First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Fire Ant Farm]

Updated photo of Lissa at 12 weeks (the most road-runner-like of my "Creamettes") - beatin' the heat by chillin' her feet. Pyrex (and ice water) is her friend...


I won't be getting my meaties until September, and the heat should have broken a little bit by the time they are ready to go outside, but do any of you in hotter climates provide kiddie pools or other wading water sources for your ranging meatballs? (Here in South Texas, I am taken to understand that meat chicken season is limited to the fall and winter due to the heat - indeed, I was informed that September might be a tad too early...

)

- Ant Farm

 

[Red Nugget]

Updated photo of Lissa at 12 weeks (the most road-runner-like of my "Creamettes") - beatin' the heat by chillin' her feet. Pyrex (and ice water) is her friend... I won't be getting my meaties until September, and the heat should have broken a little bit by the time they are ready to go outside, but do any of you in hotter climates provide kiddie pools or other wading water sources for your ranging meatballs? (Here in South Texas, I am taken to understand that meat chicken season is limited to the fall and winter due to the heat - indeed, I was informed that September might be a tad too early... :/ ) - Ant Farm

I'm in southeast Georgia. Now I only have 4 meaties but got them in March. The heat index here has been 105 or higher most of the summer. I keep a large bowl of ice water on the back porch that all the animals drink from. Dogs cats chicks and ducks. I ice it down about 3 times a day. We have a 3 foot deep fountain pool for the ducks. About 10 foot wide. No fountain though. I do dip the chickens in that from time to time to clean them up or cool them down. I checked a chicks temp one afternoon and it was 102. Heat index was 109 so they all got their first bath that day. I also have a tidal pond by the marsh and creek they wade in eating little crabs and I guess tadpoles. They dont go all the way to the creek but like the muddy marsh at low tide. So when the come back I dip their legs to get mud off a lot. I also give a frozen treat every afternoon right now. I fill a muffin pan with a can of corn, peas, or mix veggies, top with water and freeze.

I give 1 a peace to all the birds. But for me that's only 8 birds total. The nights are not cooling very much ether so I have a fan out side their enclosure on low at night to move the air. Very muggy and still in the 80s at night. A few times the heat index got to about 114 and I put frozen water jugs in front of the fan put it on high and put them all in the run. As it gets hotter in August and September here. I will have frozen jugs in the coop at night too. Or put frozen water jugs in front of the fan at night too.

this is the enclosure The fan is at the very end by the shed not in the pick. It's 14x 22. 2 frozen gal jugs in front of a box fan keeps it pretty comfy.[/IMG][/IMG]

 

[JessicaThistle]

I'm in southeast Georgia. Now I only have 4 meaties but got them in March. The heat index here has been 105 or higher most of the summer. I keep a large bowl of ice water on the back porch that all the animals drink from. Dogs cats chicks and ducks. I ice it down about 3 times a day. We have a 3 foot deep fountain pool for the ducks. About 10 foot wide. No fountain though. I do dip the chickens in that from time to time to clean them up or cool them down. I checked a chicks temp one afternoon and it was 102. Heat index was 109 so they all got their first bath that day. I also have a tidal pond by the marsh and creek they wade in eating little crabs and I guess tadpoles. They dont go all the way to the creek but like the muddy marsh at low tide. So when the come back I dip their legs to get mud off a lot. I also give a frozen treat every afternoon right now. I fill a muffin pan with a can of corn, peas, or mix veggies, top with much ether so I have a fan out side their enclosure on low at night to move the air. Very muggy and still in the 80s at night. A few times the heat index got to about 114 and I put frozen water jugs in front of the fan put it on high and put them all in the run. As it gets hotter in August and September here. I will have frozen jugs in the coop at night too. Or put frozen water jugs know if I dip them they feel better snot to

Red Nugget - A chicken's normal body temperature is 102 and I have read that 104 isn't even feverish for a chicken.

I am loving all the pics of everyone's chicks. I have been off the thread for a couple of days because we have been moving our chickens to pasture. It took us 3 nights until 10:30 each night. We are exhausted! It looks like the chicken apocalypse hit our yard. One or two of the hens flew up into the trees to roost, so we couldn't get them. Poor babies were so scared this morning with everyone gone that they stayed in the tree until my hubby went out there to take a look. What a relief it is to have them all moved now. I miss them. Our yard is so quiet this morning. Now, I will just see all of my girls when I go to pasture a couple of times each day. Then I will get my fix. Well I guess i do have my residents hens that will get attention again. They will be quite happy I'm sure!

 

[Red Nugget]

Can y'all help me out? on the left is Pixie and the right is Sandy. both are 16 weeks old. both are female. are they the same breed? Until about a week ago there was no difrence in the size of the comb and waffles just color. I have 3 like Pixie and then Sandy with her brighter comb. now Sandy is morephing into something else. Even her neck looks bigger.

 

[JRNash]

Looks like a rooster to me

 

[JRNash]

My chicks figured out how to fly over the outside brooder pen. So I opened it up and let play. They love it. And,the 11 geese are ensuring they get plenty of cardiovascular exercise

 

[Red Nugget]

Looks like a rooster to me

She clucks! the only one that crows is my Silkie. And that's not very loud yet.

 

[Red Nugget]

My chicks figured out how to fly over the outside brooder pen. So I opened it up and let play. They love it. And,the 11 geese are ensuring they get plenty of cardiovascular exercise

do the geese chase them or do they chase the geese? Lol

 

[JRNash]

The geese make them, insert try, stay with the herd

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I'm in southeast Georgia. Now I only have 4 meaties but got them in March. The heat index here has been 105 or higher most of the summer. I keep a large bowl of ice water on the back porch that all the animals drink from. Dogs cats chicks and ducks. I ice it down about 3 times a day. We have a 3 foot deep fountain pool for the ducks. About 10 foot wide. No fountain though. I do dip the chickens in that from time to time to clean them up or cool them down. I checked a chicks temp one afternoon and it was 102. Heat index was 109 so they all got their first bath that day. I also have a tidal pond by the marsh and creek they wade in eating little crabs and I guess tadpoles. They dont go all the way to the creek but like the muddy marsh at low tide. So when the come back I dip their legs to get mud off a lot. I also give a frozen treat every afternoon right now. I fill a muffin pan with a can of corn, peas, or mix veggies, top with water and freeze. I give 1 a peace to all the birds. But for me that's only 8 birds total. The nights are not cooling very much ether so I have a fan out side their enclosure on low at night to move the air. Very muggy and still in the 80s at night. A few times the heat index got to about 114 and I put frozen water jugs in front of the fan put it on high and put them all in the run. As it gets hotter in August and September here. I will have frozen jugs in the coop at night too. Or put frozen water jugs in front of the fan at night too.

[/URL]this is the enclosure The fan is at the very end by the shed not in the pick. It's 14x 22. 2 frozen gal jugs in front of a box fan keeps it pretty comfy.

Thanks for these great tips - I especially like the frozen treats and may try that. My three girls are in full shade, so it's not too bad for them even when it's hot, but I ice down their water and wading pool/casserole pan which seems to keep them happy. I've also started them back on fermented feed (they are on again, off again, about whether they like it enough to eat it) - they seem to need a lot less water with FF. The CXs will, by necessity, not really have any natural shade where I will be keeping them (except in the tractor), so I may rig up some shade cloth for them for when they roam a little (it can still be quite hot in September).

I think in all my life craziness I didn't thank everyone for the hawk replies - very helpful. I think in the end, as I have a paddock that I will be keeping them in, I will run overhead baling twine criss-crossed from tall posts to deter hawks. (Fortunately I'm short, so it wouldn't have to be super high for my comfort.) We've had the hawk around a lot every day for the past week (though the crows have been harassing it). My three laying pullets are under a big tree with a low canopy and a netted fence extending up to said canopy. OK, so the higher fence was more to keep them from flying out (boy are they flighty!), but it also keeps hawks out. I've seen one in an adjacent tree just staring at them...

- Ant Farm