Texas

[tcmstalcup]

Thanks guys for all the info on egg prices and laws pertaining to fresh egg sales. Lots of good info on the thread today!

 

[Little Wing]

We feed our culls to the dogs. I did it last night. (First one I've culled, but it's always been our plan.)
Dogs have to eat too. I'm honestly quite freaked out by Cornish X from the grocery store and hate feeding Tyson chicken to my dogs. I love my dogs but I can't afford anything better than that. It's actually part of the reason I started raising birds on a larger scale.

I tell people about it not trying to freak them out, but honestly people are way too removed from what they eat. I would imagine someone interested in owning their own chickens (either for meat or eggs) would understand where meat, including dog food, comes from.

When people react poorly to the news that we process our birds, or feed them to the dogs, I ask if they're vegan - I'm 100% serious because I'm always trying to find more vegans. It's hard being the only vegan chicken farmer I know. Of course, they never are, so I ask why they are okay with eating a 7 week old chicken that would have died of a heart attack before it could breed, that may never have seen sunlight, simply because it came from the grocery store, but it's sick of me to use a 7 week old bird to feed my dog. What do they think is IN dog food?

Then you have the people on the opposite end who immediately upon learning I have chickens ask if we eat them, or what we do when they die. When I told my dad about some of our birds being killed by predators he asked what we were having for dinner. Honestly that's disrespectful (trying to offend someone on purpose by making jokes about their animals.) I just responded "Well we would have fed them to the dogs but I don't know how long they were dead, might have some bacteria or parasites, it's not worth it." And of course he's grossed out. How is it okay to make a joke about me eating my birds but actually knowing that the dog is eating it is gross?

Not trying to be rude to you or your wife, please don't take this the wrong way. Sometimes I feel like I was the only one there that day when we learned that some animals are carnivores, and meat from the grocery store is animals, because it seems almost no one else gets it - it's freaky to feed a dead chicken to a dog, but it's okay to feed ground up dead chicken when it's mixed with ground up corn, and dried into a pellet. My husband started describing to my MIL last night about us processing the chicken, and she freaked out. But she eats meat! I don't eat meat, or any animal products, but I understand that my dogs are carnivores, and I'd rather feed them animals that I know were raised humanely and processed humanely over animals I don't know where they came from and have a high probability that I don't agree with how they were raised and butchered. Yet I am viewed as weird by 95% of people. I guess I'd rather be weird.

/rant/

You weren't rude

It was early last year when she talked to her. She has come a long way.
I don't cull (kill) healthy birds because their color isn't right or their legs aren't featherd and I wouldn't feed culled sick chickens to my dogs. What did you cull the bird for?

 

[jesirose]

You weren't rude

It was early last year when she talked to her. She has come a long way. I don't cull (kill) healthy birds because their color isn't right or their legs aren't featherd and I wouldn't feed culled sick chickens to my dogs. What did you cull the bird for?

It was an EE cockerel that we would never have any reason to breed. We have a few more to do that are all cockerels we won't breed. We do have a few non breeding cockerels but each one is a mouth to feed and a body to protect and we only have so room to keep culls.

 

[Rooster Don]

I found a light sussex hen and rooster and and picking them up tomorrow. I am very excited. They only are sold as a pair and I think it will be a fun rooster. I love their colors. Thanks for your reply.

 

[TammyTX]

I just wanted to stop in the Texas thread and say Hey!

I'm outside of Elgin and have owned chickens for 17 years, on and off.

Today I got in a order of baby chicks from McMurray. That makes my total to 33, but I'm want to cull some this Fall, if I can find someone to show me how to do it correctly.

Did y'all see one of those Alaska shows where the girl goes to chop of the chicken's head and she says, "Oh God, I missed...!" Okay, that would be something I would do. I don't want to do that.

There used to be a family that processed birds, Anderson Family Farm, but I think they got out of the chicken business.

Glad I found the thread.

 

[Little Wing]

I just wanted to stop in the Texas thread and say Hey!

I'm outside of Elgin and have owned chickens for 17 years, on and off.

Today I got in a order of baby chicks from McMurray. That makes my total to 33, but I'm want to cull some this Fall, if I can find someone to show me how to do it correctly.

Did y'all see one of those Alaska shows where the girl goes to chop of the chicken's head and she says, "Oh God, I missed...!" Okay, that would be something I would do. I don't want to do that.

There used to be a family that processed birds, Anderson Family Farm, but I think they got out of the chicken business.

Glad I found the thread.

Welcome to the Texas Thread.
This is my favorite processing video.

 

[showbarnmom]

I just wanted to stop in the Texas thread and say Hey!

I'm outside of Elgin and have owned chickens for 17 years, on and off.

Today I got in a order of baby chicks from McMurray. That makes my total to 33, but I'm want to cull some this Fall, if I can find someone to show me how to do it correctly.

Did y'all see one of those Alaska shows where the girl goes to chop of the chicken's head and she says, "Oh God, I missed...!" Okay, that would be something I would do. I don't want to do that.

There used to be a family that processed birds, Anderson Family Farm, but I think they got out of the chicken business.

Glad I found the thread.

Welcome!! Im in New Braunfels, bout hour or so from Elgin. I haven't done any processing, but I don't care for chicken on the bone. I know I know. Any who, theres lots who can help you!

 

[7acres]

I also feed the fermented feed. My mix changes periodically, but right now I have a 50/50 mix of starter/grower crumbles and scratch that I am feeding to the entire group of 45 birds - ages range from 4 weeks to 9 years. I only feed once a day, right before they roost in the evenings. Mine free range all day though.

I have fed them all fermented layer crumbles and scratch before. Some will vehemently argue that laying layer feed to roosters and non-laying chicks/pullets is really bad for them, but since I free range all day (and that is where they get most of their nutrition) I don't worry about it. What I feed in the evenings is really just a supplement for them to make sure everyone goes to bed with a full crop. I haven't lost a chicken yet from kidney failure due to too high calcium intake...

I have actually also tried to experiment this summer with not feeding anything at all (but table scraps) and just letting them be almost strictly free range - but when it got super got here I realized that they spent most of the day laid up in the shade instead of ranging for food. They were hot and I took pity on them, so they are back to getting some ff each evening.

I currently have 30 from a couple weeks up to a year and a half. Not free ranged. How much fermented feed would you give them or is there a way to estimate? I think I would like to try the continuous way to not have to start over. I should get rid of about 11 cockerels soon I hope. If they do not eat all of it you put out, does it sour? I remember we used to do this to pig food when I was a kid and they acted like a kid with the first milk shake.

 

[showbarnmom]

I currently have 30 from a couple weeks up to a year and a half. Not free ranged. How much fermented feed would you give them or is there a way to estimate? I think I would like to try the continuous way to not have to start over. I should get rid of about 11 cockerels soon I hope. If they do not eat all of it you put out, does it sour? I remember we used to do this to pig food when I was a kid and they acted like a kid with the first milk shake.

Basic rule is feed an amount they clean up in 15-30 mins. I feed a flock of 9 about 4-5 cups a day. But they free range. So I would probably start yours on about 8-10 cups and adjust accrodingly.

You can leave it out all day and it doesn't sour.

 

[wlhtx]

I currently have 30 from a couple weeks up to a year and a half.  Not free ranged.  How much fermented feed would you give them or is there a way to estimate?  I think I would like to try the continuous way to not have to start over.  I should get rid of about 11 cockerels soon I hope.  If they do not eat all of it you put out, does it sour?  I remember we used to do this to pig food when I was a kid and they acted like a kid with the first milk shake.

I don't portion mine out in cups or anything like that when I feed. I usually just scoop several large spoonfuls into the trough and watch them for a few minutes. Mine take abt 10-15 minutes to clean their plates, so to speak. Sometimes they will walk away with some food left in the trough, but not usually. If there is some leftover, it will not spoil if you leave it. It may develop a beige or grayish film, but that is not bad. The chickens will eat it usually first thing next morning. You'll just have to play around with what works for you.

If you mean that you intend to just leave the ff out continuously for them all day, you might want to watch them closely and/or reconsider. I've seen others report on other threads that they have birds develop a lot of fat due to over-eating this stuff (usually not discovered until processing time). The ff allows them to process the food so much better that they can overdo it apparently and get on the chubby side, which then morphs into other issues like laying problems, etc.

If you do not free range, then I would just feed them two meals per day: breakfast and dinner. Once would probably not be enough, but continuous could be too much.

And let me tell you, they WILL get excited about it. When I first started, it took my flock a good 2 weeks or so before they took to it. I was convinced I was doing something wrong. But then they figured out they like it or it made them feel better or SOMETHING because they mob me now. They literally will jump into the bucket while I'm trying to spoon it out. It's really funny.