Got my meaties today

[LilyD]

So they arrived today. I ended up with 51 Freedom Rangers. They have been started on fermented feed as of this morning and are all doing well. We had a little glitch with the brooder since the rabbit cage holes were big enough the chicks could squeeze out so my son and I made a new brooder for them and it turned out really well. We used an extra large dog crate with both halves taken apart and zip tied together and then with fencing on top as a cover. It turned out rather well and the chicks are all happily munching away in there.

Next Wed I am going to get 25 Silver Gray Dorking Roosters so that will make 76 total so far for this year. A pretty good start I think.

 

[BCMaraniac]

So they arrived today. I ended up with 51 Freedom Rangers. They have been started on fermented feed as of this morning and are all doing well. We had a little glitch with the brooder since the rabbit cage holes were big enough the chicks could squeeze out so my son and I made a new brooder for them and it turned out really well. We used an extra large dog crate with both halves taken apart and zip tied together and then with fencing on top as a cover. It turned out rather well and the chicks are all happily munching away in there.

Next Wed I am going to get 25 Silver Gray Dorking Roosters so that will make 76 total so far for this year. A pretty good start I think.

Congrats! As Clint Eastwood said in his move "Heartbreak Ridge", you "improvised, adapted, overcame" your issue with the brooder. Good Job!!!

 

[LilyD]

Day 1: We have done 24 hours with the fermented feeds and here's what I have noticed both good and bad.

First, there is not a pasty butt in the house. Usually for the first week of chick life once they get here I am washing butts every day. So far no one needs it.

Second observation, these chicks are absolutely crazy about the fermented feed and will eat it with gusto like the fuzzy little velociraptors that they are. The feed itself tends to compress in the pan and so I find that part way through I need to stir it to make it release from the feeders a little bit. Once I do they go right back at it and usually it's all gone by evening feeding.

Third, about the chicks themselves I have noticed that the FR chicks are highly reactive. When I walk through the barn even if I am not going to the brooder they run around scared in the brooder. Hopefully as I play with them more they will settle down.

I will do a weigh in for everyone at 1 week old.

A note on my Dorking chicks. I just heard from the hatchery and they were only able to ship 21 not the 25 I ordered. The chicks should be here Monday. So I got one more FR chick than I ordered and will get 4 less Dorking chicks than I ordered. Maybe it will balance out. The dorking chicks will be added to the same brooder with the FR chicks and will be eating the same diet. We will start the weigh in for them the following Monday.

At least we will get all the problems out of the way in the beginning and then we can move forward with gusto.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Day 1: We have done 24 hours with the fermented feeds and here's what I have noticed both good and bad.

First, there is not a pasty butt in the house. Usually for the first week of chick life once they get here I am washing butts every day. So far no one needs it.

Second observation, these chicks are absolutely crazy about the fermented feed and will eat it with gusto like the fuzzy little velociraptors that they are. The feed itself tends to compress in the pan and so I find that part way through I need to stir it to make it release from the feeders a little bit. Once I do they go right back at it and usually it's all gone by evening feeding.

Third, about the chicks themselves I have noticed that the FR chicks are highly reactive. When I walk through the barn even if I am not going to the brooder they run around scared in the brooder. Hopefully as I play with them more they will settle down.

Good to hear about the fermented feed. My Red Rangers are coming Monday or Tuesday, and I will be using FF for the first time with these chicks. It will be interesting to see if the quantity of feed needed is reduced. I plan to transition the remainder of my flock to FF over the next 2-3 weeks.

 

[LilyD]

Good to hear about the fermented feed. My Red Rangers are coming Monday or Tuesday, and I will be using FF for the first time with these chicks. It will be interesting to see if the quantity of feed needed is reduced. I plan to transition the remainder of my flock to FF over the next 2-3 weeks.

BCMaraniac~ I definitely overfed them the first few times that I fed them. I am still trying to figure out exactly the right amount so they all get food and all the food gets eaten. I would also suggest to drain the FF very thoroughly or it acts kind of like quick sand for any chicks that get into it. They definitely like it though and act like they are in a feeding frenzy while eating it. I can't wait until they are a little older though so I can get them out on grass and give them more room. They have a pretty good sized brooder but it seems like they could still use more space. I found another used extra large dog kennel and am going to get it on Wednesday and it will be another brooder. Pretty soon I will have things set up so that I won't need to take apart brooders when not in use.

My other layer birds are all on a whole grain fermented feed with meal worms and sunflower for extra protein. They really seem to be doing well on it. My almost 10 week old chicks out in the grow out coop started eating the whole grains ground up a bit and love it. They actually would turn down the pelleted organic chick starter in favor for the fermented feed. This is my first batch of chicks on the fermented feed straight through from beginning to end so I hope they grow well on it.

 

[LilyD]

Okay today is the morning of day 3 and I think I have the consistency of FF down now. Before I was making it too sloppy but now it's a little bit drier and works better. They are finishing off the feed by the following feeding and already seem to be growing. I can't wait for the weigh in for week one.