Red Broilers...not impressed.

[chickened]

I will post the results in the meatbird section. My friend says they are ready in 13-14 weeks and that the turken crosses are actually a little larger.
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That is awesome! I'm sure this was just a bad batch...at east I hope.
Keep us updated, would love to know what they dress at ect.

 

[ghulst]

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There are about sixty broiler hatcheries in the US. Tyson farms has 38.

 

[chickened]

Does Tyson sell to the public?
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There are about sixty broiler hatcheries in the US. Tyson farms has 38.

 

[CathyB59]

I've gotten 2 batches of chicks from Ideal Poultry. The first batch of 25 chicks was supposed to be black broilers. Their catalog says the red broilers were supposed to weigh 6 pounds at 7 weeks. Mine barely weighed 4 pounds at 10 weeks. I finally figured out they sent me black stars by mistake. The second batch I ordered from them (I figured I would give them a second chance since they refunded me my money on the first batch) was supposed to be red broilers. Again, the same problem with weight gain. I think they sent me New Hampshire Reds by mistake, but they look so much alike as chicks and adults that I couldn't prove it. As for the health issue, I had a bunch (at least half) of the second batch with crooked toes. Fortunately, I was able to butcher those before it became a mobility issue for them.

I live in Montana and we don't have any hatcheries nearby so I have to mail order my chicks. Personally, though, I'm staying away from Ideal Poultry. Hope this helps.

 

[afveteran88]

I'm with ya, So many of my friends have had bad luck with them. I got mine from McMurray and no problems what so ever.

 

[Supermommy486]

Good to know. We used them since I can drive right up there and we have not had any issues with our other babies we have got from them. I will update as to what they dress at ect once they get processed. So far they are getting quite big and there are no other major issues atm, but we shall see.

Thanks guys!

 

[themagicash]

supermommy486, did you get the red broilers as part of the special pricing they had about 1 month ago? I got some on Dec 14, I drove there as well, and one died that very day (never lost a chick before). A couple of them are pretty small right now. This batch doesn't seem as robust as the batch I got from them last July.

 

[Supermommy486]

I did! I'm right next to you in Del Valle. Yea, I'm thinking this just wasn't the best hatch. I guess it happens. I think my Husband has decided to try a different kind next go around.

 

[themagicash]

I really liked the batch of red broilers that I did in July. Yes, they grow out longer but they are a pleasant bird and taste great! I hope this batch gets itself together!

 

[brandislee]

RE: crooked toes and early leg problems in broiler type chickens- although colored broilers aren't as likely to have health problems as white broilers, they are still a meat hybrid and still have the potential for the same problems. Leg issues like crooked toes that curl under to the side are almost always nutrition problems, not problems with the source or hatchery. Sometimes it can be related to incubation, but most often it's a niacin deficiency. B vitamins degrade quickly so if you get an slightly old bag of feed or a bag of feed that was improperly mixed that could have caused the problem. It's an easy fix- either dose with poly-vi-sol (no iron), add brewer's yeast to the food, or add a higher dose of vitamins to the water (or begin using them if you aren't already). I had an epidemic of this in my last batch of broilers (not from Ideal) and all of the chicks recovered completely except for one who was the first to have problems and who at one point got stranded outside of their shelter and got chilled before I got to it.