Broody Raising Meat Chicks

[vfem]

Ok, so I stopped by Tractor supply and picked up 6 cornish x chicks to raise for meat. Usually I just slaughter my extra roos which is only a couple a year, and they're anything from silkies to heritage breeds so I don't bother offing them until 15-18wks.

This is what I got going on now, I have several broody silkies who've been sitting on nothing for weeks. I'm going to move one out into my spare 'grow out pen' and give her the cornish to raise? This way I don't have the stinkies in the house long.

Anyways have success doing it this way?

I'm going to take pictures and see how this goes, because if it goes well we're going to keep doing this. I would like to have about 12-15 birds a year and keep the freezer stocked.

 

[Beekissed]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...have-a-rooster-raising-50-cx-chicks-new-batch

Here's a whole thread from start to finish on a broody hen raising 20 meaties. Put some eggs under your hen for a day or two, slip in under cover of darkness and slip chicks under, while removing eggs. Don't make the hen get up to do this...just slip your hand under her and keep it dark. I usually just use a flashlight but won't even shine it directly on the hen or her nest.

 

[vfem]

Thank you so much for the link, I posted a response and some questions for ya.

I'm hoping to have some good pics and reviews of how it works out for us, but after a good LONG read of that thread we're going to try some things with them I didn't think of before. I like to get them to pasture some, but free ranging is impossible for us. So I like the idea of a cheap tractor coop to keep the hawks from snatching anyone.

I've had great success introducing chicks to my broody silkies, its like they'd raise a rock if I offered it to them! LOL

Moving the broody mom into the pen with the 'golf balls' she's been on. I have another hen on duck eggs they were sharing, but I'm going to leave the duck eggs to the 1 mama alone and give the other mama these to raise. The ducks are going to be for meat if they hatch too. Love having duck meat on hand.

 

[Beekissed]

I hope you keep this thread going and keep us updated on the progress with pics and such. Folks sure do need to see CX in a different light if they are to want to raise them...they don't have to be a stinky chore or birds that can't move or die easily.

 

[vfem]

Well, I'm coming back to keep this going and explain my first glitch in the plan.

Broody hen may have sat on the chicks all night, but decided this morning she didn't want anything to do with them. This was her first broody experience and didn't like the outcome I suppose. So I moved her back out to the silkie pen and had to bring the little meaties back in under a lamp.

My second broody managed to hatch a duckling last night and I had to take the duck away as the duck got out in the run and could never get back up the ramp into the coop to get to the food and water. Now the duck is inside with the meaties in a box (we're probably going to process the duck as well).

However, I am going to make a second attempt to move the mama hen back out to the second pen and try to reintroduce the duckling and the chicks this time. Maybe it will be a lucky draw I had a back up hen?! Don't know until we try it. Usually my silkies take anything?

Do you think 6 chicks and a duck is too much for a silkie to handle? I've never given them more then 4 at a time.

 

[vfem]

Well I have good news!

We made a second attempt to get a broody to accept the chicks. The bird that hatched the duck took them all! I don't know how she's juggling 6 chicks and a duckling... but she's doing an awesome job. Today is day 2 and everyone is healthy happy and hanging out with mom.

Pictures to come!

 

[Beekissed]

That's excellent news! And, yes...pics will be a must for this thread!

 

[vfem]

Ok, here's the meaties with mama silkie. They're growing so fast! SHEESH! They're only a week and a couple days old. I think we're at 9 days old now. The duck is only 3 days, but so tiny compared to the cornish x.

I'm making some scrambled eggs to bring them shortly, that should be a nice protein packed treat.

 

[Beekissed]

That is so very cute! Before long they will be much larger then she...that will be fun to watch!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Much larger than her.