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

[BCMaraniac]

Yeah, I have one that seemed a little quiet this am. No blue, but...quiet. I'm going to check him later this afternoon and make a decision about emergency processing on that one.

Mine didn't get up for am feeding like the rest, and was off to himself. Upon further exam is when I noticed he was really struggling, and that his comb was dusky blue. I bled him at the carotid, and you could tell also because the arterial blood that should be bright red was very dark. His underbelly was blue as well. If you wait that long, his body will not drain all of the blood properly. so there will be more bleeding during processing of the carcass. I just skinned mine, took the breast, tenders, wings, thighs and drumsticks, and discarded the rest. The organs can be more engorged with blood and fluid, and be more susceptible to rupture, so I didn't want to take a chance.

 

[fisherlady]

You guys are convincing me that meaties are nasty birds. Thinking I will just stick with my dual purpose that are sweet and pretty to look at.

They aren't really nasty at all, in fact, they are generally pretty easy going, but they do get voracious about their feed... We currently have 2 groups of 10, so the competition isn't too fierce, maybe worse with bigger groups of birds. But they are very, very single minded. They are hungry and they want to eat.
But then again, I have 2 layer hens I can think of who are the same way about fresh food or treats....

It isn't till about week 4 through 6 that they get worse... so it's not that I wouldn't get them again, it is just that by the end of 6 wks you are ready to not deal with the mess for a while. But a few weeks of voracious birds and messy coops is worth it for the meat. I am going to try red rangers next year to see how they are for meat developement vs the mess and stuff to see if they are better choices/fit for us.

I want most of my regular birds to eventually be meaty dual purpose birds so I can cull roosters and such at our convenience when we want meat for the freezer. But even when our flock hits that balance I still think I will get a batch or two of meaties in the spring for the fast turn around roaster/broiler birds to use in the smoker and for bar-b-q use, just because of the more tender meat for those types of cooking. For all of our other uses the heritage birds are great.

 

[BCMaraniac]

You guys are convincing me that meaties are nasty birds. Thinking I will just stick with my dual purpose that are sweet and pretty to look at.

No, they are really quiet.....they just get really excited and sometimes grabby when it is time for feeding or you bring in fresh water. The biggest problem I have with them is because they move slowly and have big feet, and they flock around me when I go in the pen with them, I have to move my feet slowly and shuffle so that I don't accidentally step on a toe or foot. Once I put food out......no problem. I can leave the door wide open, come in and out, and no one pays any attention to me. Kinda like my collegs-age kids......they only give you attention when they want something.

 

[Wax Myrtle]

They aren't really nasty at all, in fact, they are generally pretty easy going, but they do get voracious about their feed... We currently have 2 groups of 10, so the competition isn't too fierce, maybe worse with bigger groups of birds.  But they are very, very single minded.  They are hungry and they want to eat.
But then again, I have 2 layer hens I can think of who are the same way about fresh food or treats....

It isn't till about week 4 through 6 that they get worse... so it's not that I wouldn't get them again, it is just that by the end of 6 wks you are ready to not deal with the mess for a while.  But a few weeks of voracious birds and messy coops is worth it for the meat.  I am going to try red rangers next year to see how they are for meat developement vs the mess and stuff to see if they are better choices/fit for us.

I want most of my regular birds to eventually be meaty dual purpose birds so I can cull roosters and such at our convenience when we want meat for the freezer. But even when our flock hits that balance I still think I will get a batch or two of meaties in the spring for the fast turn around roaster/broiler birds to use in the smoker and for bar-b-q use, just because of the more tender meat for those types of cooking.  For all of our other uses the heritage birds are great.

Yep, all this. See where I emboldened. This is where I am now.

My 9yo daughter says it best: there are two times white broilers are pretty - as cute little fluff balls and on the table.

 

[fisherlady]

My 9yo daughter says it best: there are two times white broilers are pretty - as cute little fluff balls and on the table.

Very smart girl you are raising!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

 

[Elke Beck]

They aren't really nasty at all, in fact, they are generally pretty easy going, but they do get voracious about their feed... We currently have 2 groups of 10, so the competition isn't too fierce, maybe worse with bigger groups of birds. But they are very, very single minded. They are hungry and they want to eat.

They are not nasty in personality, but they are nasty so far as having diarrhea, laying in their own poop, etc. I had one bird that would poop when he was laying down and just keep pooping so that he had a big pile behind him. Having the rubbed in feces in the feathers on their breasts is a total gross out, and the smell from the scalding water is nasty. The second to the last one I did got out of the pen I keep them in overnight so that they do not eat, but it was his day so I went ahead and processed him. After he died, there was a stream of food flowing out of his mouth for a couple of minutes. Nasty.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

why would they have runs? sounds really gross, I would hope to treat my meaties the same as the rest, so what causes this? the breed or what?

 

[BCMaraniac]

They are not nasty in personality, but they are nasty so far as having diarrhea, laying in their own poop, etc. I had one bird that would poop when he was laying down and just keep pooping so that he had a big pile behind him. Having the rubbed in feces in the feathers on their breasts is a total gross out, and the smell from the scalding water is nasty. The second to the last one I did got out of the pen I keep them in overnight so that they do not eat, but it was his day so I went ahead and processed him. After he died, there was a stream of food flowing out of his mouth for a couple of minutes. Nasty.

Same think happened to my emergency processing yesterday. Food drained out longer than the blood. Another reason that I skinned and harvested breast, wing, leg and thigh.....then discarded the rest.

 

[BCMaraniac]

why would they have runs? sounds really gross, I would hope to treat my meaties the same as the rest, so what causes this? the breed or what?

I don't know, but with CX you have deal with it. I wonder if their gut bacteria is messed up because of so much coming through. From everything that I have read, they have little to know interest in anything remotely related to foraging. If you put something in their pen as a treat, they just walk over it. Not the brightest bulbs on the tree. I have heard people say that with FF that the poop firms up, and they seem to not need as much water. My 10 CX that are 9 weeks old(processing on Saturday) drink about 1 1/2 to 2 gallons of water per day.

I don't use FF, but the feed that I use does seem to help with firming up their stool. It contains a natural botanical supplement that is supposed to aid with digestion. I see firm, normal stool quite often, but still see some pasty poop.

You will be treating them differently than your other birds, and will most likely segregate them from the others.