100 Broilers and Fermented Feed Project

[kuntrygirl]

Their congestion is worst this morning. It's so bad, if I didn't know better, I would think that they have a terrible respiratory problem and that I needed to give them doses of Tylan. I have been putting ACV in the water and I"m hoping that will clear it up.


What litter do you use that allows you to use it in the garden? I can't see using the litter from the shavings because you barely see the poop.


I love sand for the chicken yard. Been using it for 3 years now and I'm so in love with it.

Take this seriously.. I'd get rid of those shavings for sure. It's the only thing you have changed. They should not be congested like that. 

Even if it was CRD, they couldn't develop it at that age that fast could they? I doubt it... 

Sand may be harder for YOU to take care of in the long run, but if regular pine and not kiln dried is causing this respiratory distress, I'd rather put the extra work into sifting the sand than have some serious deaths on my hands...

 
Explain the size you are looking for-- someplaces like long time dealer know the product they sell, whereas a pet store is just DOH because staff keeps changing. Each packer usually uses the same mill and that mill usually produces the same size flake.

Early on I put down old towels for the chicks, terrified the shavings would lkill them, in  later batches I did have deaths due to eating the shavings. 

Maybe put down towels under the feeder to minimize tracking?? More work. I know.  I used paper towels for a while= the thick durable all paper type. 

I have to say-- the best experience of brooding chicks was when broodie hen took care of it all.  She and chickies had a nice little house that needed just a bit of care, then she took the chicks off for the whole day to I don't know where, the other barn I think down in the woods, then back at twilight. She raised ALL of them started with 13, one did not thrive and was dead by a couple weeks. ANd the others were still trying to get under her wings at 4 months old. Great broodie. Hmm  for 100 chicks you need about 10 broodies!!!  Then outside they go. lol

I'm glad you are sharing your experience, all the trials and tribulations of raising 100 meaties. It is an eye opener and a small  window into the lives at a big barn rasing thousands at a time.  A lot of work. ANd feed. ANd electricity and labor. To put food on our table. Thank you for sharing your  adventure!!

I like paper towel. Towels work too. Can you imagine 100 broilers on towels? Oh my the poop!!

I think there are pros and cons with everything that we use as far as flooring/bedding. I think everyone's situation will be different. I was never a fan of shavings in the past and now I see why. I"m not a fan of the wire floor and I know why as well. I know that they will not be on the wire for a long time but when I see chicks on wire MY feet hurt, so I don't want to put mine on wire. But I know that wire can be so clean because the poop falls straight thru the wire but the feet and leg issues (although there may be non) is a turn off for me. The only bedding that I love 100% is sand but everyone says sand is not the way to go with broilers and I believe the reviews but I am so curious to find out myself. I am so tempted to get sand to see what is does or doesn't do. Another sand experiment.

Try it. No harm. The poop situation may be hard to control, because you wouldn't toss out sand right? I can just imagine the garbage bags of soiled sand... So heavy.. If you can keep up scooping for that many chicks and just filtering the poop out - that could work. 

Ok, now I have to come up with another plan to use the sand but that's ok. Boy I tell ya, I'll surely be ready next year. This is definitely a trial run for me but it's fun learning what to do on this scale.

I hope that my broiler project will help the next person be it a small group of broilers or large group of broilers in having their own successful broiler project.

And you're right, no sand is tossed at all when using sand. I would only toss the poop that I scoop as I would when I clean cat litter boxes. The only thing, I don't know how the itty bitty poop would work with the sand. I think I may buy some sand this week and experiment with about 10 birds. I buy sand on a large scale. I have 1 - 2 dump trucks that deliver sand to my yard, so I don't know if they sell on small scale. I guess I could ask them if they would fill up about (3) 5 gallon buckets of sand for starters. That would give me something to go by. Now you all have me curious about sand.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kuntrygirl /img/forum/go_quote.gif Their congestion is worst this morning. It's so bad, if I didn't know better, I would think that they have a terrible respiratory problem and that I needed to give them doses of Tylan. I have been putting ACV in the water and I"m hoping that will clear it up. What litter do you use that allows you to use it in the garden? I can't see using the litter from the shavings because you barely see the poop. I love sand for the chicken yard. Been using it for 3 years now and I'm so in love with it.
You wouldn't use the litter straight away. The deep litter turns to compost and can be used on your garden mixed in with the soil. Another way you can use it without adding it directly from the coop is to put it in garbage bags and add water. Let it steep. Cut a hole in the bottom corner and water your garden with the steeped water.

Gotcha'! Makes sense.

 

[aoxa]

Could they be eating too much feed, too soon, too fast (extreme weight gain) as far as them being congested? I read somewhere about congestive heart failure and them sounding congested. I am puzzled. As soon as I typed too much food, it made me think about this (and I"m not trying to be funny) but it they sound like an obese person who can barely breath because they are soooooooooo over weight. Make sense?

They shouldn't be getting that way this young. Really shouldn't be a worry. I didn't keep track of the weights of my broilers at all. Ever. Unless you count: Well that one's the weight of the cat.

The only losses I had were accidental and a bout of cocci and early chick death. After 2 weeks I didn't lose a single one. I did cull three. One for accidental injury, and two for I have no idea what was wrong, but they weren't thriving like the others. Two females, one male.

That does make sense your description. Are they rattling in their breathing? That's what I thought when you stated congestion.

 

[aoxa]

Ok, now I have to come up with another plan to use the sand but that's ok. Boy I tell ya, I'll surely be ready next year. This is definitely a trial run for me but it's fun learning what to do on this scale.

I hope that my broiler project will help the next person be it a small group of broilers or large group of broilers in having their own successful broiler project.

And you're right, no sand is tossed at all when using sand. I would only toss the poop that I scoop as I would when I clean cat litter boxes. The only thing, I don't know how the itty bitty poop would work with the sand. I think I may buy some sand this week and experiment with about 10 birds. I buy sand on a large scale. I have 1 - 2 dump trucks that deliver sand to my yard, so I don't know if they sell on small scale. I guess I could ask them if they would fill up about (3) 5 gallon buckets of sand for starters. That would give me something to go by. Now you all have me curious about sand.

Try this

 

[kuntrygirl]

Could they be eating too much feed, too soon, too fast (extreme weight gain) as far as them being congested? I read somewhere about congestive heart failure and them sounding congested. I am puzzled. As soon as I typed too much food, it made me think about this (and I"m not trying to be funny) but it they sound like an obese person who can barely breath because they are soooooooooo over weight. Make sense?

They shouldn't be getting that way this young. Really shouldn't be a worry. I didn't keep track of the weights of my broilers at all. Ever. Unless you count: Well that one's the weight of the cat. 

The only losses I had were accidental and a bout of cocci and early chick death. After 2 weeks I didn't lose a single one. I did cull three. One for accidental injury, and two for I have no idea what was wrong, but they weren't thriving like the others. Two females, one male.

That does make sense your description. Are they rattling in their breathing? That's what I thought when you stated congestion.

I guess what puzzles me is that they have not been outside nor been around any other animals (chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, etc) to contract anything. I don't guess they were sick and birth but I would have heard congestion on when I first got them.

How did your acquire cocci?

I have not noticed any rattling in their chest because I have been so paranoid just hearing the congestion. But I will listen as soon as I get home to see if there is any rattling in their chest. If there is rattling, what do you think that would be?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Ok, now I have to come up with another plan to use the sand but that's ok. Boy I tell ya, I'll surely be ready next year. This is definitely a trial run for me but it's fun learning what to do on this scale.


I hope that my broiler project will help the next person be it a small group of broilers or large group of broilers in having their own successful broiler project.


And you're right, no sand is tossed at all when using sand. I would only toss the poop that I scoop as I would when I clean cat litter boxes. The only thing, I don't know how the itty bitty poop would work with the sand. I think I may buy some sand this week and experiment with about 10 birds. I buy sand on a large scale. I have 1 - 2 dump trucks that deliver sand to my yard, so I don't know if they sell on small scale. I guess I could ask them if they would fill up about (3) 5 gallon buckets of sand for starters. That would give me something to go by. Now you all have me curious about sand.

Try this  

I love that!!! Did you make it yourself or did you buy it somewhere?

 

[aoxa]

I guess what puzzles me is that they have not been outside nor been around any other animals (chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, etc) to contract anything. I don't guess they were sick and birth but I would have heard congestion on when I first got them.

How did your acquire cocci?

I have not noticed any rattling in their chest because I have been so paranoid just hearing the congestion. But I will listen as soon as I get home to see if there is any rattling in their chest. If there is rattling, what do you think that would be?

I'd guess shavings.

I love that!!! Did you make it yourself or did you buy it somewhere?

They made it themselves with that plastic fork and the smallest gauge hardware cloth and zip ties.

http://ourcountrychronicles.blogspot.ca/2012/02/coop-management.html

 

[apteryx]

I see the difference . Yours are smaller.

I'll have to call around the other feed stores to see what they have.

My local TSC has two types of pine shavings - fine and flake. They are in 5.5 cu ft bags. Both are the same price. I like to use the fine in the brooder.

 

[Arielle]

I read an aticle recently in which the intestines of the birds had grown longer to deal witht he high fiber forage they had been given. Very cool adaption.

Here is my thought on bedding-- these are eating machines. If food is not available, the next best thing is bedding.

How to keep them "full" without over eating?
How to keept hem full without eating thier bedding??
Is lighting used to stop the eating- 12 on 12 off, and what are the iurds doing during "off"?

I use a lot of leaves from oak and other native trees for bedding with my adult birds-- but don't see many trees in those photos. I would use peat over sand for many reasons. Mostly because peat is easier to handle than the sand, and the sand will eventually become mostly poo anyway no matter how much you sift.

Provide grit and a probiotic-- I have used fast track for horses for mine to help with GI probiotics when I thought they needed more of a boost.

Do you have toys to distract them-- just curious??

 

[kuntrygirl]

I read an aticle recently in which the intestines of the birds had grown longer to deal witht he high  fiber forage they had been given. Very cool adaption. 

Here is my thought on bedding-- these are eating machines. If food is not available, the next best thing is bedding. 

How to keep them "full" without over eating? 
How to keept hem full without eating thier bedding??
Is lighting used to stop the eating- 12 on 12 off, and what are the iurds doing during "off"? 

I use a lot of leaves from oak and other native trees for bedding with my adult birds-- but don't see many trees  in those photos. I would use peat over sand for many reasons. Mostly because peat is easier to handle than the sand, and the sand will eventually become mostly poo anyway no matter how much you sift. 

Provide grit and a probiotic-- I have used fast track for horses for mine to help with GI probiotics when I thought they needed more of a boost.

Do you have toys to distract them-- just curious?? 

They pretty much always have food. No toys or anything to distract them. So grit is ok at such a small age/small frame? I see probiotics at TSC. I have a bunch of stuff at home. I"ll have to see what I have. I have leaves that I could try with them.