Chickens and all things fowl..........

[tk]

just out of high school and no good paying jobs to be found I went to work on a fair sized farm . Part of their income was eggs and chicken meat. The man of the farm did the crops. The lady did the cattle and chickens. I was the farm hand an done both for a whopping 20 dollars a day plus room and board and gas for my pick up. This lady at the time was in her mid 60's and you didn't want to try keeping up to her when it came to gathering scrubbing and candling eggs or dressing a chicken. She would order 100 peeps a year and kill the 2 year olds when the pollutes started producing that kept her at 200 layers year round.
Her chickens were raised in long narrow coops around 40 foot long and 10 feet wide with nesting boxes and floor space to run around . She kept 50 hens to a coop with one rooster in each.
There was a 1/4 inch wire line from the roof of the coops that ran 30 yards and slightly down hill to the side of the canning house that held the gas fired scolder and a single bird plucker. Steel rods that were made for the wire kind of folded over the wire then like a close hanger but they had a notch bent in them that their feet went in and held them there upside down. I would use a chicken hook like I described above you got pretty good at snagging on the first try after a while . Then you got them and put their feet in the holder then grabbed their head stretched the neck down and with your Sharp knife just cut the heads off. Them flapping and gravity took them right down to the canning house mostly bled out by the time they got there. I would kill 20 at a time then go down and help her.
Dip them in the scolder put them in the plucker then into another hot water tank . Then scrape them , then clean them (hot chicken guts whew) then in to the last wash tank Then hang them to dry . Then she would fold the necks in with the heart and gizzards wrap them and put into the freezers. She sold everything we killed to the same store that bought all her eggs every day. We would do all 100 in a day . At the end of the day there was a solid red streak about 2 feet wide from the coops to the canning house . That old girl was a hell of a worker and a teacher. I doubt her husband would have ever made that farm produce with out her.

[tk]

just out of high school and no good paying jobs to be found I went to work on a fair sized farm . Part of their income was eggs and chicken meat. The man of the farm did the crops. The lady did the cattle and chickens. I was the farm hand an done both for a whopping 20 dollars a day plus room and board and gas for my pick up. This lady at the time was in her mid 60's and you didn't want to try keeping up to her when it came to gathering scrubbing and candling eggs or dressing a chicken. She would order 100 peeps a year and kill the 2 year olds when the pollutes started producing that kept her at 200 layers year round.
Her chickens were raised in long narrow coops around 40 foot long and 10 feet wide with nesting boxes and floor space to run around . She kept 50 hens to a coop with one rooster in each.
There was a 1/4 inch wire line from the roof of the coops that ran 30 yards and slightly down hill to the side of the canning house that held the gas fired scolder and a single bird plucker. Steel rods that were made for the wire kind of folded over the wire then like a close hanger but they had a notch bent in them that their feet went in and held them there upside down. I would use a chicken hook like I described above you got pretty good at snagging on the first try after a while . Then you got them and put their feet in the holder then grabbed their head stretched the neck down and with your Sharp knife just cut the heads off. Them flapping and gravity took them right down to the canning house mostly bled out by the time they got there. I would kill 20 at a time then go down and help her.
Dip them in the scolder put them in the plucker then into another hot water tank . Then scrape them , then clean them (hot chicken guts whew) then in to the last wash tank Then hang them to dry . Then she would fold the necks in with the heart and gizzards wrap them and put into the freezers. She sold everything we killed to the same store that bought all her eggs every day. We would do all 100 in a day . At the end of the day there was a solid red streak about 2 feet wide from the coops to the canning house . That old girl was a hell of a worker and a teacher. I doubt her husband would have ever made that farm produce with out her.

[redman2006]

Some is variety as well. These Red Stars think they are pets. My RI's were nasty. The Barred and White Rocks were pretty easy going, but there were a couple of nasty roosters that were despurred once then landed in the dumpling pot. The big Ameracana thought he was a dog, and followed me everywhere. He actually seemed to like human contact as did the hens.

[Joyce Hoffman-Gayley]

I usually let my girls go until they are about 2 1/2 to 3 years old. Actually, I keep an eye on their egg laying and once it starts to drop off significantly then it's dinner time. As to tough old birds, I just make them into Chicken Paprikash. It tenderizes the mean quite well.

I, too, would get a kick outta seeing a chicken rodeo. I agree with Tex, chickens are not so delicate; but you're going to have to just be around your girls until you get comfortable with them and they with you. I think you might have a disadvantage in that you got adult birds. When your chicks arrive and you start handling them regularly you will get more comfortable and confident. It'll all work out, just give it time.

[hsehntr98]

Thanks TK & Tex, I will heed your advice. And Tex I would have liked to see your chicken roping contest. Were your cowboys on horses or on foot?

[tk]

When I had them I liked to trade mine out in 2 years. When the new replacement chicks started laying. Some people I know change every year. The older they get the tougher the bird.. To catch them go in the coop at night and pick them up off the roost they cant see in the dark. I just get them by the legs or grab them over their back putting your hand under one wing with a little pressure they wont flog that way either. Any way you do it you are not going to hurt them. As kids we used chicken hooks to catch one for dinner. A long piece of heavy gauge wire with a small round loop on the end that bent back out. Then just snag them above the spur and pull back and you had them.

[Tex]

If you had ever seen a winter-time chicken ropin' in ranch country, you wouldn't ever bee worried about hurting one. A bunch of drink cowboys with lariats made out of 550 cord and those chickens will take a beating. Most of them live until the roping is over with too.



Tex

[hsehntr98]

I know the concept Tex, but it is a little daunting. I don't like to hurt animals and I'm afraid I will squeeze to tight. It is just something I will have to work on. I grew up in a urban/suburban area that there was very little livestock, so it will take some getting used to. My neighbor across the street had chickens when I was much younger and I can remember when he would kill them he would just grab em by the neck and twist until it came off and the body would run around until it fell over. I can't imagine doing that in this day and age. I think a hatchet would work best. Fortunately I am not at that stage yet. What is a reasonable length of time for hens to be productive before they are ready for the stew pot? Thanks

[Tex]

What is it that you are afraid of? Grabbing them and holding them tight will prevent them from flogging. Holding them by their feet and they are completely at your mercy.



Tex

[hsehntr98]

Joyce reason I can't get close to the bird is because I am afraid to try and pick it up. When I brought them home I didn't have a problem getting them out of the large cat carriers, but for some reason I have a problem trying to catch them now. I currently have my feed in metal garbage cans to keep everyone out, and when the new coop is here I will continue to keep the feed in them. How do you get the diatomaceous earth on the birds & do you only do it in the warmer months or all year long? Thanks, Mickey

[Joyce Hoffman-Gayley]

I'm retired now, I wrapped up my nursing career about three years ago when I had to have total replacement of both of my knees. My husband (Chuck) can't retire for about another year or he will lose some benefits. They're worth waiting for. So we're prolly looking at 18 months or so. I am so antsy, I can't wait. I have so many projects I want to do when we get there permanently. I love it there and we are blessed with great neighbors who keep an eye on things in between our visits.
You, in all likelihood don't have mites. First because they're really a warm weather pest (June-September) and if one bird has them, they ALL will have them. They don't leave sores, they just slowly bleed your birds to death if not controlled. There are commercial dusts you can buy but I like to dust my girls with diatomaceous earth (you can get it at pool supply stores & it's cheap)- it dries out the bugs but doesn't negatively affect the birds. The most important way to control them is by keeping the henhouse as clean as possible. About every 3-4 weeks in the spring, summer and fall I clean the coop with soapy water (no household cleaners!) and then before I let the girls back in I have a steam cleaner with a long nozzle that I get into all the nooks and crannies with; add fresh nesting straw and they're good to go. Most likely one of you other birds pecked at the one with the unknown spot. I'm curious as to why you can't get close to this bird??
I, too, like to use an area in my coop for feed, scratch & oyster shell. You have to keep a close eye on it though or else every mouse, rat, squirrel & chipmunk in the neighborhood will find a way to get it.

[hsehntr98]

Hi Joyce: I found you. I plan on taking part of the shed and closing it in to have a place for storing food and for having a place for new chicks so that will cut off about 4-5' of length. I don't know if I am having a mite problem or not. I have only one chicken that has a spot on her side, but I can't get close enough to see what her problem is. I think mine like being close together also because the coop they are in now is rather small, which I know helps them to stay warm along with a red light bulb (not a heat lamp bulb), but when the other chicks get here I want everyone to have as much as they want. This coop will also give me the capabilities of closing off a section of my yard by the garden so that they have room to free range with out the dogs getting them. My heritage is also German with some French Canadian thrown in. My husband heritage is Polish-Irish, aren't we a combo. How much longer before you can move to NC?

[Joyce Hoffman-Gayley]

Chickens and all things fowl..........

Mickey, I hope you are following this thread here now. As to your last message. That sounds like the Taj Mahal of chicken coops. I don't think my first apartment was that big! For what it's worth, I've found that my birds tend to like being closer together rather than spread out too far. I don't mean two to a nesting box but not spread out all over the place. Have you had much of a problem with mites? For some reason this summer they were really bad; it seems to have settled somewhat.
I have a 10 gallon and two 5 gallon crocks that I usually do my sauerkraut in but this fall I only did the 10 gallon. By the time I got around to putting them up I ended up with 4 - 1/2 gallon jars and 22 quarts. We have been eating out of the crock as well. My heritage is mostly German and Polish so "my people" tend to eat a lot of it. It took me years to get my husband to like it. Now he does. His family is mostly Scots-Irish with some French thrown in. To say the least cooking in our house can get very interesting at times!

[hsehntr98]

Joyce I got my chickens from the guy who used to own the house I am now in. His brother is my neighbor and when his brother told him he wanted to get rid of some chickens he called me and asked if I wanted them. I wasn't planning on chickens until next spring, but since these were free I decided to take them now. I already had a chicken coop that I just needed to put together so I did. I talked with the chicken man and made arrangements to pick them up. He chose the ones he wanted to give me and that is how they came to be. I have talked to a hatchery called Myers Poultry Farm out of South Fork, PA and will be ordering my first sets of birds from them. I talked with them at a Mother Earth News fair in Seven Springs, PA last September and they were helpful and informative, so I decided to try them first. If they don't work out then I will go for some other hatchery. Unfortunately I have already named them, and it wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't because it will still be hard to kill them. What do you think of the list I mentioned that I was going to get? I will stick with the chickens for now until I am comfortable taking care of them. I have ordered a 8x12 Amish made barn to turn into a chicken coop and it should be here within the next 2 weeks. I will probably have the most spoiled chickens around. When I am set up I will try to get a picture posted. How sauerkraut did you get put up? I like sauerkraut but I don't know if I like it enough to make my own.

[Joyce Hoffman-Gayley]

Those are some nice looking pigs you've got there! May they be fruitful and multiply, lol. Sorry it took me awhile to get back to you about the chickens but I've been up to my elbows canning my sauerkraut that I put to ferment in October. I let it go longer than some do because I like it a bit more tangy than most people do.
It sounds like you've got a nice selection in your chickens. All of them are good layers and when the time comes good eating. Be careful you don't name them like you did the pigs, It makes it a bit harder to kill them when the time comes. Having said that, I always have and prolly always will name mine. I've always had a Gertrude and Henrietta, all other names vary. Was it luck or did you study up on various breeds before you got your flock? You seem to have selected for temperment. Your gals in my experience are nice & even tempered. Which is no small matter when you're taking their eggs away from them! If I'm not wrong they're all brown layers as well. I have had Buff Orpingtons and I've got to say they are very nice birds. They're lovers not fighters like my RIR's can be at times. Do you mind my asking where you got them from? I'm partial to McMurray's when I have to replenish my flock. They always send nice healthy chicks and always a bonus.
You might want to consider getting a few Guinea hens. They make a great alarm system and are very self-sufficient. I let mine free range. They seems to do just fine and I get a kick out of seeing them roosting high (15-20 feet) up in our trees. They're pretty wily and seem to evade the foxes & raccoons just fine. They ARE a bit skittish but come around when hungry.