Freedom Rangers in Georgia - Spring 2012

[wsmoak]

They're here! I ordered 25 chicks from Freedom Ranger Hatchery and they arrived this morning:






All 26 (they sent one extra) of them are alternately running around or falling over to sleep for a bit.

I splurged on a metal stock tank because the last time I had chicks I was constantly worried about starting a fire with that super hot lightbulb in a cardboard box inside the house.

-Wendy

 

[KBlue]

ooohh congratulations on your new arrivals!

Keep us updated as they get older, and of course include pictures of the finished product! please?

ETA: I'm curious what the milk create is for in the brooder? (I like the stock tank idea too.)

 

[wsmoak]

ETA: I'm curious what the milk create is for in the brooder? (I like the stock tank idea too.)

The milk crate is just there for the brooder lamp to clamp onto. It's old and heavy enough that it won't tip over, but I still might switch to a concrete block. Paranoid!

The metal stock tank is great and will last pretty much forever, especially if it stays in the house or barn and never gets wet. I prefer the plastic Rubbermaid ones for water anyway.

-Wendy

 

[KBlue]

^^ That's what I thought, but just checking.

 

[eds500]

Subscribed...please post throughout your experience. I'm trying to determine how I can raise FR's in an urban setting. Until then I live vicariously through others.

 

[Life is Good!]

Beautiful chicks!

Our FR's won't arrive until 4/6....so, by then, yours will be 6 wks old! Wow! Keep the pictures up for those of us later (i.e. colder climates) subscribers!

 

[wsmoak]

I got tired of moving the lamp around to try to get the right temperature and brought out the Herpstat I bought for the incubator I plan to build. Now it is happily varying the light intensity to keep the temp right at 94 degrees. (The FR site suggests starting at 95F and reducing it by one degree per day until you reach 70, and this is day two.) Overkill, I'm sure, but it was just sitting around.

I also had to put the waterer up on a piece of 2x6 to keep them from pooping in it every 3.5 seconds. I remember now, water at shoulder height stays cleaner. I do not have them on a medicated feed, but if they keep THAT up I might reconsider.

I still need to build a lid for the stock tank. The cats are normally allowed in this room and one or the other of them keeps getting in and having to be evicted. A screen over the top will provide some peace of mind.

New setup:


-Wendy

 

[wsmoak]

One week old (they're enormous!) starting to get wing and tail feathers:




-Wendy

 

[AAJ]

great. Whats the difference between the red brooder lights and the clear ones?

 

[wsmoak]

At least the red lamp makes it darker in the brooder. I know *I* wouldn't want to sleep under a bright white light! Beyond that I don't have a strong opinion -- it's just what they sell at the feed store, so that's what I bought. I haven't tried raising chicks under white and red lights to see if there's a difference.

Speaking of that lamp, I have it plugged into a Kill-A-Watt device (with the Herpstat in between, controlling it,) and in 112 hours it has used 21.58 KWH. So... less than 5 KWH per day. I'm keeping track of costs just out of curiosity to see what this chicken meat ends up costing per pound.

-Wendy