The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[BlueMouse]

cook and feed her to the chickens if you are worried.
Watch this and see if yours is close

An hour should not be a problem unless she was sitting in the sun outside.

I'm not particularly worried about the meat being spoiled. I had the bird hung in a cool room (65 degrees) until I could get to it. I know that when they guys have gone out hunting they've taken longer between killing and gutting than I did. I was more wondering if she had some form of ascites and was failing thrive because of it. The bird in the video looked like the nine birds we processed a month ago. No real fluid in the body cavity, This one I breached the wall, and had to transfer the entire process from the counter to the sink, because there was obviously fluid beginning to trickle out. Then when I pulled out the guts there was several clumps of gelatanous liquid. All clear gold in color, no unhealthy smell. Her liver was pale and what I would think of as sort of swollen. Not as thin and floppy as other livers I have processed and definitely not as healthy a red, more mottled with tan, pale on the inside as well. Her heart seemed fine, although it had one small clot, whether from butchering or before? I'm comparing to the 3 guineas and 6 broilers we just processed, and to the video, although that bird seemed to have a lot of fat around it's gizzard. Her gizzard was healthy, so was her crop and everything else from what I could tell.

 

[rowerjen]

Curious how old your girl was?

LM - just over a year. She was a buff Brahma, and the last of my hatchery stock.

rowerjen, I'm sorry to hear that, it is always a hard thing.I put off doing necropsies (spelling?) for a long time, but it isn't as awful as I anticipated. really, all you need is newspaper, a good poultry shears or kitchen shears, and a sharp knife. Newspaper for the table or counter if you have to do it inside. just trying to encourage you to to take the plunge, although I am hoping you won't have the opportunity for a long time. I felt I learned a lot, from the one on my own hen and from the two I've helped someone do when it was their first time too. Am still learning how to identify the various organs and things.Sally, sweet kitten. sometimes I think people are horrible, and sometimes I think they are just so shut down and traumatized that they can't feel or think. glad the kitten was at your coop.and your hen?

Thanks, Lala. May I call you lala? Having followed this thread for so long I really felt badly about not doing the necropsy. i know that once I did it I'd probably be fine, but I just couldn't brace myself for it that late in the afternoon with so much else going on. It was enough figuring out what to do with the carcass. Wasn't up for processing (see necropsy). I live in NH, and the ground is very rocky, so it's hard to find a place to dig a hole deep enough that the dogs don't dig it up 2 minutes later.

rowerjen - sorry to hear about your hen. i had one bind and didnt know it, i was new to chickens and thought she was just calm for some reason. i felt terrible when i realized what it was

, and that i could have saved her. watch your other hens closely, at one point i was feeding a high protein and not enough oils/calcium. we had a small outbreak of it here on the farm - fortunately we were able to save 6 of 8 who all returned to the flock later with no further issues.

Thanks loveourbirds. I'm really sorry I didn't go with my instincts - when I got home from vacation I didn't find many eggs in the fridge (my neighbor is happy to care for the chickens but is squeamish about the eggs - and he's a hunter, go figure!). She was eating and drinking okay, and seemed to be moving well, but something just didn't seem right. Funny thing too, her carcass seemed so much heavier than the last time I picked her up. Wondering if the neighbor over-fed; she was the one member of the flock who continued to free range after the rest got eaten, but I couldn't have her ranging while I was away. The rest haven't reached POL yet, but I'll be keeping an eye out and making sure they have enough access to calcium. The littles and the juniors had a great game of keepaway with an eggshell last night. One of them thought she was being smart by running up an embankment with it, but then she dropped it and it rolled right back down and another one grabbed it.

 

[lalaland]

Thanks, Lala. May I call you lala? Having followed this thread for so long I really felt badly about not doing the necropsy. i know that once I did it I'd probably be fine, but I just couldn't brace myself for it that late in the afternoon with so much else going on. It was enough figuring out what to do with the carcass. Wasn't up for processing (see necropsy). I live in NH, and the ground is very rocky, so it's hard to find a place to dig a hole deep enough that the dogs don't dig it up 2 minutes later.

yes! and it is really hard to do it when you aren't ready, it is never a good time. Re; disposing of the carcass - I am able to put the dead chicken in the woods, and it is gone by the next day - someone eats it. I can go a fair distance so I don't think I am attracting predators to the area, and it keeps skunks from digging it up.

I had the worst time trying to bury a cat last fall, it didn't seem to matter how deep I dug, or how many heavy large stones I put on top - she kept getting dug up nightly. It was ghastly.

 

[armorfirelady]

So today I changed mrs greens feet and was trying to figure a way to 1. Get the oil into the sore, 2. Keep it there & 3. Somehow keep the vet wrap dry/clean with the intermittent rain we have been having.

My mom stopped to help me. The coconut oil was solid from Being in the fridge, I cut up a couple gauze pads to hold it against the sores and cut the corner off a plastic Baggie. Off we went to see if I could get it to work
Here are the sores today

I was able to pick off more of the scab area on both. I then put the gauze with the coconut oil chunk on the sore and wrapped with vet wrap. Since I had lost one Baggie corner I could only try it on one foot. I put it over the vet wrap.

I pushed the plastic baggy down around her toes and caught/hid most of it with duct tape and off she went. I'll redo them again tomorrow and see if her feet are cleaner. Tho I think I will put the plastic over the gauze then wrap it with vet wrap. I'm hoping this keeps more of the oil in to heal her sores faster and keep all the dirt out. Thank goodness she is very tolerable of her booties since she has been wearing them for what seems forever.

And Leah's mom I bought 2 glass bowls for the heated dog bowl for winter. And when they delivered a load of firewood today I asked them what they do with the stuff they put through the chipper. They said they sell it but sometimes have loads they give away for free cuz they need it gone. Going to call tomorrow and tell them to put me on the list for free wood chips

 

[hotrodflash]

I am trying to determine if this is a cockerel, I just need a second opinion.

 

[aoxa]

I am trying to determine if this is a cockerel, I just need a second opinion.

Oh yes. No doubt about it. That is a boy 100%

 

[Kassaundra]

Oh yes. No doubt about it. That is a boy 100%

Absolutely no doubt

 

[lalaland]

yup, he'll be crowing before you know it!

 

[hotrodflash]

Oh yes. No doubt about it. That is a boy 100%

If he continues to be good natured, he may just survive the fall butchering of extra boys. I have 4 pullets that I may put him with to see what colors they throw in chicks. Two of the girls are all white and the other 2 are buff partridge ish with silver under feathers, but I don't think they have had a juvenile molt yet.

 

[aoxa]

If he continues to be good natured, he may just survive the fall butchering of extra boys. I have 4 pullets that I may put him with to see what colors they throw in chicks. Two of the girls are all white and the other 2 are buff partridge ish with silver under feathers, but I don't think they have had a juvenile molt yet.

My EE boys have always been very well behaved. He sure is pretty!