Lots of questions

[nkpav]

Last year after our 4-H Fair I convinced my parents to let me take home to meat chicks, which eventually turned into a coop and 4 layers in our yard. I will be showing these 4 hens along with a pen of meat chickens at fair this year. I am hatching these chicks myself actually. At my high school seniors get to leave school 2 weeks early to do an exploration project. I am hatching meat chicks and building a coop for them. My plan is to hatch some for 4-H for myself and others, and then some to donate to a local foodbank. I wanted to raise 20 through, but my parents are limiting me to 15. I am planning on then choosing the best four show birds to make up my pen of chickens. My questions are regarding raising a large group of meat chickens.
-I am planning on designing and building a PVC coop, do I have to move it? If so how often?
-How long can I keep them in a brooder in our garage? I was planning on doing a kiddie swimming pool just do to the larger number of chicks.
- What is the best feed, and how much of it am I going to need? We use Dumour feed. Is that the most cost effective?
- Any other tips and tricks for a winning meat pen are welcomed!

 

[Odelia]

First of all what breed are you raising? The assumption is Cornish cross, if you are raising something else that matters. Also food banks are not going to take live birds. Do you have a place to have them butchered for the food bank? Who is paying the butchering costs? They are not going to take birds you butchered yourself. If you build movable pens then it is best to rotate it to fresh grass daily. That way they are not sitting in their poop. It also gives them fresh grass to eat and they won't kill the grass they are on. Now do you put chemicals on your grass? If so what?

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and If you really want to take meat chickens to the fair, my suggestion would be to purchase Cornish Cross chicks. You can start them on a medicated chick starter priced around $13-15. Cornish Cross will be ready to go to fair in 8-10 weeks depending on how much feed is given, so plan accordingly. You don't want to get them too early or too late for your fair. Portable pens are ok but not necessary for meat birds because you don't have them that long. As far as keeping them in the garage, one to two weeks is all you will be able to stand because of the smell. When choosing a meat bird you should pick the birds that have the widest and longest breast and please keep them clean, no judge wants to handle a bird that is dirty. Good luck

 

[nkpav]

I am doing Cornish crosses. We have a certain processor that a local food bank has approved of. All of our birds from our fair that are not picked up from the auction are then donated there after going to this specific processor. Our yard is one giant hill, except or where we have our one coop and the back corner of the yard. The back corner of the yard is mulched with wood shavings, but the mulch could easily be removed.