Home grown chickens to eat? (Merged Discussion)

V_Chic_Chick

Firstly, I completely understand your wishes regarding killing her However, this goes somewhat beyond my medical knowledge, and even my normally-trustworthy (large!) collection of books has let me down. I suggest that you post at http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=10 (lots of chicken experts there), but the only option may be a vet. If you do end up having to take her to the vet then it will be difficult to find one that will treat her (look for an avian vet and tell them that chickens are similar enough to parrots). It will also probably be expensive, and labour intensive - she will have to be isolated, probably in your house, whilst it heals.

~Chameleon~

Since when can't you feed kitchen scraps to chucks???? :eek:

I guess I can't boil up spud peelings and bran to make a hearty mash anymore either :rolleyes:

rog2

arthur_dent wrote: »

Hello

I have 6 beautiful chickens but yesterday when feeding them one of them got under my feet and I think that I have broken its foot. She is still eating and does not appear to be distressed but she is not using that leg. I am absolutly distraught with worry and guilt. I know it is only a chicken but they re my ladies and I am so upset can anyone give me any guidance or put my fears to rest that with time it will heal.

I am NOT going to kill her.

Thanks

Nature has a way of 'dealing with things' arthur. We had a 'one legged' robin that visited our garden for several years - I've no idea how he lost his leg, but he was, otherwise, in the best of health.
If your hen is still 'mobile', eating well and not in any 'obvious' pain, she may well just be taking the strain off of that leg until it heals, as it most probably will do, naturally.
If it were badly fractured, I'm sure you would see swelling and bruising and she would certainly let you know.

V_Chic_Chick

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Since when can't you feed kitchen scraps to chucks???? :eek:

I guess I can't boil up spud peelings and bran to make a hearty mash anymore either :rolleyes:

Tis illegal now. (It's a PDF) This includes pet farm animals. Of course, you haven't heard this have you

FYI Avocado, and raw potatoes (and peelings) and raw onions are poisonous to them

PS Just found this re the kitchen scrap regulations-
http://kelseyinfo.co.uk/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1167841723

rog2

V_Chic_Chick wrote: »

Tis illegal now. (It's a PDF) This includes pet farm animals. Of course, you haven't heard this have you

FYI Avocado, and raw potatoes (and peelings) and raw onions are poisonous to them

PS Just found this re the kitchen scrap regulations-
http://kelseyinfo.co.uk/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1167841723

Thank you VCC - It does seem strange, doesn't it? Throughout my childhood 'swill' was saved, and regularily collected, for the local pig farm. I believe they cooked it up before feeding it to the pigs. Yes 'swill-fed' pigs had a thicker layer of fat than 'pellet-fed' pigs, but I remember the taste of the bacon and sausages - it did not compare with today's products in the slightest. It seems that we now add the 'swill', in the form of bread, saturated fats and additives at the production stage instead. :rolleyes:

Going back to chickens, my mother-in-law, in Italy, keeps about 200 free-range chickens, both for laying and eating. She specifically buys 'pasta' off-cuts for her birds, which she boils and mixes in with the kitchen waste. She also grows maize, again specifically for her birds, and the birds are also free to 'scratch around the farmyard' for whatever else they eat. Yes they are visited by the vet, and do get a supplement of pellets or mash.

Her eggs are 'sought after', to the extent that she is often 'sold out' and has to 'hide' stock for the family.

We know when we are going to eat chicken because there will be one bird 'tethered' to a post, by a six foot length of string, for a day - to stop it from eating anything 'nasty' before it is humanely and efficiently 'despatched'. The meat is literally beautiful, in taste, texture and colour, and there is never any waste.

Incidentally, my wife's grandfather died, of natural causes, six years ago - he was a month short of his 100th Birthday, and was, until his death, still active on the farm. My wife's grandmother died two years ago - aged 102. They had NEVER eaten supermarket food in their lives.

boredofbeingathome

rog2 wrote: »

Thank you VCC - It does seem strange, doesn't it? Throughout my childhood 'swill' was saved, and regularily collected, for the local pig farm. I believe they cooked it up before feeding it to the pigs. Yes 'swill-fed' pigs had a thicker layer of fat than 'pellet-fed' pigs, but I remember the taste of the bacon and sausages - it did not compare with today's products in the slightest. It seems that we now add the 'swill', in the form of bread, saturated fats and additives at the production stage instead. :rolleyes:

Going back to chickens, my mother-in-law, in Italy, keeps about 200 free-range chickens, both for laying and eating. She specifically buys 'pasta' off-cuts for her birds, which she boils and mixes in with the kitchen waste. She also grows maize, again specifically for her birds, and the birds are also free to 'scratch around the farmyard' for whatever else they eat. Yes they are visited by the vet, and do get a supplement of pellets or mash.

Her eggs are 'sought after', to the extent that she is often 'sold out' and has to 'hide' stock for the family.

We know when we are going to eat chicken because there will be one bird 'tethered' to a post, by a six foot length of string, for a day - to stop it from eating anything 'nasty' before it is humanely and efficiently 'despatched'. The meat is literally beautiful, in taste, texture and colour, and there is never any waste.

Incidentally, my wife's grandfather died, of natural causes, six years ago - he was a month short of his 100th Birthday, and was, until his death, still active on the farm. My wife's grandmother died two years ago - aged 102. They had NEVER eaten supermarket food in their lives.

Quite agree with you Rog, my gran is 92 and going strong still does all her own ,but smokes a lot. she has always maintained buying decent meat and has very rarely bought meat from a supermarket, sundries yes but not meat. The gran on the other side of our family died 2 years age at the age of 103, up until going into a nursing home 99 years of age was of the same principal. they grew everything and even kept bees, played sport regularly and walked everywhere until she had an accident hence the nursing home. she had her own pigs and chickens until she left home, but still got meat from home for years after. The taste couldn't be matched and she had great respect for food and where it came from. She also loved wrestling but thats another story.

Mojisola

arthur_dent wrote: »

I have 6 beautiful chickens but yesterday when feeding them one of them got under my feet and I think that I have broken its foot.

One of our chickens broke its leg last year. We could feel where the break was so we padded it well with cotton wool, splinted it and wrapped it up in tape. She got special attention while she couldn't stratch around for herself. She gradually started to put her weight on the leg and we removed the strapping in two stages so that the break still had some support. She still hobbles a bit - we obviously didn't get the break set quite right - but seems fine.

She didn't show any sign of distress throughout the experience so I don't think chickens have as many nerve endings in their legs as we have - after all they're walking on rough ground and stratching around all day - wouldn't do to have sensitive feet!

Spirit_2

"I have 6 beautiful chickens but yesterday when feeding them one of them got under my feet and I think that I have broken its foot. She is still eating and does not appear to be distressed but she is not using that leg. I am absolutly distraught with worry and guilt. I know it is only a chicken but they re my ladies and I am so upset can anyone give me any guidance or put my fears to rest that with time it will heal.

I am NOT going to kill her."

a couple of months ago my favourite chicken was hobbling, I diagnosed bumbelefoot (thanks to the web) and took her to a local vet. She was an inpatient for a day, had an anaesthetic and a little op, came home with a discharge plan and a course of antibiotics and went back for a follow up appointment. She was fine. It cost £75 - well worth it.

Two weeks later on going to let them out one morning OH found her dying. Mr Spirit - the worlds biggest softie - took her well away from the others and put her out of her misery. We grieved for her.

When push comes to shove, it is not about the cost, or how you feel about it, it is about humane treatment and ending the suffering of a chicken as quickly as possible.

Arthur - should you need to, I hope you will find the strength to do it.

Spirit

arthur_dent_2

Update:

Astrid is still not totally using the leg that I injured but she is stilll recieving extra attention from myself, the children and husband also. I know that if left to her own devices she would not have survived but she appears to be fine and we are making sure that she gets loads of food as she is no longer quite as able to fight for it herself.. She is improving and we see her using the leg more each day. I cried my eyes out when I did this to her but I am an animal lover and if I truly thought that she was suffering very badly we have a slaughter house just minutes down the road.

Thanks for all your advice, Arthur.

mk_wotsit

For those who are considering chooks.....don't be put off - they're very easy.
Mine have a henhouse within a pen so we don't need to bother with the shutting up business.
It's just a case of food and water once a day and collect the eggs.
We do a big clean out every three months and just remove the worst under the perches once a month.
Our neighbour pops in when we're away.
They are no bother whatsoever.

I've been keeping hens for about 8 yrs now . Never had a fox problem!
Only problem is Red Spider Mite in the henhouse during the summer but there's a simple spray for that.

I only keep 2 or 3 at a time. That gives us about a dozen eggs per wk and is just the right amount for us.

I've never taken a hen to the vet. They will get ill when they're old - they either get better or they die. I don't think of them as pets.

And DON'T get a cockerel .... noisy !:eek: