Letting my broody raise 20 meaties. Now I have a rooster raising 50 CX chicks~new batch!

[Wolfwoman]

Mine don't get much rest here at night with 20 hours of daylight...LOL Even with the run tarped completely at night it's still pretty light in there.

Oh well!

 

[mrsp523]

Is that near Chugiak by any chance? You must have to keep the little darling warmed up in the winter!

 

[Wolfwoman]

Nope, I am 76 miles from Anchorage. We will see what happens this winter, the meaties will all be butchered before then, I think October is when my last ones will go to freezer camp. My hens have a nice indoor coop and should be fine

 

[vatterpa]

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Does that mean you get lots of eggs?

 

[Wolfwoman]

I don't get ANY eggs yet.....lol All my birds are .... let's see, the oldest one is I think 9 weekd old.

 

[vatterpa]

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oh....

lol

 

[Beekissed]

My meaties are reaching the 8 week mark this week, so I thought I would post a few pics of this rainy day. They are nearly the same size as my 2 yr. old roo and hens now and are thriving well with no health problems noted. They still free range a large portion of the day but I notice they lie down in the grass quite often....more so than any of my regular flock.

They are still being fed once a day in the evening. I'm amazed at the density of their bodies, as they are heavier than a fatter, older hen when picked up. This could be why their legs are splayed and their feet and legs are so enormous and out of proportion to their bodies? Their feet are larger than my roo's feet!!!

I'd like to butcher at the 12 week age if I can stand the smell for that long.....

I may do it at 10 weeks if we get warmer weather here.

I would say these birds are probably a bit smaller than other meaty birds at the same age due to the difference in feed and the amounts they are allowed to eat. Couple that with the fact that these birds get plenty of exercise and burn some of their fat. I'm hoping this makes for a nice lean bird with plenty of muscle development.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Here's a couple of Sexlink roos that are the same age at the meaties... I think not quite 7 weeks in this pic.

The girls outside in the new coop... I think with the next batch I get I'm going to have to make another run for them....

 

[Beekissed]

I think with the next batch I get I'm going to have to make another run for them....

Wolf, why is that? Are you going to get a bigger quantity next time? Thanks for posting pics of your meaties....it helps me get an idea of what size mine should be at this age!

 

[Wolfwoman]

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Wolf, why is that? Are you going to get a bigger quantity next time? Thanks for posting pics of your meaties....it helps me get an idea of what size mine should be at this age!

Yes, I will have 25 this next batch. There are 14 in this one now and it SEEMS crowded to me, tho they aren't fussing or fighting, they're just so dang BIG it looks like they need more room! lol