Colorado

[Rock Home Isle]

With the hybrid meat birds, you'll want to take the food away from them during the night, once they have started to feather out. This will help to limit a lot of the leg and breast problems that they are susceptible too as well as limit the deaths due to heart failure.

Going from chick to 8 pounds of animal in 8 weeks is very stressful and pushes the biological limits of a living system.

 

[wsmith]

All the small chicken houses are framed, now to cover them...

I have 3-4 afternoons of good weather ahead.

 

[wsmith]

I just figured with the mention of the Celtic Crosses that you might be a participant....That is a great looking coop by the way.

Rock Home Isle,
do you do SCA?

 

[Minchi]

maybe a dumb question but should I give the birds tap water or filtered water. Anyone in Highlands ranch knows how bad the tap can taste but my DH is worried they are not getting the minerals they should. I am using the electrolyte mix in the water.

 

[wsmith]

We always fed our birds tap water the whole time I was growing up, and I do the same now. their guts can handle lots of stuff. They drink out of puddles if they have them.....

 

[Minchi]

Okay, I am a bit of a worry wart. One of them is really stressed right now and has diarrhea so I have been concerned, trying to make sure I am not doing anything wrong.

 

[wsmith]

Make sure it has lots of water and is drinking. What has it been eating?

 

[Minchi]

I was giving them the medicated starter. a couple meal worms a day, and the electrolyte water but my smallest would not shut up and she would fall asleep while standing. I was told that she might have been forced hatched early and that she was confused. So as advised I started taking there feed and adding a bit of water to soften it up, they loved that. I also put a stuffed monkey in the cage for comfort. I just started giving them the dry meal worms but I try to restrict them. When Minchi started getting stressed I read that if you added a little sugar to there water that would help. Now I am trying some oatmeal, bran, cornmeal, and egg mixture. As I said worry wort...

 

[coloradochick]

I always add water to the chick feed to make it softer for the first couple of weeks. Just try to give her the chick feed and just water for a couple of days. Chicks/chickens will get runny poops on occasion and it's normal.

 

[Mtn Margie]

I agree. I would just stick with chick starter and water.