The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Shan30]

Delisha, I know you raise Amerecaunas and was wondering when yours start laying approx. and what age you butcher your spare boys.

Mine are about 4 months now and my rooster/hen ratio sucks. 17 birds and I think 6 hens

This weekend is our three week mark (MG free yay!) and we can move the Hens and a few selected boys to the big coop.
Of course I am completely unsure how to choose my breeders. I want too keep one black and one blue.

My black silkies worked out far better 1 roo and 5 hens!

 

[Kassaundra]

Processing 10 birds tomorrow...

I'm trying to make a mental list of all the supplies.. Can anyone let me know if I am missing something:

Killing Cone
Killing knife
Scalding pot
Temperature think to check pot temperature
Wheelbarrow for plucking
Processing knives
chicken shears
bags for packaging


I feel like I am missing something... :/

Glass of wine, or maybe that's just me.

 

[delisha]

Delisha, I know you raise Amerecaunas and was wondering when yours start laying approx. and what age you butcher your spare boys.

Mine are about 4 months now and my rooster/hen ratio sucks. 17 birds and I think 6 hens

This weekend is our three week mark (MG free yay!) and we can move the Hens and a few selected boys to the big coop.
Of course I am completely unsure how to choose my breeders. I want too keep one black and one blue.

My black silkies worked out far better 1 roo and 5 hens!

test all birds for MG when you select for breeding, before culling. MG does not just go away. It also lives in eggs.

6 months or older. I have three pullets right now that are 7 months old and are not laying yet.

Heritage breeds take longer to grow, so they lay later and lay longer. My only pure male is 6 months old and is not showing any interest at all in the girls. No crowing either.

 

[Shan30]

Glass of wine, or maybe that's just me.

Funny I was just thinking that...

Alcohol
Stereo
Lawn chair
Camera

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
How do you test for MG...is it blood test? If so, how does one draw blood?

 

[Shan30]

test all birds for MG when you select for breeding, before culling. MG does not just go away. It also lives in eggs. 6 months or older. I have three pullets right now that are 7 months old and are not laying yet.

Heritage breeds take longer to grow, so they lay later and lay longer. My only pure male is 6 months old and is not showing any interest at all in the girls. No crowing either.

None of these birds came from my own eggs or have ever been in contact with the main flock. We do plan on sending two of the lower quality Roos in for testing anyways. All birds that were hatched from or ever in contact with our main flock are six feet under. Since we have always fed/watered from youngest to oldest we seem to have lucked out there. As for the coop MG dies within days without a host, the exception being in egg yolks which were also disposed of. We also disinfected the entire coop with Virkon and are very confident that we are in the clear. Of course we have no intention of breeding before testing this flock. The avian pathologist we have been working with is also confident that these guys escaped infection as such young birds would be very sick. The young birds in our main flock were devastated and the first to show symptoms. Thanks for the laying info

 

[Shan30]

How do you test for MG...is it blood test?  If so, how does one draw blood?

Yup a blood test will do it and a vet needs to draw it. Since we have an abundance of roosters it will be easier and more cost effective to just send some whole birds. Due to the life span of the bacteria and gestation period in the birds, if any of this flock are infected, it's likely all are by now.
Any test positive, all are culled and we totally start over.

I am; however, hoping for the best and moving forward.

 

[Shan30]

Funny though my boys have been crowing for a month.
The breeder we got them from came highly recommended, shows her birds and is a member of the feather fanciers here so I'm sure they are quality birds

 

[delisha]

Quote:
How do you test for MG...is it blood test? If so, how does one draw blood?
When a chicken is infected with MG, the infection is of long duration. In the period after infection, the organism is present in the respiratory tissues in high levels and is shed into the environment and eggs. After several weeks, the level of infection and shed of the organism decreases. However, the infection persists in the flock indefinitely and the chickens may shed the organism intermittently, especially following a period of stress. This characteristic makes elimination of MG extremely difficult in multi-age breeder and laying complexes. As MG-clean pullets, raised in single-age farms and in isolation, are brought onto the complex, they are often exposed to the organism at probably the worst possible time-- at the onset of production. This cycle of spread continues in a complex with new flock introductions. All birds must leave the property in an all in and all out function, for premises to be considered clean and free from MG. One of te things not considered by some is wild birds. They can get MG from birds in the yard and be carriers and reinfect a new batch of birds.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

I draw blood out of the wing from 30%-100% of my adult birds for testing. If you look at the wing on the inside you can see really nice veins. They are very easy to get blood from. I took a class threw the NPIP program. I also swab mouths. I test right here for several things with a drop of blood, and I can send off tests or have them come here. I belong to the NPIP program and can request at no cost the State vet come for testing and drawing blood if she thinks it is necessary..The best is three birds sent in for testing. They take them live or in a plastic bag. ($77.00 for total work up).

 

[TipihlowLadies]

Funny I was just thinking that...

Alcohol
Stereo
Lawn chair
Camera

some help!