Meat bird feed question

[jackiedon]

Quote:
I read the article in Motherearathnews and the cornish x should be much larger at 8 wks old than 2.5 lbs. Mine are at 2 lbs and are almost 4 weeks old.

I have to agree with everyone to put them outside as soon as possible.

jackie

 

[Trollkiller]

I will start building the tractor this weekend. My original plan for a tractor was for layers and was going to have a wire bottom on the coop so that would be secure at night.

After reading that wire will cause problems in the meat birds I am not sure how I am going to handle securing the bottom of the coop.

Possible predators would be cats, dogs, raccoons, hawks, bald eagles, possums, foxes, bears, Florida panthers (doubtful) and an alligator.

I am open to all suggestions.

 

[miss_thenorth]

You could look on Craigslist and loo for an old dog kennel to put them in-- they are movable, but i would take some effort. Jus cover he op wih some chicken wire.

On a side note--my meat birds at 8 weeks were dressed at approx 8 lb.s so live weight would have been around 10-11 lbs.

 

[jaku]

Oh my god- DO NOT keep them inside. I put mine out in a tractor at three weeks because the sour smell is so bad in my garage that I can't hardly stand to go in there. Once outside, it isn't bad. I can't IMAGINE keeping them in your house.... let alone their whole lives. You'd have to burn your house down to ever live in it again.

 

[miss_jayne]

Quote:
Nice tractor!

It's huge! Mine are 2X4 construction, also- but smaller- 4' X 8' by 3' high. They have chicken wire around the sides and top and metal roofing on top. Fishers and weasels are awful clever- if you had them, you'd know it b/c your tractor design wouldn't keep them out. Skunks dig under the edges to get in.

I have a permanent coop for my show birds and had to run electrified netted fencing around the permimeter b/c I just couldn't keep the predators out- coytoes, skunks, weasels and fishers- and I think even a fox. It's amazing what they'll do to find a way in. We just have too many hungry wild animals around here! LOL! The electric sheep fencing works perfectly, though. Once in a while it reeks of skunk spray!

thanks for the compliment!
we do have weasels and mink, skunks etc. no issues. but, if they wanted in, i am sure they would find a way. i just was not paying 200 bucks for the hardware cloth. we did a trial to see. so far, two batches, no predator loss.

next year, we will have 6 tractors inside of my horse paddock which is fenced electrically. thought that would be an added bonus.

 

[miss_jayne]

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run a line of electric wire around the base hooked to a battery. that'll learn 'em! it works great.

 

[burntumber]

Quote:
run a line of electric wire around the base hooked to a battery. that'll learn 'em! it works great.

Hmm- interesting idea. But what about the grass around the base of the tractor? Our grass gets seriously high and dense- it would def. interfere with the charge, I'd think. I'm having trouble picturing keeping the wire from contacting the tractor accidentally at some point. Curious idea, though.

*thinking*

 

[mtnhomechick]

Quote:
I would think a hardware wire bottom would be fine IF you put some straw down on top of it. It will give them warmth and comfort AND absorb some of the wet poo.

I had mine on straw and it helped to be able to rake out the straw and get the poo out that way.

PLEASE....do not keep them in the house. Google Hystoplasmosis ( might be Histo ).

IF you get that dust in your lungs you can get very sick and it can even affect eye sight and cause partial blindness.......similar to macular degeneration. It's no small matter.

I use a mask anytime I clean the coop or run or for any reason have to stir things up. I get baby chicks out of my house as soon as possible. It's not good for your health OR theirs.

Good Luck......Be Safe

Mary