Meaties in winter

[EngeFamilyFarms]

Anybody have experience raising meaties in the cold? We live in Michigan, when can they be moved outdoors with no heat? Will they have to be raised indoors?

 

[Mrs. K]

Last year, I had mine out of the garage by week 2 without heat but with insulated shelter as in a wooly hen. They did fine, we were running temperatures in the 20's high teens at night, 30-low 50's during the days. They make a lot of heat, but eat and poop a cooresponding amount, my dh would not tolerate them in the house.

good luck

Mrs K
added note: We are semi arid here, very low humidity

 

[EngeFamilyFarms]

Last year, I had mine out of the garage by week 2 without heat but with insulated shelter as in a wooly hen. They did fine, we were running temperatures in the 20's high teens at night, 30-low 50's during the days. They make a lot of heat, but eat and poop a cooresponding amount, my dh would not tolerate them in the house.

good luck

Mrs K
added note: We are semi arid here, very low humidity

Thank you for the info! How much longer did they take to reach butcher weight? How much extra food did they consume?

 

[aart]

Can you even get CX this time of year?
Or maybe you are talking about the 'meaties'?
You'll need to give them heat for how ever long they need it,
no guesstimates-go by behavior.

They did fine, we were running temperatures in the 20's high teens at night, 30-low 50's during the days. They make a lot of heat, but eat and poop a cooresponding amount, my dh would not tolerate them in the house.

What months? CX?

 

[Mrs. K]

I got them mid of March, and butchered at 8-9 weeks. But AArt is right, you do need to watch them, not just take advice here. They need to be active and eating and moving, and if they are peeping non-stop, they are too cold. I glued a pillow into a box, so that the pillow was held a bit above the ground, and they crawled in under, like under a bird, and would sleep at night without added heat in a garage for a week.

I put them out during the day, with very good wind protection, and brought them in at night for two days, then went with it.

good luck,
Mrs k

ps, I would STRONGLY recommend not brooding these birds in your house. What a mess and really not healthy for the birds. If you are going to do that, you may as well just buy chicken in the store.

 

[EngeFamilyFarms]

Thanks for the great advice. I am planning on brooding then in our pole barn for a week or two. What age will they be ok to be outside with no heat?

 

[aart]

What age will they be ok to be outside with no heat?

You'll need to give them heat for how ever long they need it, no guesstimates-go by behavior.

 

[RUNuts]

Thanks for the great advice. I am planning on brooding then in our pole barn for a week or two. What age will they be ok to be outside with no heat?

like Aart says (she is wicked smart), depends on the weather, the chickens, the weather, chicken genetics, the weather and phase of the moon .

Listen to your chickens and develop your chicken-speak. (I found out this is where the interwebs won't help you. Guide you, yes. Tell you what to expect, but not when to expect.) Good luck, best wishes & Happy New Year!

 

[Mrs. K]

However, they eat and produce a great deal of body heat, and grow at hardly a believable rate, so that they were much stronger than the layer chicks that I got at the same time. Mine were without heat by the end of week two.

 

[RoosterML]

Thanks for the great advice. I am planning on brooding then in our pole barn for a week or two. What age will they be ok to be outside with no heat?

If this is your first go at it, I would not have winter be your first time raising meat birds. Cost is increased due to extra heating time and I wouldn't bring them outside in a Michigan winter which puts you to rasing them inside which i also wouldn't do. Stinky, dirty and did I mention stinky when done indoors. Your just increasing the work load growing them out inside taking to fun out of it BUT to each his own.
Good luck either way.