First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Turkeytruff]

Jessica -- Good luck with the fodder. My chickens love it and it really does keep the cost down. My layers eat about 50% fodder 50% fermented crumbles and seem to very well on it. Their yolks are really deeply colored. My meaties ate about 25% fodder/75% FF. I would have given them more, but my fodder operation is in my laundry room and space was an issue, lol.

Raisinemright -- good luck tomorrow.

When I let my 12 remaining meaties out this morning, the roo began crowing like crazy. I'm glad I swapped him out yesterday. I'm trying to decided how long to wait to do the next 6. They are a nice size now, but I enjoy having them around and an extra pound or two would be nice. I keep thinking of Ralphie and his turkey sized CX.

what is your fodder system please? Is that like sprouting wheat and other grains for a couple of days and then feeding it to them or...?
I have 3 MG big boys I need to harvest. 2 of them are crowing like crazy. They have a funny hoarse cry that goes up like a question at the end.

I have two more age groups coming up. The next will be 8-9 weeks and the last set will be 12-13 weeks.
Bad news my kids went to do their morning chores and found a huge pile of feathers and 10 missing pullets! I have no idea what animal did this. I'm thinking weasel or coon??
Just feathers left no body's anywhere?!?!
They must not have gotten inside the coop last night. Makes me sick. Anyone have attacks with no body's left over?

So sorry to hear this raisinemright - weird - a whole pack of predators like coyotes??

I have a chick that is not doing well, very weak. Yesterdays hatch.

I just fed her some egg yolk from an eye dropper. Have any of you ever tried that? I figured it is like mothers milk to a newborn mammal.

Sorry to hear she didn't make it DR. I have dripped in basic electrolyte water - I make up a pint of water, a tablespoon of sugar and and 1/4 tsp of salt mixed up in it. And also mushed thick greek yoghurt or cooked egg yolk

into their little beaks if they would let me.
RE: the white spots on their heads, I don't know about your toads, but in my MGs, the bigger the white spot, the more likely its a male. The smaller white spots are usually females, and occasionally they throw a black one which is always female. above you can see some of the 108 MG chicks we bought last year - not a great picture but some white spots are larger than others!

 

[Morrigan]

Turkeytruff: I mix together barley and wheat seeds and then throw in a handful of black oil sunflower seeds. I rinse them well and then soak them for 8 to 10 hours, before I transfer them to a plastic tub with holes in it. I water twice a day by submerging them in a pan of water I have in my laundry room sink, and then draining well. I feed to the chickens 3 to 4 days after the soak, when the grains have spouted but are only about one inch high. I remove it from the plastic tub and break it up into a few chucks so the birds are not fighting over one patch. Here are some pictures:

Birds eating finished product.



Trays on top of my dryer (they are sitting on blocks of wood on top of old cookie trays)


Close up of a tray about a day away from being ready to feed.

 

[Turkeytruff]

Yum! I do just wheat but I'll try your mixture. I have tried barley and oats on their own before with disappointing results.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Yum! I do just wheat but I'll try your mixture. I have tried barley and oats on their own before with disappointing results.

Our system is much like Morrigan's, but larger and the trays are metal, custom made by my hubby's cousin. We are going to start with barley. I like the idea of throwing in sunflower seeds. What an extra treat! Our aunt who gave us the system said the key she found was keeping the temp low enough, like around 50 degrees. I think people in different climates have different results.

 

[duluthralphie]

If I was not so darn lazy, I would try the sprouted stuff, it looks cool.

I need to have an interdiction, my wife has emptied my case of Mikes I bought on Wednesday! I only have apple ale left (YUCK)...

 

[holm25]

I put my 2 maybe 3 week old chicks and poults in the coop with a heat lamp this evening. And I moved a broody standard Cochin to a pen and am going to give her eggs in the morning. Also have to move another broody tomorrow to a pen. I have 3 broodies that will have eggs and 1 with chicks!! I am so excited!!

 

[JessicaThistle]

Here's a pic of the girls on pasture. They are so happy!

 

[Turkeytruff]

Our system is much like Morrigan's, but larger and the trays are metal, custom made by my hubby's cousin. We are going to start with barley. I like the idea of throwing in sunflower seeds. What an extra treat! Our aunt who gave us the system said the key she found was keeping the temp low enough, like around 50 degrees. I think people in different climates have different results.

That is helpful. I didn't know about keeping the temp low. I'll put them downstairs in my cool pantry and try it!

That picture of the SUPERAWESOME TRACTOR and the girls is lovely! I want one! Did they all go into it willingly at dusk?

 

[1zooman12]

Hello Turkeytruff,
Jessica Thistle is so right. A bird's, any bird's, problem is dispersing its body heat. Look how comfortable is the Antarctic penguin. Long before I became a bird curator I noted that my manager was breeding shell parakeets in those thin walled nest boxes, in the dead of winter, in Maryland where the temperatures were often near 8 to 10 degrees F. And the birds appeared contented while rearing their babies. One does not forget a spectacle like that.
If one should ask, maybe sometime I tell about countercurrent mechanisms. It is a anatomical device with more than one use; great piece of evolution I would say.
Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman

 

[holm25]

Jessica it looks great!