Meat Bird Burnout...

[PineBurrowPeeps]

My Cornish X chicks are about 3 1/2 weeks old right now and I have hit a bit of burnout with caring for them. I go above and beyond taking care of them, spending an hour and a half on them alone I have calculated, per day, cleaning their brooders out 3 times a day, refilling water three times a day, making sure they have food all day, etc. They are very healthy, immaculate, bright white, shiny eyes and feathers coming in, I know I'm doing something right. I'm just getting a little tired.
I'm just sick of the brooder stage and I want to move on. Almost halfway to the freezer though! Can't wait!

 

[enola]

Be careful keeping feed in front of them all the time. They can develop leg problems from too much feed. They have also been known to have heart attacks from gaining too much weight.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Thanks. I don't keep feed in front of them all the time, 12 hours on 12 hours off.
I raised a batch last year and had some going strong to the point of lay and I had a Roo get to 21 pounds and he ran, jumped, tried to fly.
I have a good system down, I'm just in a slump.

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

I'm just sick of the brooder stage and I want to move on.

Now you can appreciate/understand us farmers that do it for a living.

That take care of hundreds or thousands of birds a year. Yes it can be tiring, but at the end you'll be happy that you grew your own food. Growing healthy food is HARD WORK and with that said now you can help explain to others you meet that say buying local small farmer foods is expensive, you can help teach them how much work goes into it and what the costs are. Then paying 3 dollars a lb doesn't sound so bad.​

 

[jaku]

Quote:
Wow, I don't blame you for being sick of it! You could always put them outside at this point- not sure where you're living, but I put my three week olds outside last fall with below freezing nights. I put a heat lamp in the tractor on an extension cord, and they all did fine. How small is your brooder that you clean it 3 times per day?!?! I do a deep litter method with mine- I put about 8-10 inches of chips under them, then stir it up a couple times a day, sprinkle more on top every now and then, and change the litter only a couple times in the three weeks. You might want to think about a bigger waterer too. Just a couple of thoughts. Weren't you the one brooding in your house? If so, how's that going??

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Yeah I agree with Jaku, use a deep litter method if you can. I think you said these were in your house? Ufourtanatly cleaning the brooder 3 times a day is the only way to go if you don't want your house turning into a chicken coop.

But if you have an outbuilding I do the same thing.... clean the building throw down about a foot of bedding. Feed, water, and stir bedding once a day. I check on them 2-3 times a day but that is me sticking my head in to make sure they aren't too hot... or they didn't get into any trouble.

If you have the right feeders and waters it makes it easy. When they hit the two week mark it makes it even easier to clean up after them as they are in the tractor pens. But in your case I see why you rant.... Hang in there your almost done.

 

[enola]

If you are still burned out today, I have a solution !!

Send them to me !!

 

[ScoobyRoo]

Hang in there. The end will be here before you know it.

 

[MissPrissy]

On warmish days put them out on the ground if you can. They will do better then you think as long as the sun is shining and there is a wind break for them. This week coming is to be warmer here (28 this morning!) up in the 60's. If you are getting that warm there with them don't break your back to clean the brooders so much. Clean it in the morning, put them out into the sunshine and bring them in late evening. They will also begin to flourish more in the sunshine and eat grass and napping makes them happy. Cleaning the brooder less often will make you happier too and will get you over this hump.

If you don't have a outdoor brooder for them use PVC and make a cube and cover it with chicken wire. It took me about an hour to make mine and I keep young chicks on the ground fairly early using it.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Quote:
*Hugs* Thanks MP. It looks like I'll be doing two more batches of 100 of these this year so this is just the tip of the iceberg. My husband is in the process of building them a temp. pen outside, we have alot of animals moving around right now. I have all of my layers chickens and ducks in my garage with a run off of that while we revamp and work on the coops and multiply the exsisting run 6 times over... Once we finish that (Monday or Tuesday, it's nearly done), the layers and ducks will move back into their coop and these meaties will get out of my dining room and into the garage to finish brooding. That will be nice!

I originally only planned to keep these guys in my dining room for 1 week, now their 3 1/2 weeks and still in here! Thus the burn-out. We just haven't been able to get the shifting around and building done soon enough. Thankfully it'll be over soon.

I do clean the brooder A LOT because they are in my house. If they weren't I wouldn't be nearly as diligent but I have had alot of visitors to the farm in the last month and I can't have my house smelling like chicken so I have to always be on top of it.
I am trying to find some big water troughs to brood chicks in, in the basement in the future!
I just don't know that I can justify buying them brand new for that so I am trying to find someone selling them used.
Right now I have these guys seperated into 4 rubbermaid tubs. It's not pretty but it works!
They are using the classic one gallon waterers which I don't mind. The thing I hate are the feeders! Those red ones with the snap on lids and all the holes for eating? I am ditching those and buying new bigger feeders today when I run to TSC.