The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[littlemissstang]

We have named our chickens also. And it is hard for us to kill ours. But, we know that we have to and that it will be a hard decision of which one is next. We have processed six Cornish x's so far with my DH's friend that we got Digger from. We are def more out for the eggs, though. I want my chickens to have a great life and to be able to "BE" chickens as much as possible! We don't like to cage them up, but we have to do as we can. Right now we are planning on making another run on the other side of our coupe for the little Cochins. We are afraid that Pretty Boy (our RIR/Austrolupe Roo) will hurt them. Our coupe is an old playhouse that my youngest Son had for a "hideout". My DH built the run off the front of it and built nesting boxes inside for me. He loves chicken keeping as much as I do! We have learned a lot in the last 7 to 8 months since we have started our adventure!

And delisha, how can you tell if the organs look wrong? Is there a website with pictures to show a good organ from a bad organ? Or is there just something that you need to look for? I know that Digger will probably be our "first kill" and it will be very hard. She is such a great layer and her eggs are Awesome! So rich and no watery insides like some of the Reds.

 

[aoxa]

I agree with everything you do as a flock master. I also do not believe in selling or giving away old, sick, lame, unthrifty animals down the road and calling them "pet quality' or "re-homed" chickens. It is a cruelty of sorts. Prolonging the life of an animal that will ultimately not live a natural one for long any way.
Killing livestock is the necessary hard part of animal husbandry.
This Spring I plan on raising four turkeys for the freezer. A first for me. Two for me and two for my daughter and her family. We are setting up the space now. I've also never raised Cornish X successfully. This also is on my calendar thanks to learning how to do it with FF on BYC recently.
Chickens have been in my life for many decades. Eggs, meat, farmers market, and showing. It's all good. Most get named and I care for them the best of my ability. There is joy in that.

Mumsy,

I think pet quality refers to anything not worthy of show.

I don't call it pet quality. I call it hatchery. Just my two cents.

I never sell sick/lame birds. That will ruin your name, and is not morally acceptable. I know of one guy in my area that was selling birds with respiratory symptoms. I told him if he came to this last sale I would tell people what he was up to. He wiped out one flocks of a friend of mine, and infected another friend's flock. One of my friends had them tested and it was not Chronic. It was the chicken equivalent of human's pink eye. So conjunctivitis.

Also - turkeys are really easy to get attached to. They are naturally curious, and will follow you everywhere. I love my turkeys. They will never be used for meat (not my four, maybe some of their mutt kids).


The bird I am most attached to - Betty. A freaking wild turkey. Not wild at all. She came right up and leaned against me for a nap while I was photographing the silkies.



When she was just a poult, she would fly up to roost on my lap. She loves her neck scratched.

Her sister (Bruce) is not this friendly, but stalks me just like Tom & Claudette do. Betty is the only one who actually wants to be scratched on the neck.

Be prepared for them to seek you out and escort you everywhere you go. Even if you don't pick them up often.

 

[stonykill]

Not even a little easier? I don't ever want it to be fun, but I don't want it to break my heart everytime either.

Hopefully I can get to the point where I can do it without bursting into tears and having nightmares.

it is a job that needs to be done. I'll put it that way. Killing roosters I really don't have a problem with because it is best for the hens. For me it is a mind set. When I go hunting I know I'm going to shoot once and kill something for our family to eat. When we raised 30 turkeys a year for the freezer in my teens I knew every day that I went out to feed them that I was going to eat them. And beleive me, the best slaughter day was the day I got promoted to axe guy from plucker.
For me on rooster slaughter day (of which another is coming up quickly) it is all about the mindset. The morning of, I have no reservations grabbing the roosters and doing what needs to be done for the good of the flock, the hens in particular.
It isn't being cold. It is about survival and eating healthy.

The only time I really hurt me was recently when I had to butcher Boo Boo my Pekin drake. For 3 days after every time I thought of him lying there dead due to a mink I welled up with tears. But in the end, he had to be butchered and not wasted.

Does it get easier leading up to butcher day? No. Does butcher day get easier. It has for me.

 

[aoxa]

it is a job that needs to be done. I'll put it that way. Killing roosters I really don't have a problem with because it is best for the hens. For me it is a mind set. When I go hunting I know I'm going to shoot once and kill something for our family to eat. When we raised 30 turkeys a year for the freezer in my teens I knew every day that I went out to feed them that I was going to eat them. And beleive me, the best slaughter day was the day I got promoted to axe guy from plucker.
For me on rooster slaughter day (of which another is coming up quickly) it is all about the mindset. The morning of, I have no reservations grabbing the roosters and doing what needs to be done for the good of the flock, the hens in particular.
It isn't being cold. It is about survival and eating healthy.

The only time I really hurt me was recently when I had to butcher Boo Boo my Pekin drake. For 3 days after every time I thought of him lying there dead due to a mink I welled up with tears. But in the end, he had to be butchered and not wasted.

Does it get easier leading up to butcher day? No. Does butcher day get easier. It has for me.

That makes me feel better.

I agree that it needs to be done. I do want to eat them. It is going to be done. It would be easier if they were being mean to the hens, but they aren't at all. Not even crowing.

Probably would have been easier for me if I wasn't so sheltered as a child.

 

[stonykill]

That makes me feel better.

I agree that it needs to be done. I do want to eat them. It is going to be done. It would be easier if they were being mean to the hens, but they aren't at all. Not even crowing.

Probably would have been easier for me if I wasn't so sheltered as a child.

I grew up with it. both my grandfather (my mentor in life) and my dad raised pigs. As a teen we raised turkeys for the freezer. In my early 20's I started hunting and one year raised a steer. Many lean years the only meat we ate was what I killed for the freezer.
But with all that said the 1st several years I raised chickens I didn't kill them unless they were ill and suffering.It has only been the last few years that the well being of the flock made it happen.

 

[delisha]

Aoxia, it does get easier. I no longer cry in most cases. When it comes to butchering out the meaties sometimes I am glad I am no longer feeding, so it makes it easier. For roosters if they are being butchered out because they are jerks it does not bother me that bad at all. I still cry for my hens that have been good egg layers and I have to do it for there sake. I am crying for myself and not them. When I kill for an injury I do not cry at all. I am so relieved I have ended suffering and fear. When I had the coyote attack and one of the hens were laying in the yard, I grabbed my knife and ended her suffering as fast as my legs could carry me. That was pure relief. My anger at myself and sadness came later.

 

[aoxa]

You guys are awesome

 

[Mumsy]

Mumsy,

I think pet quality refers to anything not worthy of show.

I don't call it pet quality. I call it hatchery. Just my two cents.

I never sell sick/lame birds. That will ruin your name, and is not morally acceptable. I know of one guy in my area that was selling birds with respiratory symptoms. I told him if he came to this last sale I would tell people what he was up to. He wiped out one flocks of a friend of mine, and infected another friend's flock. One of my friends had them tested and it was not Chronic. It was the chicken equivalent of human's pink eye. So conjunctivitis.

Also - turkeys are really easy to get attached to.

Maybe it's a regional thing calling any and all unwanted chickens 'pet quality'? I hear it a lot on my island.

I lost 50% of my show stock in 1995 from a breeding pair of bantam Sultans that were sold to me by a woman that knew they were carriers of Mareks. I had to start from scratch six years later. Leaving my barn and grounds vacant of chickens in that amount of time. I'll only purchase birds from those breeders or suppliers I know and trust from now on.

I haven't bought or raised hatchery chicks since the 1980's. I'm pretty sure Johnny is a hatchery Production Red. He looks 1/2 RIR and 1/2 Brown Leghorn. A common hatchery bird sold as a RIR in Washington.
I just love seeing your pictures axoa. They bring a smile to my face.

My property is not expansive enough to raise turkeys for more than 22 weeks. That's the amount of time I will allow four poults to grow out until butchering. Possibly less time. I've made inquiries at our local feed store. They will only sell Heritage breeds and they will come in late Feb or March.

 

[cubalaya]

yes 'pet quality' is a regional thing. we call them 'culls' around here. i am hoping to put 50 to 60 'culls' in the freezer this year.

 

[Bulldogma]

My nephew is obsessed with egg collecting. He said to me "You know. I want to be a farmer and have chickens when I grow up!" Nearly busted a tear duct. It was way too cute.

First egg!

He is too cute for words!!

My 6-7 week old meaties weigh about 4-5 lbs. I sell them for $1.50 a lb. They pick out the chicken and put it in the scale. They think they are getting a bargain and I think I am making a profit. It is a win win.

Delisha - you always have great stuff to share. I meant to quote the thing about killing not getting easier after 30 years... Thank you for sharing so openly to help us newer folks learn.

Also - turkeys are really easy to get attached to. They are naturally curious, and will follow you everywhere. I love my turkeys. They will never be used for meat (not my four, maybe some of their mutt kids).


The bird I am most attached to - Betty. A freaking wild turkey. Not wild at all. She came right up and leaned against me for a nap while I was photographing the silkies.

OK - so are wild turkeys sold at hatcheries? How do you get them? I'm thinking about raising a couple Bourbon Reds, but I'd be interested in wild turkeys... I'd have to band them in bright colors to keep the neighbors from "hunting" them though - LOL! That snuggly turkey picture is too funny!