Happy now, Greyfields? I broke down & bought meat birds (new Question)

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I wouldn't worry, except provide plenty of shade. Your weather report should give the temperature including wind chill factor, which I would be surprised if it ever got that hot.

In still air scorchers, put ice cubes in their water. They'll just go inactive and hold their wings away from their body on those kinds of days.
 
With the winds in the Gorge you should be fine. I am worried about mine as we don't have the winds you do.

Also be aware that when it is hot it may take a bit longer to grow them out as animals really don't really like eating when it is really hot. They will eat at night though.
 
Dangerouschicken, I just love your life!
To live on a piece of property, gardening, raising animals, growing all your own food -- what a dream!
If you don't mind my asking, how do you sustain it? Support it?
I can't leave the city because my work is here.
What work do you and you husband do that allows you to live the way you do?
 
I am bumping this thread because one of my 2-week-old meat birds can't walk. He is not quite as big as the others, but he's not under-developed either. I seperated him out and placed food and water right next to him. He was really thirsty!

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Dangerouschicken, I just love your life!
To live on a piece of property, gardening, raising animals, growing all your own food -- what a dream!
If you don't mind my asking, how do you sustain it? Support it?
I can't leave the city because my work is here.
What work do you and you husband do that allows you to live the way you do?

God works miracles, that's all I can say
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You see, my husband is lead programmer at his company, and they allow him to work from home. With three toddlers, there is NO WAY we could do any of it if he left the house for work everyday. It just would not be possible. We are constantly thanking God for the lucky lives we lead.

My husband is AMAZING! He does all the cooking and 1/2 the laundry (my half is hanging it on the line and bringing it in). He also does the dishes and helps me with the kids. I do the garden, the animals, and sew stuff. We both do the food preservation. We are a modern couple, I suppose
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2 weeks old huh? Poor chickie. I just found some coming 8 week old cornish x for $8 a piece. I called Mineral Springs and they squeeeeeezed me in for next Thursday which would put them at 8w 5d. Then, I realized that we will be camping until Friday! Arg! Meat chicken plans foiled again! I've got an email into the Borning processor to see if by some wild chance they have an opening, but I doubt it. Oh well
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I would try calling them at Harringtons, I was just there the day before yesterday and they are such a nice family. They are quick and everything looked very clean. I was really happy with them.
 
Dangerouschicken,
I totally know the feeling...
I have 3 kids under 8 and we currently trying for number 4 (keep your
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for me), my husband works two jobs outside the home, while we homeschool the kids, take care of our 60+ animals, grow some of our food, etc. There are some days where I am so frustrated I just mope and cry when I'm alone, like today he worked a double shift at both jobs (he's mailman and a projection manager at a movie theater) so essentially he was up and gone by 5:30am, worked at the mail until 4:00pm today and drove straight to the movie theater 40 minutes away in MA where his shift started at 5pm and he won't get home until about 3:30am tonight
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I miss him sooo much right now. He's an awesome guy too, when he is home he's always helping cleaning, cooking, taking care of the kids, animals, gardening, taking care of our farm, etc.
We have been searching for eons for some way for him to work at home even part time but it's not happening. We just bought our farm 5 months ago and it's a 280 year old colonial farm house and 3 story barn and carriage house on almost 5 acres. It needs alot of work to be brought back to being a working farm but we are plugging away.
Anyway, *HUGS* I totally know the feeling. We give Thanks to God everyday too for what we have. Some days I am so overwhelmed but I just take a deep breath and tell myself that I might just be a tad bit nuts to have taken all this on but I'll live and for the most part I'm having fun and doing my best to raise responsible adults for the future who actually have some farming skills that are all too rare in most parts of the US these days.
Oh dear, I'm rambling again. It's been one of those days...
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I wish I knew what to tell you about your chick. Hopefully someone else chimes in soon, is it still eating and drinking? Here's hoping it pulls through, would hate to lose a perfectly good dinner.
 
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I had that problem, I called him gimpy. I had to put him in a cage by himself inside the tractor with the rest of the birds, but safe from being trampled on. He had his own little water dish and I'd pour feed in front of him several times a day.

You need to be pulling their feed at 7pm and give it back to them at 7am each day or you'll have tons of leg problems.

I had mine butchered at 7 weeks. They averaged 4 lbs. Gimpy and Peewee were a little small and really lowered my average, but all the others were good sized. I cooked up one that 4 lbs, 8 oz and it was way too much for DH and I. I'll have plenty for a casserole now.

Just to warn you, in the 7 weeks I had them, I lost 2 to the heat. keep them cool, on really hot days, I'd put frozen bottles of water around so it would help keep them cool. I shaded them and a few days I put the big fan on them.

I had to drive to the processors and it was 1.5 hours away, I lost 2 more in transit. I'd assume from a heart attack. I lost a couple others from accident and unidentified reasons. And had one condimed by the USDA because it had an infection. So I lost a total of 8 out of my 50. Pretty lousy stats I think. However, I think I can avoid a lot of the problems I had this time, next time. I learned a lot. I'll let you know in Sept
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First thing, Chicken tractor needs an over haul.
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