Search results for query: *

  1. MichaelZ13

    Cornish Cross in the Heat

    Do you have shade for these chickens, like a tarp? Years back I lost some when it was in the 90's I had a chicken tractor with a metal roof (no tarp) and the tractor was over a gravel area with little grass - they started dropping like flies but I quick put a fan underneath (as I remember), and...
  2. MichaelZ13

    Best Thermometer for Boiling Water?

    I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009WE4B/ref=s9_top_hd_bw_bQcB8V_g79_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-2&pf_rd_r=0D23B3KNXD56V9020VAZ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=c176162e-e28b-42c0-a0ea-db9380c6f79b&pf_rd_i=393284011 Don't know how I lived without it! Just used it...
  3. MichaelZ13

    Cornish X Journal

    For good durable kill cones, try road traffic cones with the bottoms cut a little bit bigger. You can buy them at most any home store like Lowes, Menards, etc.
  4. MichaelZ13

    Changing our methodology this year!

    Here are some pics. What I call the "chicken plunger" allows me to herd them into the pen and also lock them in securely. And the pen is heavy enough so a predator can not lift it. We are in clay soil, so digging under the side is a bit of work. No losses last year from predators. Actually no...
  5. MichaelZ13

    Changing our methodology this year!

    You are certainly correct about the grass being a plus. It will be a lot cleaner. Also, I have found that they will start eating a lot of clover and grass. I will even bungee bunches of it to the side for them to help encourage this. I have a 6ft by 12ft by 2ft tractor and have 12-15 chickens...
  6. MichaelZ13

    What meat chick should i get?

    Cornish Cross will not have leg problems if you withhold feed 12 hours per day (overnight) and they have a little room to roam either free ranged or in a tractor. The ones I raised this year were absolutely beautiful healthy birds. And if you can pick up the chicks at the feed store, that is a...
  7. MichaelZ13

    All 31 Meat Chickens Gone!

    A dog, a coyote, a racoon , a fisher will all rip through chicken wire like butter. Your solution here is to do one of the following: 1. Herd them in to your coop each night and lock a door. 2. Get a guard dog to keep watch 24/7. A Great Pyrenees or Australian Shepherd will work, but they need a...
  8. MichaelZ13

    My golden retriever is killing my chickens!

    Try a dog repellent. If that does not work you could get a dog shock collar kit with a wire buried near the perimeter - this worked to train our dog to stop chasing bikers, and once trained we did not have to use the shock collar again. The shock is not that bad, but enough to train them. You...
  9. MichaelZ13

    Edit: Today is the big day... first time processing

  10. MichaelZ13

    Edit: Today is the big day... first time processing

    You can do 4 chickens from a single large canner 2/3 full of water that is about 195F off the stove. By the time you get to your last of 4 chickens, you water will be just warm enough to pluck the 4th. And I kill, pluck, and gut one at a time, but do the final cleanup in the kitchen sink of all...
  11. MichaelZ13

    My Experience with Cornish X

    We got down to the high 30's last night. And all my chickens are frozen and no longer living. They have been frozen for almost a month now. In my freezer. And we have bear problems too. Bears are getting a bit pushy now as they fatten up for winter so I am glad all my chickens are processed.
  12. MichaelZ13

    Black Snakes in my chicken coop!!!!!

    Wow, you folks down south have some serious snake problems! I think there are about 5 snakes on my whole 30 acres, with perhaps three 6-inch fire snakes and 2 garter snakes. Come live up north and you won''t have those snakes. Just winter 6 months out of the year!
  13. MichaelZ13

    Bear Attack!

    My experiences with black bears in our area is that they run for the hills when they see a human. I have had a total of 3 within 10 ft of me - 2 while bow hunting and one while walking. And a whole bunch more within 50 ft. We are not a wilderness area, so perhaps they have a good healthy fear of...
  14. MichaelZ13

    Really small Cornish X at 8 weeks

    I feed mine for 12 hours. Not that they eat non-stop, but they certainly do hit the feeder many times during that 12 hours. At 8-9 weeks mine ate a total of 21 pounds of feed each, on average, and weighed around 7-8 pounds live weight. And mine ate a fair amount of grass and clover. These birds...
  15. MichaelZ13

    How Much Do Your Birds Sell For?

    In addition to what I raised, I purchased 6 birds from a kid at church for $3 a pound. My cost of raising my own came to a little over $1.60 a pound, but I had no losses. One time many years back I ended up losing 1/4 of my birds in the last week - that sure jacks up your cost! Probably a cost...
  16. MichaelZ13

    Newbie to meat birds needing advice.

    I fed chick starter for the first two weeks, feed available around the clock. Then at the start of the 3rd week I would pull feed 12 hours over night and started mixing in broiler grower at a 1:2 ratio, increasing to 50-50 at the end of the 3rd week, until the starter was gone. These birds will...
  17. MichaelZ13

    Help! Meat Birds with Mareks, or Something Else?

    I was addressing the OP. The first time I had meat birds I fed around the clock and my chickens had leg issues. Since pulling the feed, no more leg issues.
  18. MichaelZ13

    Help! Meat Birds with Mareks, or Something Else?

    Are you pulling the feed 12 hours each day?
  19. MichaelZ13

    Cantankerous neighbor

    Your neighbor has the right to his property. And you would not be too happy (even cranky) if this same neighbor's dog was on your property with one of your chickens hanging out of his mouth. Get a few rolls of chicken wire and some inexpensive posts or garden poles. Or build a chicken tractor...
  20. MichaelZ13

    eating feed but not chickens

    My best guess is a vegetarian racoon.
Back
Top Bottom