I got some meaties today!! How old? pics QUESTION post 12

[wsmoak]

If you look at the pics of my Freedom Rangers, at one week they were starting to get wing and tail feathers and at two weeks they have many more feathers. From that photo, I agree with the 5-7 day old estimate.

-Wendy

 

[jdywntr]

Thanks again everyone. I am going with 7 days when I brought them home. That way I will have a better idea when I can start to process. I moved them outside on Monday. They are doing great. I am limiting their feed 12 on 12 off or as close as my work schedule allows. I can't believe how big they are already.

Questions, I was planning on getting females and there is a lot of sparring going on out there.

Is it only males that will spar?

I had planned on processing some of my original order as game hens. Can I still process them at 4 weeks if they are male?

Thanks.

 

[booker81]

When I had my straight run, they all hopped around and tried to spar - chest bumping, flapping around. They didn't do any damage to each other, and it got them some exercise, and I found it pretty amusing. I think it's just them all attempting to be "chickeny" and making some semblance of a pecking order (though mine -40 of them - didn't really seem to have much luck making an obvious order, they just gave it a whirl and then would rest).

You can process male or female at 4 weeks for game hen size - it's not really "hens" sold, it's more of a weight class. Either gender will do just fine.

 

[jdywntr]

thanks Booker81. Mine do the same thing. Run at each other, jump, bump, lay down. They are funny though. A few were dust bathing today. Others were trying to perch on different things. I'm going to give them so dust bath areas and some things to "perch" on. Just off the ground, I don't want them overdoing it.