9 live roosters out, 8 processed roosters in

Today was the processing day for my young cockerels and one rooster. The breeds were buckeye and buff orpington. Selection of the cockerels to keep of each breed was rather difficult, with the buff orpington being the most difficult.

Birds to be in Kelowna by 8:30 meant to have the birds ready to be out the door at 7:00. Phew. OK, up early, like 3:00, I was worried I might sleep in, so basically didn't sleep much at all, smiling.

Packed up the birds that had been marked and off we went, my Husband in tow too, well, meaning he drove the car. Our car is still under repair, so need to borrow my Daughter's again...oh she is so patient with me. When we returned I cleaned her car lickity split, she would never have known there were 9 squawking cockerels in there.

The processor in which I took the birds to is a government inspection one. That to me is a good thing. Upon receipt of the processed and fully chilled birds, I was told that one was not coming home with me. It was condemed -- what? These were all young roosters. The man was only the messenger, so I couldn't ask him why. Regardless, I am ok with that. But that the devil does that mean? I still have to ask Peggy what was wrong with one of the cockerels, its not like they are old and rotten, they are all kept nicely, fed well, and well, what the dickens? I just don't get it, but I will find out for sure, I am too curious to let this go in that unknown state.

It was neat. Anne, FuzzyLittleFriend, was there too, having some birds processed. I only spoke with her for a minute, she had a Husband in tow too, and I could picture mine tapping his foot, he doesn't like to go to where animals are processed . I imagine he was feeling something similar to mine. Get this show on the road!!

So...the processing gal said that she had a few other WCPS people bringing in birds. How did she know that we were members of this forum? Odd, but probably not really that odd. So....who else took birds there, oh maybe that is private, no matter, I was only curious.

So, these dudes are resting in a nice cooler filled full of ice. They will live there for a couple of days then I will food saver bag them and they will be preserved nicely. Yummmmyy, can't wait for cock a leeky soup!! Amongst other good meals made with these fine fellows that I raised myself. Have a most wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Birds can get condemned for all sorts of issues.
Just like people, perfectly healthy looking birds can have an unseen illness.
Unfortunately the inspectors tend to classify things they condemn for into categories.
ie, skin condition could be anything from blistering to skin cancer and on their inspection report they don't specify, it just gets marked down in the skin condition box.
So far I've never notice an inspector will condemn something that I wouldn't personally condemn myself.

Yep we were there too. 92 franken roasters in, 89 home on ice. Mine were from ascities but I was not suprised as thats what they do and I had had a few die over the last few weeks from what looked like ascities as well.

Yep my husband was not happy to be spending half his day to do this. But I figured he has really gotten off easy as apart from only having to had fed them 3 times ( nights I worked) in the seven weeks, install the infrered patio heater, and help with crating today I have done EVERYTHING else. Just my grumpyness rubbing off from his grumpyness of the day.

Tomorrow will be a steady stream of customer picking up birds and whats left at the end of the day will go into the freezer!

Beer can chicken here we come!!

Anne

Next chicken project is getting ready for the show!

Then I am officially chickened out for the year!

Well, well, well. I am very pleased. Peggy took some time yesterday to email me to tell me why my cockerel had been condemned, as she was sure I was interested to know. Now would you not say that is above and beyond the line of duty? I think so, my hat off to this girl, who obviously cares about life.

So, it turns out that the box on the paper was ticked off that the bird had leg problems. She further indicated that the cockerel was condemned because they found tumours on its leg just above both knees, and was emaciated (most likely due to not feeling well). If the tumour had only been on one leg, they would have just removed that one leg, but because it was on both it meant that the problem was systemic and affecting the entire bird.

I still haven't had the guts to open that cooler lid and look in to see the birds. Sigh, perhaps just a little traumatized by the thing I had to have done yesterday . I will later this morning when the sun rises and I can see properly, totally curious about which one it was. I didn't notice any birds that didn't look well in the flock since time beginning. But there was one that was a little smaller. That was a buckeye. I'll count heads, I know the difference in a carcass of a buff orpington would look different than that carcass of the red bird, the buckeye, the skin will be different looking I would imagine.

When she told me of the tumours expressed on the leg (above the knee), my immediate attention was drawn to a bird that may have had mareks disease and lived with it, or may be about to come down with it. I am pretty certain that is how mareks manifest, it shows up as tumours. I will certainly now need to do more research though, for some reason I thought mareks tumours manifest elsewhere on the bird. But thinking about it, the only symptoms I have ever seen of mareks was the leg paralysis and only on one side and only in about 4 birds, maximum. Out of all the birds here, only 4 had to be put down, as 12 week old chicks. Perhaps this dude is a survivor, the processed cockerels yesterday were 20 weeks old. Maybe not, maybe his symptoms had just not arrived yet, enough to make him paralyzed in the leg. Sigh.

Has anyone in their studying of mareks really found out information on where the tumours grow? I never really got a good grasp on that understanding.

Anyways, I'll make another post, about which bird I think it was that had the tumours above the knee.

Fuzzylittlefriend, now what on earth does ascites in chickens manifest as? I had to google it to see if I could find out, it is basically water build up in the stomach lining? sometimes caused from liver issues? Is that what your birds had? How did you know that you had that in your flock, wherein you had lost some. Could you please enter this information more clearly, so I can understand now what you speak about with this condition?

To tell the truth, I am actually glad that I have my birds processed and inspected. It kind of makes me feel good that I know that they are good to go. I imagine with people that process their own chickens that anything that would cause a bird to not be good would be clearly seen and one's judgment to put into their freezer would come into place. I am sure that it is pretty easy to see if a bird is not well. Do have a wonderful and great day, CynthiaM.

all about ascites
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A summary in my own words.
It's a heart problem, the heart doesn't pump properly and causes waterbelly (ascites) which a buildup of yellowish fluid in the abdominal cavity of a chicken (usually more common in the meat variety than a heritage but it does happen. People can also have ascietes but that's a discussion for another time.
I've noticed that it occurs more often if the chicks get chilled prior to 2 weeks or if the coop is allowed to have a high ammonia buildup (ie not keeping it clean enough)
But it can still occur even if you do everything right. just manifests more prevalently if you don't.
You can notice it in alive birds prior to mortality (flipping onto their backs dead) by the combs of the birds starting to look darker almost purple or a darker colour (more purple but not silkie purple) of their skin beneath the feathers.
This bird is ill, don't eat it.

Nom de plume, thank you for that read. I am now going to be starting a thread about it, because, I think there is some very valuable information us, as poultry keepers need to know some stuff. Never even began to realize why it is so important for the henhouse(s) to have good ventilation, keeping ammonia levels low, etc. etc. Thanks for that link, it was so informative. I'll start.....have a most beautiful day, CynthiaM.

Cynthia, just posted in your other thread. Have read the article on ascites and have two questions.

1) where does it state what it is about ascites that makes the carcass inedible?

2) what is PLT treated bedding? PRobably something simple but I can't figure it out just now (not enough coffee yet).

YOu made a good point. If you butcher enough chickens you get pretty sharp at noticing all angles of a bird's health. From skin conditions to weird innards. It was processing our own birds that alerted me to worm load and gut blow-out due to worms!

I am NOT comfortable at all with someone else deciding that they know more than I do about what is good for me. Right or wrong, I will have the final word in all things concerning myself, and thus have no one to blame but myself.

Uno, just a shot in the dark but if the ascites was contributed to by high ammonia levels in the coop, it would probably be unwise to eat the carcass. But, that begs the question of - if only one got it from ammonia, and they all live together... well... anyways.

I think ascites in a broiler is much more likely to be related to heart problems. The broilers aren't known for health, and I would bet it's more of a genetic heart or liver failure (can also cause ascites) that would contribute to the ascites of a single broiler out of many.

Either way, I suspect that if you did eat a bird that had ascites, the meat would be not very palateable. Often ascites = dehydration and cellular changes. I would think it would be tougher/chewier, and possibly taste off.

Ascites isn't something I have ever had, either- not with birds I've processed myself or with birds done at the processing facility.