Suggestions Please! Low-Stress Handling and Weighing for Meat Birds

[Wildgrass]

It is very notable and admirable that you care much about your animals' health and welfare and providing a life that is satisfying to them and gives you peace of mind.
We need more of this in animal agriculture in this day.

Kudos to you.
-twilia

That means a lot to me, thank you. If I had to do this to turn a profit I wouldn't be able to prioritize such a high quality of life for them, and that's really what brings me joy. Over time I hope to learn to be more efficient and lower costs, but taking money out of the equation and just experiencing raising healthy, sound birds to feed family and friends has been more rewarding than I could've imagined. I wish it was easier for folks to do!

 

[Mountain Roost]

We did a small cockerel and guinea fowl harvest yesterday. Thinking of this thread I employed new methods to transfer the birds from coop to cage. Roosters are easy to catch but the guineas hurt themselves when you are too close and they are in a small space. Too stressful for me and them.

So I managed to get two mixed batches of roosters and guineas out on their own volition. Corn! I set up the transfer cage outside of the coop door with a floor, dropped in some whole kernel corn and stood back. All aboard! and then slipped in a plywood door to block the exit, before getting the door latched.
I prefer whole kernel corn so that the crop contains only a few pieces of solid food during processing.

This doesn't apply to weighing anybody but being able to transfer guineas without injury is an accomplishment.

 

[allosaurusrock]

You can also buy nets for catching chickens. They’re very useful in my experience.

 

[Wildgrass]

Well, it was a bad year to decide only a few months ahead of time that I wanted a big batch of meat birds...but I was finally able to put in an order. No fast-growing birds available except cornish crosses, so this year I'm raising a bunch of Buckeyes! I've got another month before they're hatched, but I will start a new thread to log how weighing and handling goes.