Goose, Duck, Chicken, Game Bird Hatchery | Metzer Farms, California
Please Read and Sign Petition to Fund the USPS!


Continue to Fund the United States Postal Service

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Because income has dropped substantially to the Post Office because of the Coronavirus, their funding will run out this fall. At this point there is no legislation acceptable to the White House to continue funding the Post Office.

We want to make certain their solution to the current shortfall of the Post Office does not include cutting the mailing of day-old poultry.

The Bird Shippers of America organization has produced a petition I am asking you to sign. This will be sent to Congress, the White House and the US Postmaster.

SIGN PETITION

I am also asking you to write a quick note on the website of your Congressman and Senator so they know how important it is to you that the Post Office continues to carry day-old poultry.

You can go to the link below, click on your state and it will give you the websites of your Senators and Congressman. Just send them a quick note with your feelings and concerns. It is easy and fast.
Some items you could include in your note:
  • The Post Office is the only way day-old poultry can be shipped in the United States
  • If hatcheries cannot ship the birds, no one will have the chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and other poultry they want and need
  • These birds are important to you because …
  • The Post Office has been delivering day old poultry for over 100 years
  • There are tens of thousands of jobs dependent on day-old poultry in hatcheries, feed stores, feed mills, farmers producing the feed for these birds, farmers growing these birds for eggs and meat, poultry equipment manufacturers, etc.
  • Over 60 million birds are mailed thorough the US Postal Service every year


Contact Your Senators
Contact Your Representatives


Thank you very much for your assistance. Only by hearing from those that elect them will they consider our needs.

John Metzer
Duck, Goose, Chicken & Game Bird Hatchery

Duck and Goose Management

Nine Steps for Effective Building Cleanout

January 06, 2012

Every year in November and December we have several buildings that have to be emptied, cleaned, disinfected and made ready for next year's duck breeders. Whether you are cleaning a 7200 sq. ft. building or a backyard coop, the process is the same. I will show you the steps we follow, using our Building 3 as an example.

Building 3 before the cleanout - White Layers, Buff, Mallard and Fawn & White Runners

1) Before you do anything else, make sure your rodent bait stations are full. Typically you remove feed from the building or put it away for a brief time when you clean. If you have any rodents, their normal feed may be gone and they will be looking for alternative sources. They may now eat that bait that has otherwise been ignored.

2) Move your birds out of the building. This may be as simple as putting them outside for the day or moving them to a new pen. The best time to clean a building is when that flock is done laying - either they are molting or you will sell them. We do not clean out the litter until a flock is leaving and a new one is coming in - once a year. We add bedding once or twice a week so by the end of a year, it is up to 12" deep.

Moving the old breeders to our Sell Pen.

3) Remove all equipment from the building: nest boxes, fences, feeders, floors under waterers, etc. Ideally you can use a pressure washer to wash all your equipment. Remove all the dirt and organic matter with the first wash. Then use a disinfectant to sanitize everything. There are various types of disinfectants available: chlorines, iodines, phenols and quats. Disinfectants containing phenols seem to be most effective in cleaning our buildings.

The divider fences are out. Nacho, Juan and Guillermo are now removing nest boxes and feeders.

Nacho washing fences, ramps to the waterers, feeders, etc. 4) Remove all the bedding and manure from the building. This is an excellent soil amendment as is or pile and compost it before adding it to your soil. The carbon:nitrogen ratio is perfect for our litter so it composts quite rapidly on its own after removal. When you remove the bedding, oxygen is added with all the mixing. This oxygen rejuvenates the bacteria in the bedding and often we see water vapor rising from the heating piles of bedding within a day or two of removal.

Guillermo is using the Bobcat to clean near the waterers, notice the bedding is moist.

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