Meat birds in the "Winter"?

[ssramage]

I live in Southeast coastal GA. I've had an interest in doing some meat birds in a tractor around our 1.5 acre yard to add some meat production and help with ticks. Our winters rarely get below 40 degrees (maybe 30 on a rare occasion), but our summers are 95+.

Any concerns with starting a flock over the winter given the temps? I would assume it would be better to do in the cooler months here vs the hot?

 

[RUNuts]

I live in Southeast coastal GA. I've had an interest in doing some meat birds in a tractor around our 1.5 acre yard to add some meat production and help with ticks. Our winters rarely get below 40 degrees (maybe 30 on a rare occasion), but our summers are 95+.

Any concerns with starting a flock over the winter given the temps? I would assume it would be better to do in the cooler months here vs the hot?

From coastal Texas and I've pondered this also. Keep the chicks warm until feathered out. That may mean 4 weeks in the brooder and that is half the time until harvest. I will put mine out after 2 weeks, weather permitting. I'm guessing you are talking CX and not a red ranger type.

Keep them dry. Wet and cold is a double whammy that you don't worry about in the summer.

If the tractor will keep them dry (yard doesn't flood) and you can provide supplemental warmth for 4 weeks, I would try it. Have you sourced your chicks? Getting them through the mail should be done before it gets too cold and the holiday mail slows the delivery down.

Best wishes!

 

[3KillerBs]

My worry about winter meat birds here in central NC is that there won't be anything growing for them to forage so they won't get the benefit of green stuff and bugs. I don't have the experience yet, but was thinking spring and fall rather than actual winter.

Do you have growing greenery all winter in your area?

 

[iwltfum]

I think they would be fine given those temps, as long as your brooder is warm enough, they are perfectly fine to be out in light winter weather once they're feathered out.

As far as ticks go, you will probably not see a huge benefit from the chickens since you will be running them in tractors. They basically can only affect the tick population in the area(s) they have access to. We never saw a drop in ticks on our farm until we started completely free ranging our laying hens. We had been raising meat birds in the pasture for several years and layers in a rotating fenced area, but it wasn't until we let the laying hens out, and then bam, there were zero ticks. So it does work, but maybe not in the way you are hoping.

Another factor to consider is daylight. December 22 being the shortest day of the year, it will take longer for broilers to grow out during the winter simply due to the number of hours of daylight in a day. They will have less time to eat, but they will be colder so that will cause them to eat more in order to get the necessary calories to keep warm. I would anticipate a slightly longer grow out and a slightly reduced feed conversion rate, but it might be worth it for you since your summers are so hot. That can cause similar issues.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Even with Georgia winter temps, summer would be better for a few reasons.
1. Healthy grass forage lowers feed costs
2. Poop composts quickly within the fast growing grass of the pasture while the tractor moves.
3. Bugs help with calcium and lower feed costs
4. No issue with wet+cold=dead equation.