Raising a variety of meat breeds

[OrganicFarmWife]

Love your trailer!

Thank you! Rather embarrassed by my mistake, hopefully it survives a wind storm....

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

So we hd a very bad day yesterday.

I lost 11 birds to water. They were fine in the afternoon when i checked them, i refilled their waterer, and left. When i came back to check them in the evening 10 were DOA, 1 dieds after a fight. I managed to save three weak ones. The survivors spent the night in the house.
As near as i can tell they all got wet and then some could not get warm. I will look at my whole set up today and see where my mistake was. I had a small waterer, rocks in the tray, but everything was wet.
Very bad day.

 

[birds4kids]

Sorry to hear that but wanted to say thank you for sharing. I need to address water for our meaties today got them on 3/9 from TSC and the 11 of them plus a few polish chicks drained a quart chick waterer in 12 hours. I thought about a spare standard commercial waterer that is laying around but them getting wet seems a legitimate concern. Probably time to switch them to nipples the meaties are definitely big enough.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Sorry to hear that but wanted to say thank you for sharing.  I need to address water for our meaties today got them on 3/9 from TSC and the 11 of them plus a few polish chicks drained a quart chick waterer in 12 hours.  I thought about a spare standard commercial waterer that is laying around but them getting wet seems a legitimate concern.  Probably time to switch them to nipples the meaties are definitely big enough.

I was told to get a quail waterer. But after this experience i can see the value of nipples.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

My brother came down to help build the tractor. He is much younger, handier, and much more agile then i am. So he climbed up and started on the roof of the tractor.
He is also fixing a few of my larger mistakes as well as he can

2

It is really coming togeather and starting to look like a true building. Now if i can just keep a few chicks alive to put in it

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I build a mama brooder from heating pad, using Blooies step by step explanation. Hopefully this will help eliminate my heating problems.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ooder-picture-heavy-update/3900#post_16727438
I was satisfied with my heatlamp before this loss, and it wasnt really a heat lamp problem, it was a water dish problem, but this might have kept them all from freezing (they can get closer to the heat to warm)

I also fashioned a feeder and chick waterer, until i can make it to town to buy a quail waterer. Thank you Pinterest.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Working on getting the broiler pen completed.

This is intended to use like a run. To protect the young birds duing the day, mostly from my farm cats. I ended up using chicken wire, probably will regret that and need to repair with hardware cloth by next year. I still need to rebuild the door on the roof, but I think it is coming along well. I need to test it and see if the four wheler has enough power to pull this, probably will need to use the pickup.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

So i lost most of my birds. I firmly believe it was my inital problem with them all getting soaked, not anything i was continuing to do wrong or the hatchery. I mostly believe rhis because i went ahead and got 6 more from a feed store, Austrophs (sp?) and Leghorns for layers and they thrived while the larger older birds slowly died. I am down to three and will give Hoovers another chance (they are not to blame) I ordered 25 more to come April 15th. I ordered Red ranger and Dixie Rainbow again as well as Jersey Giants. I am hoping to keep one of the male Jerseys for a rooster as i had to kill my Barr Rock, he got mean.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I just completed the broiler pen and as it is a beautiful day put my surviving chicks in it for the afternoon. As you can see i my hens and cats are fascinated. Bu so far the pen works like a charm. I will watch the chicks carefully and make certain the cats cannot find a way in, but so far so good.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

The tractor is coming along slowly. We need to finish the roof and then put the wire on the windows. Husband and i think we will start with painting the coop and add tin later if we decide we must.