Look what my neighbor dropped off (pics)

[max13077]

It's very distinct. My hens are about a 1or a 2 on the 0-10 "stinkometer." These guys are an 8 or a 9. And I'm not sensitive at all. My friend, who I'm raising the birds halves with has to come up alone because his wife says she becomes nauseous when she smells it.

 

[blue90292]

Quote:
What is it about this poop that is so bad? The only poop I can't stand is dog, it has an awful smell.

it's the massive quantity that makes it bad. you'll have to clean it every day or else they'll be swimming in it.

 

[hcammack]

with chicken tractors that you move daily its not that bad but I am sure It would be in a coop.

Henry

 

[max13077]

It’s been nice lately cause the weather’s been dry. The poop presents dry themselves up and I can just rake it each day into a five gallon bucket and dump it. When it’s rainy it’s like poopie Pâté.

 

[sara]

Well they will live outside, so hopefully that will help. I learned something new today, i had no idea they had a different poop then other chickens.

 

[dancingbear]

The fast growing meat birds tend to have really smelly wet liquidy poo. LOTS of it. After cleaning up after them for nine weeks, you'll probably be happy to see the end of them. And, they really don't have much personality, and they aren't all that pretty, usually, either. They will let you pick them up, but I think it's mostly that they don't have the wit or energy to avoid you, rather than any sort of fondness for people. They pretty much have a single focus in life, and that is, to eat.

If you keep in mind that most, if not all, of them, if you don't butcher them by about 8 weeks, will soon begin to drop dead of congestive heart failure. So you may as well eat them, they won't be around long anyway.

Happy chicken dinners, they'll be delicious!

 

[sara]

Well these little hogs are growing like crazy, and they do poop a lot. How long do they need a heat lamp on them? I would keep a light on my other babies past when these can be butchered so I'm confused how long they need the heat.

 

[silkiechicken]

Keep heat on them just like you would your layers, but pay close attention to if they are feeling hot or not. I usually run my birds on the cool non spoiled side and take the lights away early as they do generate ALOT of heat on their own. So basically, to keep them at 75, won't take as much external heating from you as would layers.

 

[UncleHoot]

Quote:
Looks like you've had these for a couple weeks now. At 2 weeks old, they should be able to withstand 50 degree temps. So, realistically, you could probably just run the lamps at night.

My last batch that I got in mid July, I moved outside to their portable pen at 2 weeks, but I also checked to be sure that the extended forecast didn't show temps below 60 for the next 3 days.

Mostly, if you go out and they are all huddled together, give them heat! If they are running around having fun and being chickens, then don't worry about it. I've been surprised by how hardy they really are.