GETTING READY FOR WINTER
Fall is the time to get your farm or ranch ready for the upcoming Winter months. Here are a few things that you should be thinking about:
- Review your breeder’s laying and hatching records along with the vitality of their chicks. Cull breeders not producing up to your standards.
- Farm process or ship your process birds.
- Defrost freezers before receiving packaged meat from processed birds. A state inspector told me to try using ammonia and water to get rid of smells from dripped blood, including rotted meat smell, as long as I would leave the freezer door open to air out for at least 2 weeks afterwards.
IMPORTANT… You must NOT place any food in the freezer until it has aired out for at least 2 weeks.
- Check anti-freeze levels in all engines.
- Fix or replace damaged electric cords and heating elements on humidifiers, heaters, water tank heaters and heat lamps.
- Sanitize incubators, hatchers, brooder boxes and chick runs.
- Close up windows and barn openings to prevent deaths.
- Clean and bed pens and livestock sheds.
- Worm your breeders 2 months before laying season.
- Treat “Egg Tract Infection” before laying season, if needed. Volcano eggs (rough coating on the outside of shell) are one indication that there might be an egg tract Have your vet take a vet sample to determine if there is an infection and how to treat if there is.
- Take down and store shade cloths and awnings if, no longer needed.
- Kill algae and de-lime water buckets and tanks.
TIPS FOR CLEANING WATER BUCKETS
To kill algae in a 5 gallon watering bucket, place 3 cups of bleach in the bottom. Place a gallon milk jug that has been filled with water and capped, into the bucket with the bleach. Fill the bucket with enough water to cover all algae. After 24-48 hours scrub bucket with a brush and empty contents.
To De-lime a 5 gallon watering bucket, place 3 cups of vinegar in the bottom. Place a gallon milk jug that has been filled with water and capped, into the bucket with the vinegar. Fill the bucket with enough water to cover all lime. After 24-48 hours scrub bucket with a brush. If some lime still sticks to the sides of the bucket, add 1 cup more vinegar to exiting water and wait another day or two. With enough time, lime will easily come off the inside of the bucket.
