"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[kuntrygirl]

 

No.. This chick was weak from the start. However, I bought 6 chicks from tractor supply this year and 2 of them have died. No signs of anything being wrong. Just finding them dead. All were eating, drinking and acting fine, then just died. It was very weird.

I bought 8 bantams and 5 died just the same as yours. No symptoms or anything.

Unfortunately, many of us have bought from TSC this year and had the same thing happen. A few of us have also had losses from fully feathered chicks that were introduced to the TSC chicks with no symptoms as well. I have a thread asking for help and had 3 moderators respond saying they have no clue what has happened and advised to get a necropsy done to find out. I am not allowing the TSC chicks anywhere near my regular flock until I find out and already separated them from the other chicks that I have because they no longer want anything to do with the TSC chicks and I lost a very good polish.

I wonder if the Opelousas TSC is having the same problems. I wanted to get some broilers and pullets from them but I"m scared. :/

 

[LemonMeringue]

How can I be so lucky to have 5 male lamb born !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????????

I am cursed !!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a shame they have an appointment with the butcher. What am I supposed to do with 5 RAMS !!!!!!??????????

My condolences! If they might be good breeding stock maybe you could sell them as such. Or sell them for people to just grow out and put into their freezer.

How many more babies are coming?

 

[LindaB220]

Morning all, today is very good for me. I took a leap of faith and listened to Beekissed on heating the storeroom last night. She said only the brooder lamp. Her 3 day old CX's stayed overnight in a hoop house with 14 degree weather. Did fine. Sooooo, this morning I crept up to the door, no noise, nothing. I opened and heard a small cheep. When I took the cardboard off the top they were all sitting around fine. Ready for breakfast. It was 76 degrees and 2 hrs later had warmed up to 83. They did great. Nice to know. No more loud chirps.

 

[LemonMeringue]

Unfortunately, many of us have bought from TSC this year and had the same thing happen. A few of us have also had losses from fully feathered chicks that were introduced to the TSC chicks with no symptoms as well. I have a thread asking for help and had 3 moderators respond saying they have no clue what has happened and advised to get a necropsy done to find out. I am not allowing the TSC chicks anywhere near my regular flock until I find out and already separated them from the other chicks that I have because they no longer want anything to do with the TSC chicks and I lost a very good polish.

I have been watching these posts about people loosing their babies from TSC. What hatchery do they buy from in this state? I am really sorry for you having to go through this! Are you going to have a necropsy done! If so, where?

I had considered buying some from there a couple of weeks ago and now I am SO, SO glad that I didn't!

 

[foreverlearning]

So that's how they do it. Got it. Thanks. I hope that the employee didn't get in trouble.

With a manager like that it will most likely result in "just look a little closer next time". Everyone makes mistakes sometimes and you expect it, a good employee is worth more then worrying about a little mistake. All sale losses are written off on taxes so it really isn't a loss.

I wonder if the Opelousas TSC is having the same problems. I wanted to get some broilers and pullets from them but I"m scared.

I haven't heard anyone report from there but I have heard reports from several other TSC's in the state. Be careful if you do buy them from there and keep them separate from the rest of your flocks just to make sure. I had one lost in the brooder but that was within the first 24 hours so it could have been failure to thrive. The rest were fully feathered and showed no symptoms. One of them was running to me for pets and just dropped mid run. I don't know what is happening so I couldn't even begin to tell you how to prevent it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

It seemed like it too FOREVER!!!!!! They had bald spots all over. Looked like they had Alopecia Hair Loss. Seems like it took mine a good 8 weeks to get all of their feathers. Besides slow growing (weight), they were slow to feather up. It was depressing. I think this has been the WORST farm project in all my life of having farm animals. But it won't stop me from getting another smaller batch. I still want to try about 25 again to see how fast and big they grow.


How are yours coming along all together? Will you try raising them again in the future?

I was thinking of the quick growing Cornish.  I had read some time back, somewhere here on byc about you keeping a couple of the quick growers for a longer time.  Seems like I saw a pic of 3 hens maybe?  Anyway they looked feathered and I was just curious how long that type took to feather out.

I hope you do get the chance to try a batch of the quick growers.  They are a good deal of work to keep clean, but its worth it for the amount of meat they put in the freezer.

Mine are doing good.  They have been raised with the other chicks (minus the White Plymouth Rocks).  I only have 6 and they all were supposed to be hens, but I think one is a roo.  They are pretty friendly and love to come and get a tummy/chest rub.  They are 5 weeks now and growing pretty good. I'm not pushing them too hard though.

IF (that's a big IF) one of the hens were to survive and last to an early breeding age I am considering trying to slip a bit of those genetics into our meat breeders.   I have read where other people have done it and I think it would really help.  While it would be nice, I'm not counting on it.

Yes, I had a total of 6 Cornish that lived 4 years. When my cousin bought them to me, they were already feathered. He had purchased them from some country store in Kinder. So, I"m not sure how long it took them to feather out.

I would like to try to get the fast growers just as an another experiment. The only problem with the fast growers and them being so big is that (and I just learned this) it's too much meat for me. I have found that my 2 and 3 lb broilers are exactly enough if not more than enough meat for me. I mentioned on my 100 broiler thread that I am surprised that everyone that wants to purchase the processed broilers only want the 2 lb and 3 lb broilers. They do not want a large bird. The customers are either single people or they have small families. At first I didn't understand why they wanted the smaller sizes but now I do. They also said a smaller bird in more tender and juicer. And everyone is requesting skinless. And that works for me because I don't have to use the chicken plucker. One slit to the skin and the skin pulls off like a sweater.

I cooked a 3 lb skinless broiler on Sunday and I swear that meat looked like it kept stretching for days and days. LOL I ate on that bird twice a day for 3 days. :/ Soooooooo, that tells me I can only handle a 2 lb bird. For the 3 lb birds, I have to cut them in half and freeze them that way instead of cooking the entire bird. Anything bigger than 3 lbs cooked whole would be a waste. If my family or other company is coming over, I can take out a 3 pounder and cook that for others.

I'm thinking that if I get the fast growing broilers, I won't have to keep them for 8 weeks. I may be able to process at 4 weeks or when they get to be 3 lbs. That will save me a lot of feed.

My 3 lb skinless broiler minus a day of eating on it. I think this was Day 2. :/

You mentioned roos. My roos where the biggest which was a good thing.

That's a great idea for any of your hens to live where you can get the gene into your pool. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Keep us posted on your meaties.

 

[foreverlearning]

I have been watching these posts about people loosing their babies from TSC. What hatchery do they buy from in this state? I am really sorry for you having to go through this! Are you going to have a necropsy done! If so, where?

I had considered buying some from there a couple of weeks ago and now I am SO, SO glad that I didn't!

I haven't been able to get an answer as to what hatchery they are using yet. I keep getting blank stares from them. My TSC is in a change of management right now from a piss poor manager to a cashier that doesn't know the job yet. I would love to have a necropsy done so I could know if they pose a risk to my regular flock but haven't been able to find where to get one done yet. If it is something that passes threw the egg then they are useless to me for breeding stock but I could keep them across the pasture from my regular flock for eggs. If it is something that can transfer further then the pen they are in I may have to cull if there isn't a way to treat them. So far I have no plans to mix them with my layer flock for fear that something will happen to my big girls.

 

[PSJ]

At what age do ducks usually feather out?

 

[LemonMeringue]

I haven't been able to get an answer as to what hatchery they are using yet. I keep getting blank stares from them. My TSC is in a change of management right now from a piss poor manager to a cashier that doesn't know the job yet. I would love to have a necropsy done so I could know if they pose a risk to my regular flock but haven't been able to find where to get one done yet. If it is something that passes threw the egg then they are useless to me for breeding stock but I could keep them across the pasture from my regular flock for eggs. If it is something that can transfer further then the pen they are in I may have to cull if there isn't a way to treat them. So far I have no plans to mix them with my layer flock for fear that something will happen to my big girls.

What an ordeal! I wonder if LSU ag people could help with finding someone to do the necropsy.

 

[CackedNut]

Quote:
Porn? (hiding under chair) Come on...made you laugh!!!