Well I DID IT!! Pithing vs. Hatchet.... Graphic pics****

[fitzy]

Quote:
Okay, i know this should be obvious, but why not toss the intestines to the other birds? I realize you don't really want to feed your birds poop, but when they eat bugs they eat the whole thing.

The reason i'm asking is I'm kinda wondering if i could just take the whole carcass (after meat removel) and find a way to grind it up to feed it back to the others...this would avoid a bite of poop for an unfortunate bird! I was also wondering if i could use the same method when culling my quail...just toss them into a meat grinder (after i kill them) and feed them to the others.

Also, is there any reason i shouldn't feed the necks to my other birds after i use them to make broth?

I'm not easily offended, so if this idea is retarded feel free to let me know.....

 

[Sunny Side Up]

It's just my own preference to not feed intestines to the chickens, they may very well be all right for them to eat. I do withhold feed from the candidates before butchering so there shouldn't be much poop in them anyway. But since my birds don't really NEED the extra parts for feed, I would rather avoid any possible problems and give them just the organs but not the intestines.

There may be other posts about feeding raw or cooked meat, chicken or otherwise, to your flock, do a search or start a new thread about that & see what you learn.

 

[mypicklebird]

looks like a bird testicle


Quote:

 

[Buugette]

What is "pithing"...?

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
Okay, i know this should be obvious, but why not toss the intestines to the other birds? I realize you don't really want to feed your birds poop, but when they eat bugs they eat the whole thing.

The reason i'm asking is I'm kinda wondering if i could just take the whole carcass (after meat removel) and find a way to grind it up to feed it back to the others...this would avoid a bite of poop for an unfortunate bird! I was also wondering if i could use the same method when culling my quail...just toss them into a meat grinder (after i kill them) and feed them to the others.

Also, is there any reason i shouldn't feed the necks to my other birds after i use them to make broth?

I'm not easily offended, so if this idea is retarded feel free to let me know.....

It's not a good idea for animals to eat members of their own species, or closely related ones. The reason for this is that they are susceptible to the same pathogens. If there's a pathogen present, (and you might not know about it) and you feed the scraps to the rest of the flock, you can spread that pathogen to the entire flock. That's one of the reasons that BSE became a problem, ruminants were fed back parts of other dead ruminants.

I feed my birds scraps from pork, beef, and other non-avian species. I feed poultry scraps to my dogs, cats, and pigs. I don't feed poultry to poultry, or pig to pigs. I know that many species will engage in cannibalism other under certain conditions, but it's probably not very good for them.

I do sometimes feed eggs back to the chickens, and the shells, maybe that's just as bad.

 

[judyc]

Has anyone here used pithing for turkeys?

I've go6t two to do in the next couple of weeks, and am gearing up.

I've always used machete/hatchets, but would use pithing if it made the plucking easier.

Another question: I've heard soaking in brine for turkeys--others say freezing.

What is the best way to end up with a delicious entree?

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
Okay, i know this should be obvious, but why not toss the intestines to the other birds? I realize you don't really want to feed your birds poop, but when they eat bugs they eat the whole thing.

The reason i'm asking is I'm kinda wondering if i could just take the whole carcass (after meat removel) and find a way to grind it up to feed it back to the others...this would avoid a bite of poop for an unfortunate bird! I was also wondering if i could use the same method when culling my quail...just toss them into a meat grinder (after i kill them) and feed them to the others.

Also, is there any reason i shouldn't feed the necks to my other birds after i use them to make broth?

I'm not easily offended, so if this idea is retarded feel free to let me know.....

It's not a good idea for animals to eat members of their own species, or closely related ones. The reason for this is that they are susceptible to the same pathogens. If there's a pathogen present, (and you might not know about it) and you feed the scraps to the rest of the flock, you can spread that pathogen to the entire flock. That's one of the reasons that BSE became a problem, ruminants were fed back parts of other dead ruminants.

I feed my birds scraps from pork, beef, and other non-avian species. I feed poultry scraps to my dogs, cats, and pigs. I don't feed poultry to poultry, or pig to pigs. I know that many species will engage in cannibalism other under certain conditions, but it's probably not very good for them.

I do sometimes feed eggs back to the chickens, and the shells, maybe that's just as bad.

I wouldn't do it either... not a good idea. If you get a couple pigs they would gladly eat up the scraps. I think the eggs are a bit different as the hens bodies are screaming for the nutrients that are in eggs... you figure that an egg has all of the nutrients in it for a chick to live 21 + days on the yolk? I don't see why a full grown chicken wouldn't benefit from it too?

Don't get me wrong... chickens love eating each other... they will fight over a chicken heart.... or some livers that get tossed to the dogs. So they will eat it, and I'm sure the protein is great but moraly I couldn't do it.

Your probably better off catching a bunch of fish and throwing them through a grinder and feeding them to the chickens. Better protein and probably safer in the long run.

 

[fitzy]

Quote:
It's not a good idea for animals to eat members of their own species, or closely related ones. The reason for this is that they are susceptible to the same pathogens. If there's a pathogen present, (and you might not know about it) and you feed the scraps to the rest of the flock, you can spread that pathogen to the entire flock. That's one of the reasons that BSE became a problem, ruminants were fed back parts of other dead ruminants.

I feed my birds scraps from pork, beef, and other non-avian species. I feed poultry scraps to my dogs, cats, and pigs. I don't feed poultry to poultry, or pig to pigs. I know that many species will engage in cannibalism other under certain conditions, but it's probably not very good for them.

I do sometimes feed eggs back to the chickens, and the shells, maybe that's just as bad.

I wouldn't do it either... not a good idea. If you get a couple pigs they would gladly eat up the scraps. I think the eggs are a bit different as the hens bodies are screaming for the nutrients that are in eggs... you figure that an egg has all of the nutrients in it for a chick to live 21 + days on the yolk? I don't see why a full grown chicken wouldn't benefit from it too?

Don't get me wrong... chickens love eating each other... they will fight over a chicken heart.... or some livers that get tossed to the dogs. So they will eat it, and I'm sure the protein is great but moraly I couldn't do it.

Your probably better off catching a bunch of fish and throwing them through a grinder and feeding them to the chickens. Better protein and probably safer in the long run.

kinda funny you mention fish...i have pond that is over run with yellow bullhead catfish! I've been considering catching a bunch and putting them through the meat grinder to feed to the birds (chickens and quail)!

Actually, that was what made me wonder if i could use the chicken carcass since i had to dispose of it anyway...anyone out there use fish to feed their birds?

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Quote:

I agree...

 

[HEChicken]

I know this is an older thread, but someone linked it in a post yesterday and I have been reading through it and studying the photos. But I *still* don't know what the blue things are (or what their purpose is) that are hanging from the Clorox bottles in the very pic on Page 1. Can anyone help?