- Nov 5, 2013
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Texas
- Thread starter allen wranch
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- Apr 19, 2013
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They have other articles on processing and they are helpful as well.
Reading these is a good step to prepare yourself for this venture and to make a decision on how to take the first step in processing which is the kill.
You will need to have everything planned out and mentally accept these steps before you purchase the chicks.
It is also important to look into what kind of Meat bird you would like to raise
if you get broilers and then decide you do not wish to eat them, These birds will not live a long happy life as they were bread for short term to be raised only for meat. You buy the chicks that you will raise / eat each year.
Dual purpose birds offer the ability to maintain your own supply of meat and eggs you can hatch your *crop* by incubating them or let them do it for you.
I have made the decision myself to raise SLW and BR as Dual purpose. HOWEVER, my family is not there yet so I will most likely wait until next spring to ready them for the Circle of Life.
I will have to handle the processing by myself and I know this ahead of time so I am prepared not to wine about not having any help.
I am actually looking forward to tasting a chicken that is Fed good feed and yummy fresh foods. No steroids or antibiotics, No GMO's
I also think I might enjoy a Home Raised Turkey or Goose for the holidays.
Due to upbringing in the city, I have been considering this for 2 years and finally feel ready.
I did however forget that preparing myself was a selfish thing to do, my family is very attached to animals of all walks of life and the Chickens are loved dearly here!
So now it is time to involve them which will put this on hold again. If I had planned and prepared with them we would all be ready now.
I hope this helps at least one of you
This BYC group is a really good place to help you get it right the firs time. They are very supportive.
Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!
You will be very, very surprised how rich and wonderful the meat tastes. Feeding them well helps, but also they are likely to be older. The mush you buy in the grocery store is maybe 9 or 10 weeks old. A duel purpose bird takes a lot longer to grow than a Cornish X.
They have other articles on processing and they are helpful as well.
Reading these is a good step to prepare yourself for this venture and to make a decision on how to take the first step in processing which is the kill.
You will need to have everything planned out and mentally accept these steps before you purchase the chicks.
It is also important to look into what kind of Meat bird you would like to raise
if you get broilers and then decide you do not wish to eat them, These birds will not live a long happy life as they were bread for short term to be raised only for meat. You buy the chicks that you will raise / eat each year.
Dual purpose birds offer the ability to maintain your own supply of meat and eggs you can hatch your *crop* by incubating them or let them do it for you.
I have made the decision myself to raise SLW and BR as Dual purpose. HOWEVER, my family is not there yet so I will most likely wait until next spring to ready them for the Circle of Life.
I will have to handle the processing by myself and I know this ahead of time so I am prepared not to wine about not having any help.
I am actually looking forward to tasting a chicken that is Fed good feed and yummy fresh foods. No steroids or antibiotics, No GMO's
I also think I might enjoy a Home Raised Turkey or Goose for the holidays.
Due to upbringing in the city, I have been considering this for 2 years and finally feel ready.
I did however forget that preparing myself was a selfish thing to do, my family is very attached to animals of all walks of life and the Chickens are loved dearly here!
So now it is time to involve them which will put this on hold again. If I had planned and prepared with them we would all be ready now.
I hope this helps at least one of you
Good luck on your new adventure! I don't think you will be disappointed.
Lisa
I brooded mine in my DH's shop for the first two weeks. I like chickens, but I did not want them in the house! With the coop brooder finished, they can go in there from day one next time.
Welcome to the Texas thread! Check craigslist. I know there are some really cute ones in Hawkins, Tx, but thats a couple hours from you.
There's an HEB in Carthage. The last time I went there, about 4 years ago to pick up some deer corn, it smelled like a pet store.
I want to eventually have a "self sustaining" flock. Hatching your own eggs means extra roos, so I will have to learn to process them myself. DH has already said he won't help with that, he can't stand the smell! lol Thanks to jajeanpierre, I'm actually leaning towards skinning the birds instead of plucking them. That will eliminate one smelly, time consuming step.
That is what I was thinking. Looks good and sturdy, but needs loads more vents and some air flow for Texas.
I was wondering about that. Home raised Cornish X tastes better I'm sure than the store birds, but do they taste as good or better than a heritage chicken that has had time to grow?
@TexasLisa ~ We go to Canton a couple of times a year. Always have to go to Dog Alley to see all the animals. I don't think I've ever seen everything Canton has to offer. It's just too big!
I plan on doing some painting today.On the coop and on my 2nd roosting board. Also need to do some house work. Wonder which will get done first? LOL
I've been checking my chickies the last couple days while it is still dark out. Yesterday morning and last night, they were not using the heat plate. It's in the low 40's here this morning, so fixing to go check them. They have been piled up in the corner instead of using the heat plate. Plenty of room for them to get under it. Just seems that they have enough feathers that they don't need it. My Orps have the least feathers, but they aren't using it either. Looks like it may be time to clean it up and pack it away for next time. They are 4, 5 and 6 weeks old.
It wasn't too hard putting them back in the brooder last night. I got most of them to climb up the ladder by clucking to them and tapping on the ramp. I had to catch about 5. The last was the hardest, since she knew I was after her. She didn't want to come in. She wanted to stay in her dirt bath! lol
We hit the Dog Alley at least twice. I cringe when I see the poultry. We try to walk the whole thing, but it seems like we always forget a part of it.
I put my babies into the coop last night for the first time. They are surrounded by hardwire and had their heating plate. They slept between the heating plate and the hardwire. 6 of them are almost feathered out and 3 have feathers on their wings. They were so happy this morning. They don't need me.
We hit the Dog Alley at least twice. I cringe when I see the poultry. We try to walk the whole thing, but it seems like we always forget a part of it.
I put my babies into the coop last night for the first time. They are surrounded by hardwire and had their heating plate. They slept between the heating plate and the hardwire. 6 of them are almost feathered out and 3 have feathers on their wings. They were so happy this morning. They don't need me.On a happier note, my bathroom is now bleachy clean!!
Awww
I have a question for you Lisa. Do you remember the pic of the brown looking EE you posted? I had one that was colored the same way. Do you know which one of your flock it was? I was wondering what color it was now. Mine is a funny color. Kind of a silvery/blue with red on it. I'll try and get a better pic today while she/he is out in the coop.
Then
Now
Yea but it wouldn't take to much to put in some ventilation. For 125 I was thinking maybe someone might see it as an easy fixer upper. I know there are some pretty good Bob the builders here.
Lisa, I live about 40 minutes from Canton so I go any weekend DH is gone or if I have a project going that "needs" something. I love that place!Welcome from Rosenberg! Check Craigslist or the feed stores in your area for chicks.
Good luck on your new adventure! I don't think you will be disappointed.
Lisa
You are totally right the one in Carthage is NOT good.I brooded mine in my DH's shop for the first two weeks. I like chickens, but I did not want them in the house! With the coop brooder finished, they can go in there from day one next time.
Welcome to the Texas thread! Check craigslist. I know there are some really cute ones in Hawkins, Tx, but thats a couple hours from you.
There's an HEB in Carthage. The last time I went there, about 4 years ago to pick up some deer corn, it smelled like a pet store.I don't know why, but the smell hit you in the face when you walked in the door. Haven't been back since. There's nothing wrong with a pet store, unless its supposed to be a grocery store, lol.
I want to eventually have a "self sustaining" flock. Hatching your own eggs means extra roos, so I will have to learn to process them myself. DH has already said he won't help with that, he can't stand the smell! lol Thanks to jajeanpierre, I'm actually leaning towards skinning the birds instead of plucking them. That will eliminate one smelly, time consuming step.
That is what I was thinking. Looks good and sturdy, but needs loads more vents and some air flow for Texas.
I was wondering about that. Home raised Cornish X tastes better I'm sure than the store birds, but do they taste as good or better than a heritage chicken that has had time to grow?
@TexasLisa ~ We go to Canton a couple of times a year. Always have to go to Dog Alley to see all the animals. I don't think I've ever seen everything Canton has to offer. It's just too big!
I plan on doing some painting today.On the coop and on my 2nd roosting board. Also need to do some house work. Wonder which will get done first? LOL
I've been checking my chickies the last couple days while it is still dark out. Yesterday morning and last night, they were not using the heat plate. It's in the low 40's here this morning, so fixing to go check them. They have been piled up in the corner instead of using the heat plate. Plenty of room for them to get under it. Just seems that they have enough feathers that they don't need it. My Orps have the least feathers, but they aren't using it either. Looks like it may be time to clean it up and pack it away for next time. They are 4, 5 and 6 weeks old.
It wasn't too hard putting them back in the brooder last night. I got most of them to climb up the ladder by clucking to them and tapping on the ramp. I had to catch about 5. The last was the hardest, since she knew I was after her. She didn't want to come in. She wanted to stay in her dirt bath! lol
I didn't want to brood mine in the house either and the plan was just to get them through the first week maybe 2 and the move them out into the barn, but the weather turned wicked and I couldn't keep their temp regulated in the brooder so I moved them back in. I don't have a garage on this house or I would have put them in there. BUT DH gets home this week and the coop is the first thing on the list..... the only thing on the list and a brooder is on the plans to be build in the coop!
Like I told Lisa I go to Canton all the time. Ya'll need to give me shout when ya'll go again, maybe we can all meet up there. There is so much there.
I have always stated away from Dog Alley and any live animals.... I am just afraid I would either walk away with animals I don't need or I will just run through there freeing all the sad and unhappy looking animals. LOLWe hit the Dog Alley at least twice. I cringe when I see the poultry. We try to walk the whole thing, but it seems like we always forget a part of it.
I put my babies into the coop last night for the first time. They are surrounded by hardwire and had their heating plate. They slept between the heating plate and the hardwire. 6 of them are almost feathered out and 3 have feathers on their wings. They were so happy this morning. They don't need me.On a happier note, my bathroom is now bleachy clean!!
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Found this coop on Tyler Craigslist. It is in North Richland Hills. $200.00
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/grd/4398418854.html
Wish they had more pics of it. At least it does have ventilation up in the eaves, so that is an improvement over a lot of the smaller coops. Add longer legs to raise it up, be easier to clean out.
Another one in Douglasville. It's a TSC coop, origional cost 220.00, asking 150.00.
http://texarkana.craigslist.org/grd/4382692748.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/grd/4398418854.html
Wish they had more pics of it. At least it does have ventilation up in the eaves, so that is an improvement over a lot of the smaller coops. Add longer legs to raise it up, be easier to clean out.
Another one in Douglasville. It's a TSC coop, origional cost 220.00, asking 150.00.
http://texarkana.craigslist.org/grd/4382692748.html
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Those are both good fixer uppers too. I have been surprised at how many I have seen on craigs list. I mean the material alone to make these would run you more that 150 ... 200, right? Maybe someone could use them and fix them up right. I guess I have finally gotten my DH eye for seeing potential..... but he has been known to say that sometimes my 'eye' really needs adjusting. LOL Sometimes things are just a lost cause.
I am trying to make sure I have all the special things that I need for my coop and run, so that way when DH gets here this week the only real things we have to go get would be the lumber type items and I am not even going to try to guess.... besides he like to do the lumber part.
But I am talking about the important stuff every coop needs.
I have ordered the motor for the coop door, I have ordered the nipples for water system, I am going to get the rain barrels, I have the buckets and supplies to make the feeders, I have already gotten a good amount of hardware cloth and chicken wire purchased, .....
What else is important to make sure I have, something that isn't easy to find that I need to go ahead and order??? I am trying to make sure we don't run into something that will stop progress and I want to make things as simple as possible for DH, he doesn't like to have to stop a lot and run to the store.
Is there anything I am missing beside lumber?
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