Here's the sum-up of my hour (felt like a days worth of info, actually) at Mr. Killians on monday:
"The layer pen currently has 1 DC/Buckeye Cock, 4 hens (3 LB's, 1 Del) only 3 are currently laying. We have 20 eggs in ten days and hope for better than 50% cockerals. Which supplies us with 60+ capons over the course of one year. Sherry only hatches for us, as she does her own meat birds. We also caponize other cockerals that are given to me during the year (ie: a person orders 25 buckeye eggs, all hatch, but they don't want the cockerals, gives them to Jeff!, or they order 25 straight run, knowing the potential unwanted birds, give the cockerals to Jeff!) The two dozen birds I processed to the freezer the week before last were obtained that way.
The separation of cockerel from laying hens is three weeks together, one week separate. This gives the hens a rest from him, and allows him a better grade of feed from layer pellet.
Tractor Pens:
Layer pen is PVC, 6' X 10' X 3'high. Can be sectioned into thirds, 3'3" X 6'. Unit has wheels.
Middle Pen is PVC, 5'6" X 10' X 2' high. Can be sectioned into thirds. We have two of these. Units have wheels.
Large pen is wood, 10' X 12" X 2' high, Salatin style. Unit has wheels. This tractor can maintain 200 pounds of chicken, which equates to 1.66 pounds per square foot. Can isolate birds for harvest in one corner.
Division of work force:
Hatching by Sherry S.
Brooding by Bob and Joy F. until sexing and bird weight of one pound (usually 5-6 weeks)
Pullets are sold, or back to Sherry for her laying flock.
Cockerals to Jeff
Caponizing by Jeff at 18 to 24 ounces, never after bird reaches 2 pounds. Birds are grown out and processed at Jeff's.
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Typical caponizing schedule is as follows:
Monday afternoon,iIsolate birds into a small 3' X 4' pen on 1/2" hardware cloth off the floor, on Monday evening, food is withheld. On Tuesday no feed, in evening the water is withheld, then early Wednesday morning surgical procedure is done on each bird. Immediately after surgery the bird is put back on feed and water. Birds are observed Wednesday, and Thursday, checked for windpuff. By Friday morning they are put back on the ground in a grow out pen. For several days they are still observed for windpuff.
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Feed:
Medicated chick starter for three weeks. (this to help prevent cockicidia)
Then 20% grower feed for the remainder. They graze and scratch the ground for bugs in the pens, which are moved every two to three days, or sooner if the pasture demands it.
The differences between an intact cockerel and a capon are similar to a Bull and Steer (beef) a bull tends to be aggressive, lean (no marbling fat, ) and tough. Where as a steer is mild mannered, laid back, and High in fat marbling (Tastier and more tender) potentially a greater gain in weight. An intact cockerel gets tougher and greatly darker meat (still tasty) but requires different cooking methods. (By the way last year 2012, I also processed 53 unwanted roosters for our freezer). Where as the capon is tender at any age, and not the meat is not as dark due to low muscle use. Capons don't crow, and they don't fight.
You might call me a peach, but I'm not from the south.
jeff"
He's pretty entertaining... and obviously loves to eat chicken. Anyway, I do have a couple of pictures, too if I can ever get them off my phone...
so I likely won't be ordering now, but, I think my mother may still be ordering polish chicks but have to talk to her to make sure. She's only planning on getting a few though.
