beginer needing help with ffa project

[ranchking]

i am 15 and am going to raise chickens for a FFA project. i need all the info i can get on chickens. I have a 6x6 room for them and i want to put twelve in. is that big enough? also do i need nest boxes and roosts for meat birds? should i raise them in cages or in the room? i need to get light into the room how can i will a window work. Should i let them outside or keep them in? Ok thats enough questions for now!!! thanks for any help.

 

[Llysse]

A 6 x 6 coop is big enough for about 9 chickens. Have you looked at the FAQs on the BYC site, yet, or gone to the learning area? After you've read those areas, if you still have questions, we can probably help

I'd suggest you get _Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens_ for lots of great info, too.

 

[ranchking]

Ok i checked out the learning section and learned alot.i still have a few more questions. what temp. do meat birds gain the most and since i am raising them for the fair should i let them outside or keep them in the room should i make a run if so how big.well thats all i can think of for now i am sure i will think of more thank you for all your help this site is great.

 

[pdavis7484]

How old are they?

 

[pdavis7484]

What breed are you going to get?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

<quick note... moving this to the general section>

 

[ranchking]

hi, sorry i did not get enough info. to you. i am going to get rhode island reds. I will be getting them as chicks and raising them for around a month month and half. By next years school year i want to have a bussiness raising chickens but i want to start out small. thanks for the help!!!!!!

 

[silkiechicken]

I never showed for meat birds but I would think that if you are doing FAA meat project.. you would need thoes cornish crosses and to get them about 7 weeks before show time. Then you butcher and prepare them to make them look good... other than that I'm not sure how meat class goes. A month to a month and a half of RIR isn't going to be meat. They will be about 10 ounces and not qualify I'd think.

If you want a business raisng chicks. I reccomend eggs.. I did that in HS. Meat birds are hard to keep up with for customers because then you spend evey weekend butchering.. not as fun three months into it...

Now if you do do meat birds, just get like 12 Cornish x's two months before the competition. Two weeks before, butcher two of the not as well formed ones to get practice on dressing them out. Then when show comes, you can get nicely dressed birds to show.

Good luck.

 

[4H kids and mom]

We are raising chicks for 4-H and they told us that only Cornish Rocks, Jumbo Cornish, and Cornish type crosses are considered 'meat' birds.

Rhode Island Reds will NOT be slaughter size by a month and a half. They grow slowly, because they are egg layers, not meat birds. RIR's typically take 8-10 weeks to be close to 'full size', and then another 8-10 weeks to begin laying.

You might want to look into talking to your FFA project leader, because RIR's arent even classified as a 'dual purpose' chicken, so I still dont see how they can classify them as a meat bird. They are known for laying, and are some of the best layers I've heard of.

We are actually getting some to add to our laying flock. Good luck. Maybe I misunderstood you, but I even looked at the FFA info online, and it seems to go in another direction. My children will be joining FFA too, so I would be interested in hearing that any bird could be classified as a meat bird, because we have extra cockerels.

 

[Dustin Biery]

If you are trying to raise meat birds for a fair you need to get cornish crosses (broilers). Those are the ones that grow out in a typical 8 weeks. Your room of 6X6 will be large enough for about 20 birds. I know this sounds crazy, but you do not want them to have much room to move. There needs to be enough room for all the birds to move about and be able to get to the water and feeder as well as get away from the heat (i.e. lights). One thing to remember, as the chicks get older you want to continue to raise the feeder to the point where they have to stretch to be able to feed. It helps to stretch their crop and allows them to intake more feed to convert to weight. If you have any questions about raising meat birds, feel free to PM me, that was my specialty in FFA.