Hello
I am facing a big problem with my "meat" flock. this is just one of many.
this year, I could not afford to make a new breeding stock, i say, well, let's BUY chicks, as they are cheaper from the local "tractor supply"
(my hens are strongly suspected of being carriers of salmonella thypoid or pullorum as last year many chicks died or not hatched at all)
infact, they were cheaper than raising a new breeding stock, as i paid about $35 usd for 60 chicks. 10 girls, 50 males.
The breed are, 25x kabir, of which 10 girls, and 25x "farm run, or mixed breed"
I also decided to buy them as bought chicks are (supposed?) to be vaccinated for Marek. at least thats whats I was told.
Now remember that here, is not america. nothing they tell you must really mean it's correct, and you will get zero accountability.
as long as they were inside in the brooder, all was fine. After we put them outside, in moveable chicken tractors, problems began.
at about week 4, (outside was always hot enough that they didnt need supplemental heat) they started dying. it looked awfully a lot like marek.
i lost about 8, i really lost count, it could've been the excessive heat, but heat don't cause leg paralysis.
now note well. Death #1, occurred during the afternoon while i was not there, when i came to check on them, i found it dead... and eaten.
I was not thrilled that they ate the dead, but nothing else on can do.
the chicken tractors, are 4'x8' and are moved every day on the now-present grass, as it was all dry until september.
occasionally one or two became victim of toe pecking, but nothing too serious that could not be treated.
today, the horror.
it was a long time that no one died again. they are now 10wk old. I came after lunch to do something near there, and inside they looked like they were crazy
chasing one another. I could not see, so i went to look, and not only they ate part of the dead again, but they also pecked each other's tails, 3 of them required "hospitalization".
I do not understand their behaviour. we feed them well at 19% protein, we move them every day, they are never lacking feed or water.
Yes maybe they re a bit tight, but i am not sure. after all, the bad stock i bought, some remained very small even at 10wk old, the one that died weighed merely 2lb.
What's bad other than the loss of stock will also mean loss of food for next year, is that i really am not sure if next year i will put more meat chickens, as you can see, either we breed our own with no possibility of vaccination or there's not much choice. And yes, i also tried getting eggs from people around, but so I get unknown bad genetic traits, or vertically spread diseases. Hogs at worst bite their tails. so far, raising this group looked like a good way to waste money and time to end up with an empty plate.
Why they do this?
I am facing a big problem with my "meat" flock. this is just one of many.
this year, I could not afford to make a new breeding stock, i say, well, let's BUY chicks, as they are cheaper from the local "tractor supply"
(my hens are strongly suspected of being carriers of salmonella thypoid or pullorum as last year many chicks died or not hatched at all)
infact, they were cheaper than raising a new breeding stock, as i paid about $35 usd for 60 chicks. 10 girls, 50 males.
The breed are, 25x kabir, of which 10 girls, and 25x "farm run, or mixed breed"
I also decided to buy them as bought chicks are (supposed?) to be vaccinated for Marek. at least thats whats I was told.
Now remember that here, is not america. nothing they tell you must really mean it's correct, and you will get zero accountability.
as long as they were inside in the brooder, all was fine. After we put them outside, in moveable chicken tractors, problems began.
at about week 4, (outside was always hot enough that they didnt need supplemental heat) they started dying. it looked awfully a lot like marek.
i lost about 8, i really lost count, it could've been the excessive heat, but heat don't cause leg paralysis.
now note well. Death #1, occurred during the afternoon while i was not there, when i came to check on them, i found it dead... and eaten.
I was not thrilled that they ate the dead, but nothing else on can do.
the chicken tractors, are 4'x8' and are moved every day on the now-present grass, as it was all dry until september.
occasionally one or two became victim of toe pecking, but nothing too serious that could not be treated.
today, the horror.
it was a long time that no one died again. they are now 10wk old. I came after lunch to do something near there, and inside they looked like they were crazy
chasing one another. I could not see, so i went to look, and not only they ate part of the dead again, but they also pecked each other's tails, 3 of them required "hospitalization".
I do not understand their behaviour. we feed them well at 19% protein, we move them every day, they are never lacking feed or water.
Yes maybe they re a bit tight, but i am not sure. after all, the bad stock i bought, some remained very small even at 10wk old, the one that died weighed merely 2lb.
What's bad other than the loss of stock will also mean loss of food for next year, is that i really am not sure if next year i will put more meat chickens, as you can see, either we breed our own with no possibility of vaccination or there's not much choice. And yes, i also tried getting eggs from people around, but so I get unknown bad genetic traits, or vertically spread diseases. Hogs at worst bite their tails. so far, raising this group looked like a good way to waste money and time to end up with an empty plate.
Why they do this?
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