Arkansas folks speak up.........

[angel1]

I also meant to add that I have some cinnamon queens that I bought about 6 weeks ago that are in molting stage and I was hoping that they'd come out of it perty soon. I was told that they were cinnamon queens but some of them look more like the color of RIRs. Only a few are dark enough to look like cinnamon queens. Can anyone tell me the difference between the 2 besides the color? is one a better egg layer than the other? or does one have the really dark eggs? I've had RIRs before but never had cinnamons before. how long before molting is over again? Thanks.

 

[verycherry]

Doesn't game bird feed have meds in it? I was thinking that I could feed my meat birds some of that til my feed guy told me that all his has meds in it. I'm the kind that has to be paticular about what I feed if i am going to be on the receiving end of the eatin...I'm VERY sensitive to just about everything.

This doesn't have any meds in it. I try to buy feed without meds too. I only have to buy chick starter with meds if I run out and the feed store is closed and I have to go to Atwoods. They only sell the medicated kind....not sure why.

My meat birds are bout 1 1/2 weeks old and still looks like I just got them. I am feeding them non medicated starter..but the feed guy told me that it's only 20% protein. I was hoping to find something that is higher protein (I've even thought about hog feed..but he says it also has meds in it too). My feed guy told me that the starter and the layer pellets are pretty much the same except that one is pellets and one is really small grain...I was hoping that one would have many more vitamins in it...sometimes it just doesn't pay to live in a small town....JMHO......BTW, I am also feeding my barred rocks (future egg layers) the starter too.. they are about a month old and ooh so pretty!

20% is usually fine. Actually higher than that can sometimes harm certain breeds of meat birds. Don't give them layer pellets. They have additional calcium that is bad for chicks....especially young cockerels. It's made for laying hens. Adult roos can eat it, and can "handle" the extra calcium that a chick can't, but it's still not best for them. Flock raiser or gamebird is better. My roosters eat some layer pellets since it's in the pen and it would be hard to stop them, but they also free range a little daily. It hasn't seemed to bother then, but I have seen it bother some young cockerels. It's bad for their kidneys.

I also meant to add that I have some cinnamon queens that I bought about 6 weeks ago that are in molting stage and I was hoping that they'd come out of it perty soon. I was told that they were cinnamon queens but some of them look more like the color of RIRs. Only a few are dark enough to look like cinnamon queens.

Good quality RIR's can be very dark. I think Cinnamon Queens would be lighter. My RIR's lay well, but some other lines might lay less. I think Cinnamon Queens are supposed to be really good layers though, maybe better in fact....just depends on the line, the age of the girls, the condition, the feed, etc...​

 

[angel1]

I'm not really into lines of birds or anything like that...I wouldn't be able to tell one line from another to tell ya the truth, but these RIRs or cinnamons I've got are about 2 yrs old. I've only had them for about 6 or 7 seeks. I was told that these birds are really good layers but they were getting ready to molt but when they come out of molting would go back to laying relaly well for me. I was concerned about their age because normally I only get a chicken to lay for me for about 2 seasons and then they pretty much quit (it didn't use to be like that when we raised chickens in the yard way back when!) I don't know why b/c I feed them layin pellets, chopped up hay, scratch, some grit or that stuff that makes their shells hard (but this only if they need it) and they also free range around the yard and eat table scraps when I throw them out. The lady told me that these birds didn't come from a hatchery, that these birds were 4H birds and they would lay way past 2 yrs old. At $5.00 a shot I thought it was worth trying even though I've never heard of such a thing for years now. How many years does ya'lls birds lay? and it there a way I can increase the years on the barred rocks that I have. The barred rocks are from a hatchery and I'd rather have them laying for years to come IF I can make that happen...I can't get over how beautiful my barred rocks are!..........Thanks...............

 

[verycherry]

They'll probably lay for you as she said after the molt. It seems to take forever though, I know! I would say if they've been taken care of, and you give them a good diet they should lay for several years.

You're rocks are the same way. If you take care of them, good diet and all, they should lay for several years, but naturally will slow down as they age. The first 2 years are always the best years. I haven't had mine for over 2 years yet, so I'm going by what I've been told and what I've read.

 

[Dustin Biery]

I do not know how much you are wanting to put into your meaties, or the time frame for slaughter. All of this will depend on what goes into them. Are you wanting to do a typical 8 week slaughter, or are you going to slow grow them? I personally would suggest that you add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to each gallon of water, along with an asprin (if able). The asprin will help keep their blood thin, and reduce part of the sudden deaths that meaties usually incur. As for putting weight on them, when I raised them for my FFA project, we added soy meal, as well as corn oil to help the birds gain weight. The corn oil is to be mixed so that the feed is just dampened with it, not saturated. It will also help minimize the amout of waisted feed.

 

[angel1]

Actually, I'm wanting to do the 8 week slaughter. I've got 20% protein feed into them. Just a few minutes ago I went out and got all their water containers and brought them inside. washed them real good, filled them with warm water (it's coldern a well diggers butt out here!) and I put about 1 TBSP of Apple cider vinegar. Hoping that it isn't too hard on them cause they're only about 2 weeks old and still small. I lost 2 more yesterday...can't figure out why except I didn't give them any meds. However, with that being said, I only want to give them meds if they're sick...not just give them meds for no reason what so ever. I make sure they don't run out of feed or water. They've also been eating some of their hay that I've been putting in for bedding..but I figure that's OK it won't hurt them. The heating is good and they have ventalation. I'm getting ready to go out and get more hay and lay down some more for them...I figure that the extra heat can't hurt them. It's really cold here and we've got some pretty good winds going out there so it makes it so much colder. Did you mean that I can slow grow them? as in how long? Would I be able to say grow them slowly to adult stage and let them lay and hatch out their eggs and then kill their off spring? or would this work very good? Would the offspring not grow very fast? I AM wondering something else. These are cornish corss rocks. Do you know if the hatcheries mix cornish rooster with rock hens or rock rooster with cornish hens? With all this being said...is it this certain cross that grows fast or can other crosses grow just as fast depending on what and how you feed them? Even though I got 75 chicks this time, this is only an experiment to see how well I do. IF this goes pretty good then I'll do it again. and maybe down the road cross my own and do the same instead of ordering them and growing them. Thanks

 

[luvarabhorses]

Angel,
If they aren't on wire then you have to give them the medicated chick starter feed. The parasites are impossible to avoid if the chicks are in contact with the ground. The chicks die a pretty gruesome death.

Keep us posted!!!

 

[Tala]

Quote:
You don't HAVE to give any meds at all.

I have raised all 16 of my birds without any medicated feed - and not only are they on shavings instead of wire, they are transferred outside by 3 weeks of age.
Plenty of people here on BYC do not advocate unnecessary medication, and they sucessfully start and grow plenty of birds without it.


Do some reasearch on raising meaties. I think you're supposed to only offer them food 12 hours on, then 12 hours off.
Also hay is not good for birds to eat, it clogs up their crops.

 

[luvarabhorses]

Just saw this on the news:

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2009/11/ar_horse_rescue_111309.html

Very sad. I rode there when researching Arkansas about 4 years ago. Wasn't great treatment of the horses then. Never a big fan of them standing around all day saddled in the heat.

Just wondering if anyone else rode there.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
That was my impression driving by there. Seemed like they had the horses just standing around saddled all day long. They always looked hot and tired.
I never rode there.


We did trail rides on our honeymoon in Eureka Springs and the man who had the horses had them in unsaddled, waiting in open stalls under shade cover with water buckets for each one until they were taken out for a trip. Whenever he thought they were through for the day he turned them out to pasture well before dark so they could graze. His horses followed him around like dogs and they all knew he was the leader. It was a nice place.