spots and was hard. He also didn't appear to have a gall bladder? Which was odd...
He also had a hex nut in his crop. And there wasn't any rust on that nut, so it was probably galvanized? It probably wasn't doing him any good, in any case. It might explain the liver and the blue comb.

It sounds like fatty liver disease. I have had two Australorps die of it and it is common in some breeds.

Organ damage can also be caused in cock birds by feeding them layer--too much calcium for them. It takes two to three years to harm them but it does harm them.



Good job on getting him processed.

 

[Beekissed]

I've never killed a rooster with any liver damage...always seems to be the hens. I've fed roosters 5-6 yrs on layer and never saw any liver disease or any other disease, for that matter. Roosters on free range consume up to 12% calcium in the greens they consume and that doesn't affect them at all, nor does it affect chicks. I've never seen any evidence at all that layer feed affects the health of roosters, no matter the age.

Fatty liver doesn't have grey spots nor hardness to it, but are more yellowed and friable, fall to pieces in your hands when you try to pull them out.

.

Maybe more likely to be Spotty Liver Disease?

Quote:

 

[MargaretYakoda]

It sounds like fatty liver disease. I have had two Australorps die of it and it is common in some breeds.

Organ damage can also be caused in cock birds by feeding them layer--too much calcium for them. It takes two to three years to harm them but it does harm them.



Good job on getting him processed.

Thanks.

Yeah, I'm thinking fatty liver too. He was from our first shipment of chicks. And my husband, who has dementia, delights in feeding the chickens.... feeding them WAY too much! Especially the cracked corn and other treats.

Well. I guess it's proof he had some fun in his short life.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks.

Yeah, I'm thinking fatty liver too. He was from our first shipment of chicks. And my husband, who has dementia, delights in feeding the chickens.... feeding them WAY too much! Especially the cracked corn and other treats.

Well. I guess it's proof he had some fun in his short life.

It is rare for roosters but does sound like some type of liver problem.

Getting back to the calcium, I ran across a paper from a Canadian source:

Quote: http://www.agbiosecurity.ca/healthy...m and Vitamin D3 problems in laying birds.pdf

also grow out some meat type birds and perhaps keep a few roosters. It is

important to note that roosters and young growing birds cannot handle high
calcium diets and will develop severe kidney disease if high levels of calcium
diets are fed. So if you have both egg laying hens as well as roosters and
young growing stock on your farm, they must be fed separate diets.

Calcium regulation and calcium demand is different in male birds and young
growing birds compared to producing laying hens. The excess calcium taken
in the diet must be eliminated either by decreased gut absorption or by
excretion via the kidneys. The high mineral content damages the kidney
tubules and results in abnormal deposition of calcium in muscle, heart, blood
vessel walls and other organs that quickly kill the birds.
The calcium damages the kidneys so the liver problem would not have been from that. Purina gave a talk recently and said that their layer was too strong even for older hens and that they were going to come out with a feed for older layers that was not as strong.