"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[kuntrygirl]

Thanks for the info! What makes you want to do 50? Is it about the same amount of work doing more?
His main goal is good food in the freezer that will last us awhile. We will be free ranging the majority of the time and FF feed 2-3x's a day. I do fermented feed now and love it. Saves me $ and helps the birds. I'm expecting end cost to be about $7/chicken.

Remember because they eat a lot they poop a lot. Make sure that you can stand up in whatever enclosure you have for easy cleaning and feeding. At about 3-4 weeks I had to run 2 buckets of fermented feed to have enough for it to ferment while still feeding them. I had 50 for that amount of food. You may want to consider more for your next batch. I have become fond of fryer sized ones and stuff them with rice and head cheese (or sausage). They act like they are starving all the time even though they have full crops... Don't let them trick you, they can eat themselves to death. (Lost one that way.) Have lots of water, if they run out they stop growing. They went threw 16-20 gallons a day the last couple of weeks. They will trample each other for food access. I prevented it by making a trough feeder out of a gutter. They free range really well if you let them and mine love dust baths. Good luck and good eating!

How many chickens do you have to feed FF to? When will you process them? At what age?

 

[kuntrygirl]

We are gonna try the CX. I've heard horro stories but then went to get my rabbits and he was free ranging a batch of 100 and those babies were incredible! Meaty monsters that actually moved and ran! Ok ok they skipped and sometimes somersaulted but were still happy and not breaking bones or in a Dog pile of feces. He slaughters at 10 weeks. I'm going to try it. I HAVE to try a batch his way lol

He wanted to try Meyer freedom rangers somethin or other but the realistic grow out time is much longer and I want the deed done sooner the 1st time around, the reviews for the freedom rangers were better in general but the timing was a lil too long for the project on our end.

Now that you mention that, I remember bringing things like toothpaste, playing cards, nail clippers toothbrushes, combs, paperback books, chewing gum, etc. to school and we put together We care packages for the troops during the Vietnam War are, when I was in high school ! I know times have changed and so do needs, but I think we also wrote class letters to troops, telling them how much we appreciated their actions. Boy that brings back old memories, because it was my senior year and some of the soldiers over there were my age! I had pen pals over there for a long time and they really looked forward to the letters. Times change so much, that nobody even writes letters much anymore. All we get are bills and junk mail and an occasional card from the grand kids! Now they have cell phones and video computers!

you will also need heat lamps and lots of bedding, they poop a lot! I tried 50 last year this time with 50 from Meyers and they didn't even grow feathers for months. They sent some new breed with tall pink or orange legs that were very active, but took 4 months to grow out! Worse experience ever raising chickens. I raised the fast growing meaties, before, several times, but these took forever. I will never order from Meyers again!!!  But I must say they were very active and free ranged well, after they grew feathers at 4 months old, but it was February by then.

LOL @ they skipped and sometimes somersaulted

 

[kuntrygirl]

www.houzz.com   Neat website.  I subscribe to the free newsletter.  It has everything from "do it yourself" ideas to decorating ideas, as well as, recipes.  Today's newsletter had an article on "4 Farm Fresh Chicken Coops".  Site might not appeal to all, but has been a source for some great "do it yourself" projects.

Oh, thanks for posting . My kinda website!

 

[CackedNut]

We're gonna do 25 CX free range with organic fermented feed.
Hubby informed me via text while I am at work He's ordering them, Surprise! lol Cook one bully hen and look what happens! Meaties! Nothin compares to home grown organic chicken dinners.
Dang chicken math is even worse now I have friends asking to buy them at slaughter and order extra for them. Whaaaaa? Lol

Where are you getting the CX from? You might have said and I missed it. Originally wanted to do this in the spring, but I am very tempted.

 

[kuntrygirl]

We're gonna do 25 CX free range with organic fermented feed.

Hubby informed me via text while I am at work He's ordering them, Surprise! lol Cook one bully hen and look what happens! Meaties! Nothin compares to home grown organic chicken dinners.

Dang chicken math is even worse now I have friends asking to buy them at slaughter and order extra for them. Whaaaaa? Lol

Where are you getting the CX from?  You might have said and I missed it.  Originally wanted to do this in the spring, but I am very tempted.

So where do others get their broilers and CX's from and how much do you pay for them?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Is anyone into antiques? It could be from having antiques in your home (dishes, pictures, etc.) .

 

[Celie]

We are gonna try the CX. I've heard horro stories but then went to get my rabbits and he was free ranging a batch of 100 and those babies were incredible! Meaty monsters that actually moved and ran! Ok ok they skipped and sometimes somersaulted but were still happy and not breaking bones or in a Dog pile of feces. He slaughters at 10 weeks. I'm going to try it. I HAVE to try a batch his way lol

He wanted to try Meyer freedom rangers somethin or other but the realistic grow out time is much longer and I want the deed done sooner the 1st time around, the reviews for the freedom rangers were better in general but the timing was a lil too long for the project on our end.

These were supposed to be CX! The ones I bought from Ideal and McMurry's grew out quickly and filled out fast. The ones from Meyers were skinny and naked and did not pass up the layers until after 10 weeks of age. These from Meyers, were extremely active and actually foraged(CX don't forage well at all) and might have done better in the spring, because the heat didn't bother them at all, but the cold did, even under heat lamps. I fed FF in troughs and ACV in their water. They were not short and fat like the other CX, I had raised before. They had very tall legs for a meat bird and half were pink and half bright orange. What bothered me, growing them in the fall, was after they shed their baby down, they were very naked for months and stayed skinny until their feathering grew in, then at 4 months they were the size, I usually had at 8 weeks! I don't know what breed Meyers sent me, but now a year later, I still have a few running with the layers and they are very fat and active. I would suggest anyplace, but Meyers for FALL Boilers! I don't know how long Meyer's CX would take to grow out in the Spring, but they would take the heat a lot better than the cold.

 

[foreverlearning]

So where do others get their broilers and CX's from and how much do you pay for them?

I got black broilers from Ideal. They cost less than $1 each and they sent extras. They have CX, Black, and Red broilers. Often they will have a sale on them in the advertisement area so check there first.

 

[kuntrygirl]

http://www.welphatchery.com/2013-Catalog.pdf

Cornish Rock Care
Start your Cornish Rock broiler chicks just as you start any baby chick. Start them on a 20-22% Chick and/or Broiler Starter. Keep them on that ration for the first 4.5 to 5 weeks. At that age, switch them to an 18% Chick Grower. Please make sure you restrict the feed as we outline below! Provide 3 inches of feeder space and 1 inch per chick of watering space.
You will "full feed" your broiler chicks around the clock for the first 5 days of age. At 7:00 p.m. of the 5th day, make sure your broiler chicks are completely out of feed. That means there is positively no feed from 7:00 p.m. of the 5th day of age until 7:00 a.m. the following morning. You want them out of feed for 12 consecutive hours. Water, yes, but no feed for 12 hours. Continue this "minor feed restriction" program, removing the feed every night, until time of slaughter. Failure to follow this feeding program may result in heart attacks. Sudden Death Syndrome or "flip" as it is sometimes called can result because of the very rapid growth of your Welp Broiler Chicks. Following the above restriction outline, religiously, every night commencing the 5th night of their 5th day of age, will reduce the "flip" thing substantially.

 

[kuntrygirl]

So where do others get their broilers and CX's from and how much do you pay for them?

I got black broilers from Ideal. They cost less than $1 each and they sent extras. They have CX, Black, and Red broilers. Often they will have a sale on them in the advertisement area so check there first.

The place that I am getting mine from is unbelieveably cheap, which is why I am getting so many.