New to meat birds

[BCMaraniac]

I got in 18 eggs today. The USPS is an idiot. They ignore the sign that says call me and send it bumping all day to my house. I'm letting them rest for a day or so until I put in the 'bator. SBEL's Super Blue Egg Layers. I've got my 11 5 day olds out under the shade for the rest of the day. They will go back in the storeroom tonight. It only gets to 70 as low so I think I'll not put the heat lamp on again. First day they are running around having fun. These were pullet eggs and they are TINY.

I hope you get a good hatch. In the past, I have let them rest upright in a carton for 48 hours. It gives the aircell a chance to recover, I think. Are you planning to put them in an automatic turner? I have heard that is better than laying them down in an incubator or under a broody to keep the aircell stable and in the right place.

 

[LindaB220]

I hope you get a good hatch. In the past, I have let them rest upright in a carton for 48 hours. It gives the aircell a chance to recover, I think. Are you planning to put them in an automatic turner? I have heard that is better than laying them down in an incubator or under a broody to keep the aircell stable and in the right place.

Yes, I heard that first 3 days we're not supposed to turn. Last time I just let sit for a day and then turned it on. Any experience with that. I also put a couple of folded up tissue paper in the egg turner to keep them from clunking when it turns. Another question. The person was sick so didn't wash any eggs. Some are very spotty. Should I just do it with it on them or wash in some solution?

 

[BCMaraniac]

Well, I'm lazy....I use a turner. So mine don't get laid down till lockdown.

I wash my eggs if they're dirty. If they have a fleck of something here and there I have a toothbrush that I use to brush it off. I figure dirty eggs are at higher risk of bacterial infiltration, so washing is better than leaving it on there....plus I would rather not get all that chicken poop in my incubator, especially since mine is just Styrofoam and getting all the bacteria out of it is potentially difficult. I am sure others have different thoughts on the matter and probably have a lot more incubator experience than I do.

 

[Betsy57]

Hi there! You'll probably find as many ways to feed meaties as you will people who raise them.

They aren't picky, and if you feed them they're going to grow!

That said, I start them out with grower - or chick starter. Sometimes I feed them 24% the first 2 weeks and then switch to 20%. You can switch to finisher or feed them on grower until the end. I start adding scratch grains into the starter feed the last few weeks.

You may want to keep it simple the first batch and then try different things from there. You may find a way that works better!

Good luck!

How much light do you give them? I'm getting my first batch of meat birds and read somewhere that I shouldn't give them light 24/7. So should they have light the same length of time that egg chicks have? I'm thinking 12 hours on and 12 hours off (well, with a night light so it isn't completely dark for them).

 

[SIMZ]

My chicks always have light from the heat lamp on for the first 2-3 weeks. After that I just keep them on natural day and night and it seems to be fine. If you have a way to do it then 12 hours of light and 12 of dark would work, but probably not necessary.

Many people don't make food available for them 24/7. With 24 hour light they would eat all day, so maybe that's the connection. It seems to me that they wouldn't eat in the dark, so I don't worry about it.

 

[Double Kindness]

Super Blue Egg Layers? My interest is piqued.

 

[Betsy57]

My chicks always have light from the heat lamp on for the first 2-3 weeks. After that I just keep them on natural day and night and it seems to be fine. If you have a way to do it then 12 hours of light and 12 of dark would work, but probably not necessary.

Many people don't make food available for them 24/7. With 24 hour light they would eat all day, so maybe that's the connection. It seems to me that they wouldn't eat in the dark, so I don't worry about it.

I have a heat lamp but also a brinsea brooder/heater. I don't like it cuz I can't see the chicks cuz they get under it for their warmth. So I guess I will do as you indicate and limit food. Most printed stuff says food 12 on and 12 off but I read here where people just give them food maybe 3 times a day and let them eat 10 minutes or so at a time. Or I read where someone just gave them a limited amount of food in the morning and then that's all they get. Since I work long days, I'll just have to get them a limited amount in the morning and maybe some again at night when I get home. We'll see how that goes. And then when I move them outside, they can have natural light plus a night light over night. How's that sound? And 2 weeks of medicated chick starter and then meat bird crumbles?

 

[LindaB220]

Super Blue Egg Layers? My interest is piqued.

Mine are Cream Crested Legbar cockeral over White Leghorn. Ron Ott said he uses CC Legbar over Americauna Hens. Double blue genes. I can't be assured of blue. I might get some white eggs. His are all blue. My 7 wk olds are getting bigger because of the Legba strain. I'm loving them. So intelligent and sweet. Not agitated like pure white leghorns would be. Lively but not too much. Very sweet. I managed to get all my bigger ones wings clipped. Now I have to start with the 3 week olds. They will hop a fence otherwise. I'm not sure that this will stop them. I'm just learning their ways.

 

[LindaB220]

I have a heat lamp but also a brinsea brooder/heater. I don't like it cuz I can't see the chicks cuz they get under it for their warmth. So I guess I will do as you indicate and limit food. Most printed stuff says food 12 on and 12 off but I read here where people just give them food maybe 3 times a day and let them eat 10 minutes or so at a time. Or I read where someone just gave them a limited amount of food in the morning and then that's all they get. Since I work long days, I'll just have to get them a limited amount in the morning and maybe some again at night when I get home. We'll see how that goes. And then when I move them outside, they can have natural light plus a night light over night. How's that sound? And 2 weeks of medicated chick starter and then meat bird crumbles?

Why not give them a big serving in the am and a small one at bedtime.?

 

[SIMZ]

I have a heat lamp but also a brinsea brooder/heater. I don't like it cuz I can't see the chicks cuz they get under it for their warmth. So I guess I will do as you indicate and limit food. Most printed stuff says food 12 on and 12 off but I read here where people just give them food maybe 3 times a day and let them eat 10 minutes or so at a time. Or I read where someone just gave them a limited amount of food in the morning and then that's all they get. Since I work long days, I'll just have to get them a limited amount in the morning and maybe some again at night when I get home. We'll see how that goes. And then when I move them outside, they can have natural light plus a night light over night. How's that sound? And 2 weeks of medicated chick starter and then meat bird crumbles?

Sounds fine. I just feed mine.

They usually run out during the day and I feed them again. The little guys are made to eat and grow, so I just go with it. Mine have tons of room to run around and do just fine with having food.