Mailer order chick question?

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I wouldn't have believed that a chicken could grow that fast if I didn't see it with my own eyes. Those birds are eating machines.
 
I agree with chickenhound. I raised my first batch earlier in the year. I tied to free range them, but they basically hung around the feeder falling asleep with their heads in the feeder. I just started my second group of 25 yesterday.
 
ktn65 said:
I agree with chickenhound. I raised my first batch earlier in the year. I tied to free range them, but they basically hung around the feeder falling asleep with their heads in the feeder. I just started my second group of 25 yesterday.
Click to expand...

I think you "naysayers" ( meant as a friendly jab at a brother or friend ) should read this thread, or some of it. What people have done is amazing.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...aties-tractors-do-not-count/210#post_13885767

Just pick a few threads and you will be amazed.

I am going to start a thread chronicling my experiment if you are interested.
 
Hello Duluthralphie. This is chickenhound ( a naysayer ). Your friendly jab was taken as just that. I don't claim to be cx expert as I only raised three birds last year. I am sure that it is possible to free range them. It has just been my experience with them that they would much rather hang out at your feeder than look for food on their own. One thing to consider is that you will most likely get a tougher bird if they are getting all that exercise. I was content on letting them hang out at my feeder because I felt it would make for a more tender bird. By all means give it a shot and keep us posted on their progress. I had a large fenced in run for them and their favorite spot was always at the feeder. Good luck with them.
 
I was raised on a commercial chicken farm and when the catchers would come they would leave some that were too fast, too small, limpy, whatever, well for a little while we would take them and add them to my cousins free range flock with no issue. he didnt eat them he just let them live out there lives. they usually didnt live but a year or two (I think because of the stress on the body, the rapid growing from "enhanced" feed and from the living conditions the first 7 weeks) they did lay eggs for sure.
 
duluthralphie, I take no offense!
wink.png
Just gong by my observations. I imagine if I was more patient and not as lazy as those birds appear to be, I could have worked out free ranging them.

And remember, I'm VERY new to the meaties.
 
Ktn65, I agree with you 100%. My cx were about as lazy as a chicken could be. I am as you are, very new to raising meat birds. But it seems to me that free ranging meats birds defeats the whole purpose of raising them. I would think that in the case of meat birds, the less exercise they get the better off you are. I was disappointed at first with their laziness but then I thought that it would make for a more tender bird. Again, I am new at meat birds and maybe other readers would disagree with me
But if you are raising birds for meat I would think that you would want them to grow as quick as possible and butcher them when ready. If anyone out there has free ranged meat birds and was satisfied that they were tender and plump please enlighten me. I plan on raising more meat birds next year and would gladly like to hear from someone with experience. I did read some of the posts that are listed in post 14 above but I am not thoroughly convinced that it is a good idea.
 

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