Sunflower Chickens

[schellie69]

Quote:
The meat birds do take forever to feather out, and often they will grow out to a certain point and then they sometimes have heart attacks prior to getting very old because they grow so fast. Don't let them have their feed overnight and just know they won't feather out nearly as fast as other breeds.

Don't get attached, because they won't live long whether you want to process them or not.

DH's biggest concern.
He tells me "Don't start cuddling these chickens, Don't name these chickens, and for PITY'S SAKE do not fall in love with these chickens!"
He grew up on a cattle ranch (there is no sentamentality on a cattle ranch)

I can understand that, there are some people who get these chickens not realize that they are not meant to grow old, and then they are upset when they die so early. I have not raised any yet, but I have read a lot about them I would love to raise some meat birds but we live in town so I can't yet. We do take care of a farm house that is no longer being lived in thought about talking to the owner and seeing if I could put a tractor with meat birds out there and raise them this summer would sure love to try and raise some of my own meat.

 

[pyrazen]

Quote:
DH's biggest concern.
He tells me "Don't start cuddling these chickens, Don't name these chickens, and for PITY'S SAKE do not fall in love with these chickens!"
He grew up on a cattle ranch (there is no sentamentality on a cattle ranch)

I can understand that, there are some people who get these chickens not realize that they are not meant to grow old, and then they are upset when they die so early. I have not raised any yet, but I have read a lot about them I would love to raise some meat birds but we live in town so I can't yet. We do take care of a farm house that is no longer being lived in thought about talking to the owner and seeing if I could put a tractor with meat birds out there and raise them this summer would sure love to try and raise some of my own meat.

Yeah, I wouldn't have intentionally gotten this breed, but they were living in a laundry basket and I couldn't say no to taking them.

Hopefully the farm owner will let you put some birds on it, you're out there caretaking anyway!

 

[mikeksfarmer]

"Food INC" and "The Natural History of the chicken" are two movies that teach a fair amount about the broiler. In short the Broiler is a genetic cross between a white Rock and a Cornish standard. Not all these crosses create this broiler. In fact the genetics are patent. Bottom line is; the bird grows at a rate the body can’t keep up with. What do we care, we are going to eat it in 6 to 8 weeks. However nutrition is important to growing this bird. Now a lesson on protein; the leather in your tennis shoes has more protein in it than any food you will eat today. Even boiled for hours in soup if you eat your leather shoes you will get about .0000000000001 percent of the protein in your body. Food producers use chicken feathers beaks feet and anything else not marketable to make high protein food. Hey brains, feather pith and the few muscles in feet are digestible but the rest is just protein that will pass through. Some proteins have to have a specific proteinase (specific protein digester) to digest them. For example eat a few feathers every day and eventually your bodies will develop a proteinase to digest them. Some day the feathers will be used greatly by your body to gain protein. But not in 6 to 8 weeks. There are more proteins than sugars and there are about 10000 or more sugars. Sugars are fuel protein is flesh. Proteins can be made more usable by animals including your self by grinding thus you have teeth. Add a few enzymes and you make better work before you use pepsins. Thus you have spit! You and other animals have a stomach that is like a muscle; it can manufacture what is needed to digest the regulars. Then proteins have to be broken down into combinable, absorbable and needed compounds that the body wants. The $20 you find on the sidewalk goes into your wallet (something you can use) the fast food wrapper you find on the lawn; to your trash (poo). Plant protein is wheat chaff and the like; Animal protein is chicken feathers and cow hooves. Basically we have learned to grind, emulsify cook and liquefy some of these unusable proteins to skim more usable animal feed products.

There is more protein in tuna because its been cooked under pressure. Chickens are made to eat as omnivores; bugs, seeds, and plants. Unless you harvest and grind your own foods you have to rely on providers. A food scientist in my past suggested name brands that don’t advertise a lot. But be wary and continue to learn; because "puss in boots" actually kills cats and "Strong Heart" (made in KC) will starve your dog. What more can I say as a chemist and a Biologist; except Protein, animal or plant may be just as useful as a washer tied to a string called a "sexer". Until animal feed makers are required to provide a source for the protein in them, you are wasteing a lot of time in discussion. You can however, collect information from food sponsors, run tests such as growth and weight comparisons in your birds that will lead you down the right path. No one person here knows it all. I do hope I have not wasted your time but if you made it this far you are on the right path!
Hugs to you all!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tazcat70]

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Schellie you are fine.... You gave the poster an option...that is what they wanted. It is up to them to decide what is the best course of action to take.

 

[pyrazen]

Quote:
Schellie you are fine.... You gave the poster an option...that is what they wanted. It is up to them to decide what is the best course of action to take.

I will take all the help I can get!!!!!! ( I hope I didn't say anything to offend anyone)

 

[OzawkieBantams]

Quote:
You didn't .... Thats My job.
......
Welcome to Kansas and Good luck too you and your birds.

Daren or is it Darin

 

[Myabcs3]

Pryazen - good luck with the meat birds! I understand your "need" to rescue them from the laundry basket! I would have been in the same boat... or, er..coop? HAHA Keep us posted with how it goes. We have not done meat birds and don't see that happening in the near future - but then never say never!

Mikeksfarmer - good stuff. I like hearing the different information, experiences and ideas. It helps to look at my own thoughts and opinions and evolve them.

Katy - have you seen differences with your birds between feeds with animal proteins and those with plant based proteins? I track feed usage, egg production, etc. And am thinking maybe I need to cross reference with a few more factors like protein source? HMMMM...just collecting info here, not trying to put anyone on the spot. I try to spend time analyzing (it's the accountant in me) observable results and then link them to causes. For example, another one Chookschick and I have recently been discussing is egg color and its link to calcium source. Just things to ponder...

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I guess I feel like I won't know 100% whether it's made a difference or not till end of summer when they start molting. For years I fed layer mash from our local coop, then about 7 years ago I switched to Layena and flock raiser.....still not sure why I did that, but anyway some hens have been molting so hard and having a hard time re-growing their feathers that I decided the vegetarian diet might not be agreeing with them. Hopefully they won't molt as hard this fall. I started them on it last fall after their molts had already started. They lay just as well on their current feed and are doing ok condition wise, plus it's cheaper!!

 

[CarolAnn]

Quote:
The meat birds do take forever to feather out, and often they will grow out to a certain point and then they sometimes have heart attacks prior to getting very old because they grow so fast. Don't let them have their feed overnight and just know they won't feather out nearly as fast as other breeds.

Don't get attached, because they won't live long whether you want to process them or not.

DH's biggest concern.
He tells me "Don't start cuddling these chickens, Don't name these chickens, and for PITY'S SAKE do not fall in love with these chickens!"
He grew up on a cattle ranch (there is no sentamentality on a cattle ranch)

Sounds to me like he's just trying to save you the heartache of getting too attached to birds that are eventually going to be butchered for their meat. I'm not sure just how much my very smart farm raised husband knows about raising poultry (except he doesn't intend to pluck and dress any), I find out on a need to know basis. He tells me things as I need to know them. It's a shame you weren't given some laying stock instead of meat stock. The original owner probably bought the cheapest bids at the feed store. What I'm wondering is what you intend to do with these birds, feed them out or keep them for eggs. Renee mentioned they can have heart attacks from their weight, and I saw pics of big fat broilers and one who's legs were going out because of the weight, if I understood right. I could raise broilers for meat if times got hard, but there'd be no hand feeding or petting/affection involved. I don't think I could stand that. I'd have a LOT of toughening up to do. ~sigh~

 

[KansasBoy]

Quote:
You didn't .... Thats My job.
......
Welcome to Kansas and Good luck too you and your birds.

Daren or is it Darin