A Beginner’s Excursion into Meatbirds

[RUNuts]

If you want to save the feet for stock, you need to scald the feet so the skin peels too with the feathers. Nails will fall right off.

Kitchen meat thermometer works. Take a wire coat hanger and bend into a thermometer holder. Spot to hang on the pot and a handhold. Those things are small and will burn your hands.

 

[Birdinhand]

I have 37 coming from Jenks in Oregon, they hatch today and should arrive tomorrow. I've been at it for a couple years here and have run into and solved many of the issues you speak of. it takes time, my first go was kind of disasterous. I can tell you it gets better. the most important thing I learned is that there are many strains of cornish Cross/CX, they are not all created equal. the ones you got were undoubtedly the fastest growing and they tend to be lazy slobs. the Cobb 500 are a CX strain that is a nice happy medium between super fast growth and normal bird behavior. I'm sorry I didn't see this thread earlier, I believe that threads in the meat bird section get filtered out of the "new posts" because the subject is disturbing to some, otherwise I would have seen this originally and would have chimed in. if you are like me, by the time you make it to butchering your first batch you are so grossed out you are considering swearing off ever eating chicken again and becomging a vegetarian. here are some suggestions that can greatly increase the joy:

- these birds do much, much better if they have lots of room to run around, at least 5'x5' initially. keeping them in such a small pen is a recipe for all kinds of issues.
- they need to be outside from day 1, there is no need to have them inside and there is no amount of money anyone can give me to allow them inside my house. they have 10X the metabolism of a normal chicken and will turn your house into a horror show in no time.
- several studies show that they must have at least 4 hours of true darkness in a 24 hour period or they will develop balance/leg issues. the mother heating pad/MHP is the only way I know of of providing them with the right sleep cycle. with a heat lamp on, they constantly fidget and are in a perpetual cycle of waking each other up every few minutes and according to things I've read, this ends up being devastating to their bone development. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/
- they must have 24/7 access to water or they will die. nipple waterers help a lot to cut down on bacteria. it doesn't count if the water freezes, they will perish. they need a de-icer if it's cold enough to freeze the water. I like raising them in the spring when it's cold because they are more cold tolerant than heat tolerant, they have such intense metabolisms that they radiate heat.
- if they have 24/7 access to water, lots of room to run around and get true sleep in full darkness at night they then can have 24/7 access to feed without leg problems.
-a word on bedding: giving them lots of room is the key to keeping the bedding from becoming a pig stye. I use a mix of wood chips, leaves and grass clippings that I make up and let sit, exposed to the elements and compost for at least months, ideally multiple seasons before I use. I only remove the matted sections of droppings and it's imperative to stay on top of it, at least once a day.
-raise the food container and water container as they grow and keep them at opposite ends of the run to force them to move.
-high protein feed vs runny droppings: these birds are prone to getting the squirts. somewhere between too much bacteria in their water/bedding and too much protein, they can develop very runny droppings which creates a very damp and unhealthy environment for them. if you start them right, and get a nipple waterer to cut down on microbes and give them a partially composted bedding that they can dig around in, they tend to have more normal, well formed droppings. if that is not enough, I will reduce the protein content by adding some layer formula, this will prevent protein induced diarrhea.

I will be reviving my old thread in the next day or so as the next batch arrives. you might want to read it through to see more details on what works for me. it is possible to raise these birds to be healthy and active and happy pretty much right up to harvest. my last batch was my best yet, I hope to improve on the process even further this next go round. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ons-of-suburban-meat-bird-production.1115689/

 

[Minky]

@teriz1091 I found your thread this morning and have been enjoying the read- learning from your trial and error. I, too, am raising meat birds this year for the first time, and I too have a small flock (7) of layers and one new roo. (so 8 birds).

I am hoping that you and @Birdinhand, or anyone else- can offer any thoughts on my up-coming meat bird project.....

I am trying to wrap my head around my CX and my layers (getting chicks of both around the same time, would ideally raise them together or side by side- hoping that the CX would be more active and grow more slowly, and be healthier.)

I get 25 day old CX mid April and 20 day old layers the following week.

I'm hoping by mid April it will be warm enough to have them outside in the barn, along with Mama Heating pad. (TEMPS WILL BE approx 40 F at night and 58F day)
The coop I'd put them in is about 15x 15, and has a dirt floor.
I was thinking of putting the 20 layer chicks in a playpen in the centre (its 3.5 x 3.5 feet) so the CX can see the layers, see how they move and scratch and stay active.... and also this would make the CX move from one side of coop (water) to the other side (feed). I was also going to restrict feed to 30 minutes 2x a day if I felt it was needed (for CX). I was also thinking I could make a little obstacle on either side of the playpen- so to get from water to feed the CX would have to climb up and down over a few bricks/2x4s. nothing too crazy- just a hop or two....

If each baby chick group has its own food/water/mama heat pad, would this set up be ok??? Temperatures will be around 3 C or 4 C at night (40 F) and around 13-15 C (58 F) during the day.
There will also be 8 full size chickens (1 rooster and 7 layers) in the next coop over, for added heat and visual interest. (eventually about 6 of my 20 layer chicks will join this flock). They will share a wall (of wire) with all the chicks. Do i need to worry about disease from day olds??

I figure the meat birds will be ready for processing by June 27 (10 weeks- I am hoping for slower than average growth-) and will be living in a large chicken tractor as soon as it is warm enough to do so....?? (can i make a chicken tractor that has an upper floor for sleeping? anyone seen plans or have ideas for this?- my husband is very handy and can build anything I design).

Are there any major flaws in my plan? Things that I am forgetting? Not thinking about?

I have been using straw (deep litter method) very effectively with my layers. Its nice and dry and easy to keep clean. But I am hoping to use dirt for chicks- is this a problem with meat chicks? Should i put paper towels down over the dirt for first week?

 

[RUNuts]

A 2 layer tractor will be heavier, depending on construction. What are you using to move it? Tractor = no problem. You = problem? Act of Congress = not happening.

Access for a 2 layer, depending on your design and need for access, it can be trouble or not. Each floor needs about 2 feet for chicken head room. The top layer would at least need cleaning access.

Based on my birds, and they are special, a maze to get to the water and food may be too much. May work great. Hmm. They figured out how to get to the 3rd "pasture" running from the coop and through the first 2. Well, they still get confused for a few minutes occasionally.

If they decide not to grow slow, you will need to be flexible. This is touchy feely stuff. Monitor and adapt. Rigid plans will fail. Sometimes spectacularly.

From my readings, dirt will be fine if you keep it clean. The sooner they are exposed, the better. I think paper towels would just make cleaning the brooder easier. I used them for my layers. Roll up dirty half way, unroll clean half way. Check for pasty butt. deposit chicks on clean side and finish. QED.

My meat chicks arrive on the 7th.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I had 4 jumbo broilers with 6 layer chicks, all ordered for the same day. by the size of them, I am sure some were a couple days older than the others, no big deal. If I were you, I would get the CX a week after the layers. This will sorta make up for the growth differential.

I believe the layer chicks make the broilers more active. I had one broiler trying to fly when the layers were getting their wings and flapping about. I think she got about 1 inch off the ground for about 2 steps once, lol! She also ran over 3 layers in the process.

Be aware that the broilers are going to be food hogs, especially if you are limiting their food intake. I had 2 feeding stations since the broilers were pushing the layers away from the feeders at about 3 weeks old. as soon as the layers could flutter to the top of the coop, I put the second feeder up there for them.

Chicks poop a lot. I would be concerned about how to clean a bare dirt floor. My vote would be for wood shavings for bedding. They will scratch in the bedding, and with a dirt floor, there will be holes dug. I do not know where the dirt goes to.

My chicks were in a store coop placed in a stall in the barn - the coop and run combo were the coop is upstairs and the run is ground level. They managed the ramp just fine

 

[trudyg]

(can i make a chicken tractor that has an upper floor for sleeping? anyone seen plans or have ideas for this?- my husband is very handy and can build anything I design). Maybe have hubby build a wall that hangs down lower than the roost with a gap at the bottom for them to pass thru easily? A windbreak of some sort is what I"m thinking.

 

[Birdinhand]

@teriz1091 I found your thread this morning and have been enjoying the read- learning from your trial and error. I, too, am raising meat birds this year for the first time, and I too have a small flock (7) of layers and one new roo. (so 8 birds).

I am hoping that you and @Birdinhand, or anyone else- can offer any thoughts on my up-coming meat bird project.....

I am trying to wrap my head around my CX and my layers (getting chicks of both around the same time, would ideally raise them together or side by side- hoping that the CX would be more active and grow more slowly, and be healthier.)

I get 25 day old CX mid April and 20 day old layers the following week.

I'm hoping by mid April it will be warm enough to have them outside in the barn, along with Mama Heating pad. (TEMPS WILL BE approx 40 F at night and 58F day)
The coop I'd put them in is about 15x 15, and has a dirt floor.
I was thinking of putting the 20 layer chicks in a playpen in the centre (its 3.5 x 3.5 feet) so the CX can see the layers, see how they move and scratch and stay active.... and also this would make the CX move from one side of coop (water) to the other side (feed). I was also going to restrict feed to 30 minutes 2x a day if I felt it was needed (for CX). I was also thinking I could make a little obstacle on either side of the playpen- so to get from water to feed the CX would have to climb up and down over a few bricks/2x4s. nothing too crazy- just a hop or two....

If each baby chick group has its own food/water/mama heat pad, would this set up be ok??? Temperatures will be around 3 C or 4 C at night (40 F) and around 13-15 C (58 F) during the day.
There will also be 8 full size chickens (1 rooster and 7 layers) in the next coop over, for added heat and visual interest. (eventually about 6 of my 20 layer chicks will join this flock). They will share a wall (of wire) with all the chicks. Do i need to worry about disease from day olds??

I figure the meat birds will be ready for processing by June 27 (10 weeks- I am hoping for slower than average growth-) and will be living in a large chicken tractor as soon as it is warm enough to do so....?? (can i make a chicken tractor that has an upper floor for sleeping? anyone seen plans or have ideas for this?- my husband is very handy and can build anything I design).

Are there any major flaws in my plan? Things that I am forgetting? Not thinking about?

I have been using straw (deep litter method) very effectively with my layers. Its nice and dry and easy to keep clean. But I am hoping to use dirt for chicks- is this a problem with meat chicks? Should i put paper towels down over the dirt for first week?

I have tried bringing up layers and broilers together and gave up in short order. they are such completely different beasts in terms of metabolism and growth rate. the CX will out compete the smaller slower chicks in no time. my vote would be to keep them separate. I did this by building a second level to my coop and lining it with shower stall liner, the white plastic stuff they sell at Home depot and it has worked great. I use more of a forest floor kind of deep litter method, made of partially composted wood chips, leaves, dirt. it gets some worms and bugs that provide fascinators for the CX. after a few weeks you need to really stay on top of removing the clods of droppings. I start with a good 6" layer and eventually have to start adding more as I start removing more and more each day with the droppings.

I go with a strain of CX called the COBB 500, they stay very active up to the last few weeks before harvest. I have been reading up on the value of providing real darkness to them during night hours so they sleep. In the book the Behavior Biology of Chickens they show something that looks nearly identical to a MHP that was used in studies that basically proved that most of the leg issues and other health issues associated with CX are related to them not getting enough sleep when kept under a heat lamp due to the fact that they fidget so much that they keep each other up. with true darkness they are forced to stay put, as well as take a 8-12 hour break from eating. I have found that with this break for sleeping/not eating, that they do not need any further food rationing. I give mine 24/7 access, which of course is naturally limited at night due to the fact that other than a little bit of street light that allows them to get water, they stay asleep mostly and don't eat.

I start with the water and food close together and close to the ground and as they become more active I separate them and lift them up off the ground, eventually I have them at opposite ends of the run and high enough off the ground at all times that they must stand to eat and drink. having something to climb over for the first several weeks is probably a plus but eventually they will get heavy and succumb to the forces of gravity at which point it's probably best to remove the obstacles or at least make sure they are manageable. I would not recommend trying to grow them out past 9 weeks, their systems just are not designed for it, they are on a super fast biological clock and I do not believe trying to slow it down is worth it, in fact I think they suffer for it. I use water nipple waterers. between hygeine, sleep and good organic food, combined with a good strain, you can have healthy, perky birds that have a great quality of life and provide a great ROI.

 

[teriz1091]

Thank you for the replies & input! Tomorrow is butcher day!

So I added up all the costs of these birds. We started with 20 chicks at a cost of $0.50 each, so $10. We lost one chick at 3 weeks. We went through 300lbs of feed at a cost of $81.78. Bedding was a factor I hadn’t accounted for. We went through 5 bags of shavings at a cost of $24.95. Next time around I will try using the mixture mentioned above to save money. We did spend $10 on a 5-gallon bucket & a roaster pan to make a DIY waterer. I did not factor this into the final cost, as we are going to continue to use it for our other chickens, so it was not a cost solely for these birds.

For the feed, bedding, & cost of the birds themselves, it came out to be $6.15 per bird for the 19 that made it to slaughter. At our local grocer, a conventional whole chicken sells for $6.55. The “Smart Chicken” brand conventional chicken is $11.89, & the organic whole chicken is $16.99. Ours are not organic (we just fed regular broiler feed from the local feed store), but the cost still equaled out well.

I will try to get some pictures tomorrow of the setup & butchering.

 

[Erin80]

I am following this thread! So much great information! We have been thinking about meat birds for quite a while, but still on the fence about it. We had to butcher two roos we ended up with from straight run chicks last spring, and we did NOT enjoy that experience at all.
Good luck with butchering today and let us know how it goes!

 

[wyoDreamer]

I am going to make a tractor for the meat birds. I hope to do 6 at a time all summer. The tractor will be moved as needed in the fenced area around the garden. I am still working on the tractor design, i am sure it will be tweaked as I use it. The chicks will start their first 2 weeks in the brooder in the barn under a mama heating pad, occasionally with layer chicks. That is the plan, but it is a fluid plan and will change as needed.