Meat birds on DE and sand What if?

[joebryant]

mizauntcathy'shenhouse :

With the meat birds the thick layers of shavings helps keep the breast from getting bruised up. They are breed for huge breast and they grow at such a fast rate, most will not be able to move around a whole lot the last few weeks. The shavings help "cushion" them.
I hope this helps...just some things we learned while our son showed chickens.

That makes me gladder'n ever that we buy ours from the Amish family that raises them. It seems like a BIG job just to keep them alive. Still, (pause/slight shudder) I think I'd like to try it with two.
BTW, do you know how much floor space each Cornish cross should have?​

 

[MissPrissy]

Well, Joe, since you have never raised meat birds you just don't understand. You go ahead and get 25 of them. (Having just a couple meat birds isn't a trail by fire. With just a few I could raise them without a problem with poop or smell. Most of us that raise them raise 50 - 100 - even 200 hundred at a time.) Raise them on your sand and DE. Then come back here in 8 weeks and tell us how the poop mixed though the sand, how the smell was, etc. etc.

We promise not to laugh at your bewilderment. Well, not to laugh too much at your bewilderment.

 

[mizauntcathy'shenhouse]

Joe, I agree with Miss Prissy...didn't realize you were only raising two. We always start with 50 for the show...we end up with maybe 40-30...depending on how many of those little darlins made it! You would be surprised at how many you can loose within the first 24 hours (we have lost anywhere from 0-15 that first day). And of course we cull down to 3 for show. Sometimes after they start growing, there are broken legs, wings, deformaties, heartattacks...due to the excessive growth rate. Cockerels are usually bigger than the pullets. The first year he raised meat chickens he raised them in a 20 x 10 chicken house...the following years he went to a 25 x 25 in case all 50 survived.

I hope this helps.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:

There is no way on this planet that I'd EVER raise 25, let alone more. Seriously though, next spring when it'll be easier to keep two chicks from the start in an outdoor brooder, I'd like to give it a shot just to see if maybe they can live while having to get all of their feed by scratching for it on/in the sand with diatomaceous earth on and mixed in and getting their water from a raised waterer that they have to stand and stretch a little to drink. They might die the first week, butcha never know until you've tried it. Seems like if two could do it in a small space, a larger number of them could/would do in a much larger space. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I sure do love my sand-covered run and don't foresee any problems, YET. Admittedly, I do only have three hens and one rooster and a LOT of sand that might continue to work for years, hopefully, if I keep my hens limited to six.

 

[joebryant]

mizauntcathy'shenhouse :

Joe, I agree with Miss Prissy...didn't realize you were only raising two. We always start with 50 for the show...we end up with maybe 40-30...depending on how many of those little darlins made it! You would be surprised at how many you can loose within the first 24 hours (we have lost anywhere from 0-15 that first day). And of course we cull down to 3 for show. Sometimes after they start growing, there are broken legs, wings, deformaties, heartattacks...due to the excessive growth rate. Cockerels are usually bigger than the pullets. The first year he raised meat chickens he raised them in a 20 x 10 chicken house...the following years he went to a 25 x 25 in case all 50 survived.

I hope this helps.

Oh, my! Well, like I said, you sure made me appreciate the Amish who raised the organically raised Cornish x that Anne bought from the organic market in Bloomington, Indiana. She baked it in the oven (roasting?). It was noticeably different from any chicken that I've eaten in years, lots of especially-delicious meat. Truly, I'd much rather pay $10 for one every week or so than go through what you and Miss Prissy and others describe. Besides, mine will always be fresh, not frozen. Sooooo, if I'm ever in a masochistic mood, I'll order 50, or a 100, or maybe even 200... OMG, there's just no way...​

 

[cjeanean]

Well, after a miserable first three weeks that included maggot filled litter and replacing litter almost every few days, I found an extremely effective way to keep them in their coop without having to change their litter AT ALL. Their feed was taken from them after 12 hours, so they had 12 hours of feed and 12 hours of no feed. I covered the entire floor of the coop with Stall-Dry, which is actually just clay and DE (Hint hint, for all those looking for DE...just make sure it's the stuff with the pic of the chicken on it), as in a good 1/8-1/4 in layer. Then, I put the shavings down. I didnt use the fine shaving, but instead used the larger more chunky shavings. They were let out at 7am to eat, and the door was closed and LOCKED behind them! They were not allowed to go back in till roosting time. All their pooping was done in their run, and it worked WONDERFULLY! After locking them out, I would open the main door to the little makeshift coop and let it stand open all day long to ensure air flow.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Sounds like a great plan, and maybe I could live with that. If "...All of their pooping was done in their run...", what was the run like and how often did you have to clean it out? Thanks
EDIT: I'm wondering now how it'd be to have the coop as you describe, and have the sand/DE in the run.
BTW, please describe your run; is it covered to provide shade and keep it dry?

 

[cjeanean]

Honestly, the coop was just thrown together. It's a 4x16x4 little coop with one end opening up. The run wasn't as big as it should have been, but then again neither were my meat chickens! I did not foresee the need for shade, but because of how the coop sat there was always shade where the shadow of the coop cast onto the ground, which is where the chickens would chill during the hot parts of the day. Didn't lose any of them from the heat, but lost 5 from injuries (piling). Anyways, it worked really well.

The coop, of course, opened into the run with popholes, and in the mornings they ALL freak out and run out of the coop as fast as they can. Their feed and water were in the run, and the coop was only open for their access during the day if it rained. When they all went outside I'd latch the popholes shut, and then just leave the human entry door open all day to let it air out.

Since the run wasn't very big I'd dust the ground with DE on the REALLY hot days, cause it would just start to stink bad. Other than that, it really wasn't noticeable unless you were standing right next to it. If the run is large enough you shouldn't have a problem (as in twice what you would need for normal chickens, AT LEAST). And the normal space requirements for the coop are fine if you keep them out of it during the day.

Let me know if you want any other details

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
I've made a Word document of both of your replies. I'm almost afraid to say it, but, I really think that next spring... OMG... I'm going to say it... I MIGHT build another coop/run similar to what you've described and (tremble) get 25 Corni...
Oh, gee, what have I said?

 

[cjeanean]

BTW, since the coop is so short, I made it so that the fence opened up. Ummmm....I think that's all I can think of....Definately plan for shade, and personally I would order them when it's cooler out so that butchering is done during the early spring, cause it's a pain the the butt to do it during the burning hot summer! 25 birds doesn't seem like much, but it can get to you after a while doing all that plucking. The gutting is very easy, as well as the killing (I posted a vid of how we do it) but the plucking takes a long time! Definately do it with other people to help, or do it over the course of a few days. I'm thinking about ordering some in February (if I can think of where to put them, the makeshift broiler coop I used is currently being changed into a rooster house), and if I get some they'll be from Welp hatchery. I've heard a lot of good things about them, and hopefully I'll be impressed with their birds.

Anyways, good luck, and be sure to stir the litter every day!

ETA: In the vid I posted you can kinda see a little of the setup I used...I'll find it and post it...