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

[fisherlady]

how old were these again? I wonder if the birds so signs of stress with a heart like that? did they all have it?

These birds were between 8 and 9 wks. Some will begin to show stress with build up of fluid. This bird didn't have any fluid anywhere else and I hadn't noticed her showing any lethargy or cyanosis... though in another week or two she most likely would have shown some.

She is the only one from this group with it, and the 3rd so far out of 15 that we have done in the last few weeks. The other two were early on and had grown at an outlandish rate and were huge for their age, which is why we chose to process them younger... neither was severe, but both had fluid starting to build up. One of those was showing signs of fatigue/lethargy and some poor color at times.

We also found it in an older roo we did last fall... so it is not just meaties that have it, they are just more prone to it and get it sooner.

 

[kacklinkelly]

Exactly. The thing about "clean" is that it doesn't mean sterile.....did you know that the overuse of antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer has resulted in a generation of children with poorer immune systems?...but I digress.....

So on many fronts the chicken from the backyard is better than the commercially produced chicken.

I so agree with these statements. When I fed my backyard meaties to family on Memorial day, they could not tell any difference in taste from store bought chickens.
They questioned if it was worth all the effort. When I reminded them that the meaties lived a more humane existence and were without chemical enhancements or steroids
they soon agreed it was worth it. They were glad that I was the one doing the work though

.

My little Filipino MIL always insisted that so many of children's health issues were related to all the "so called" improvements made in food handling/prep. (my children are 26 and 30)
I feel like I am honoring her legacy in an effort to impart some healthy/home grown food into the next generation of our family. Although, when my 6 y.o. grandson found out we were cooking the meaties from the back yard his question was "Mimi are you crazy?!" my response was some people think so, what about you. He said nope and walked away. He's the reason I got into chickens in the first place.

 

[BCMaraniac]

thought of you guys

He is just assessing the increase in the value of his investment, Sally!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: are the majority hens? or is there a big mix and how much more does a roo weigh 2 lbs more or less?

 

[BCMaraniac]

are the majority hens? or is there a big mix and how much more does a roo weigh 2 lbs more or less?

I would imagine that there isn't much difference in the incidence of congestive heart failure in older roos and hens...their hearts just start wearing out and can't pump effectively, just like in old people. In the CX....I would imagine the incidence is higher in roos.

Just tossing out a thought. If a person has compensated congestion heart failure(stable), they are instructed to be on a low salt diet.....so with older chickens, that probably wouldn't be a bad idea either....even though I know even young ones shouldn't have a lot of salt either....just don't tell your friends that you are giving your chickens low sodium snacks.....they may have you committed!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: HA bring on the straight jackets eh!

 

[fisherlady]

are the majority hens? or is there a big mix and how much more does a roo weigh 2 lbs more or less?

Our birds have been about a 50/50 mix, I think 2 of the meaties with CHF signs were roos, 1 was a hen... but I don't know if there is any increase in frequency simply based on sex of the bird. Our roos have been slightly bigger on average than the females, but only by maybe a pound to a pound and a quarter. There have been a few who just simply grew faster than any of the others and were notably bigger than the average bird. I don't know why that happens, 2 of them were males, one was a female.

I would imagine that there isn't much difference in the incidence of congestive heart failure in older roos and hens...their hearts just start wearing out and can't pump effectively, just like in old people. In the CX....I would imagine the incidence is higher in roos.

Just tossing out a thought. If a person has compensated congestion heart failure(stable), they are instructed to be on a low salt diet.....so with older chickens, that probably wouldn't be a bad idea either....even though I know even young ones shouldn't have a lot of salt either....just don't tell your friends that you are giving your chickens low sodium snacks.....they may have you committed!!

Honestly I never looked at the sodium content in the food! I always paid attention to the protein content as the biggest thing. I will have to check and see what the sodium amounts are!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: when is the new food labeling start with sodium injection info ? 2014?

 

[Wax Myrtle]

Hatchery RIR (Meyer, in OH) approx 8 mos old. Got too big for his britches. Weight is 4lbs 12oz, neck, no giblets. Sorry bout the bag, forgot about a pic til he'd been in the fridge a couple hours.