Letting my broody raise 20 meaties. Now I have a rooster raising 50 CX chicks~new batch! - Page 6

My first glitch in my meaty project was noticed yesterday.  I need to provide a bigger feeding station for my flock, as the competition for food at my small feeder has become fierce with the bigger birds trampling the young and tender skinned meaties. 

Two of my meaty chicks were injured yesterday and I believe it was from my rooster.  I don't think he flogged them as I've never seen him flog another flock member.  I think he stepped on them and his enormously large and terribly sharp spurs ripped some skin. 

I trimmed his spurs and will be setting up another trough tomorrow.  The two chicks injured seem very bright-eyed and are moving around quickly, just like the rest, but the wounds are pretty bad looking.  One had a puncture/slash wound to its neck but is eating, drinking and foraging the same as usual.  The other one was scalped and has a flap of skin over it and one flank was flapped open as well.  Both wounds on this chick are dry and not visceral but look horrendous.  I placed NU-Stock on the wounds and watched them for signs of more serious injury....they both look like nothing happened and are running around much like the rest of the chicks. 

If they survive, they are hardier than I've been reading about.  If it looks like they have become infected and are suffering, I will cull immediately.  I don't like the thought of a bird suffering so it can "take its chances". 

For now, I will see if the added feeding station will alleviate the crowding at the current one. 

The meaties are loving this rainy and cool weather and have been more active in their foraging than previously, are almost completely feathered out and growing very well.  They look great other than the wounds I have mentioned. 

I placed unpastuerized ACV in their water this evening as an immunity booster and will continue to do so from now on.  Their water disappears so quickly that its hard to keep up!

Thanks, Halo!  Nice to see you...haven't seen your cute little horse for awhile. 

I should mention that I visited Joel Salatin's farm, Polyface, this week and his free ranged broilers in tractors were not near as big as my chicks of the same age.  Mine had more feathers, were more lively and were bigger.  My son noticed this before I did and commented on it. 

I'm really liking these meaties...they are gentle, fun to watch and healthy little boogers!  They are ranging out further and further from their mom each day and its great to watch them on the spring green grass...they are so very white! 

Well, they are moved to fresh graze each day but the grass has been very grazed by cattle....it looked like it had been closely mown.  I can't imagine chicks eating this course stubble.  My chickens seem to just pick the tender tips off of grass when they forage. 

His chicks are confined to a very small space for 100 birds, so not much exercise is happening and they have continuous feed.  So, other then getting a fresh flooring each day, they are no different than birds kept in an outside brooder/pen.  They get fresh air and a little sunshine, but that's all.

Mine have to go up and down a ramp to reach food and then water, they are on tender green grass and can forage over the whole acre with only 23 other birds to compete with.  Most of their feces are scattered throughout the grass and are eaten by the dogs, so they don't have to be on their own feces either.  They get fed layer ration once a day along with the rest of the flock. 

Maybe these differences make all the difference?  And...maybe a mother hen's love and attention makes all the difference?  Not sure of the reasons, but I would have put my birds against his any day.

Just thought I would tell you about a funny thing my son and mother saw today.  They looked out in the back yard to see all 20 of the meaty birds snuggled up to my Lab mix dog as he was lying in the yard...well...except one.  One of them was between his paws getting a good licking!   

I wish we could have gotten a pic but the darn dog stood up and shed his bed of birds when they went outside to snap a pic.    I find these meaties to be just as entertaining and cute as my regular layer chicks/juveniles.  Yeah, they are pigs at meal times but not any more than my big, fat gals.

Here is a pic I took this morning...I couldn't get them all in the pic because they were running around so much!  They seem to forage more in the mornings and evenings, especially when it is cool.  The injured birds are still acting as if nothing happened and are just as lively and active as the rest.  Hardier than I've heard about on these threads, that's for sure. 



And a pic of the pigs at trough, ends up and going at it!