Meyer Broiler Special Grow-a-long?

[DogandPonyShow]

Since I know I wasn't the only one suckered into this special, let's use this as a thread to follow the "same" birds in different locations and feeding plans...

I'm in the CA Bay Area and I'm planning on raising mine on no-soy starter and finisher. It's also organic but that's not my main goal. Brooder for 3 weeks-ish, then tractor, then maybe inside my spare stall depending on weather, etc. Will keep this posted!

 

[SIMZ]

I didn't get mine during the special, but I have around 53 broilers from Meyer that are 3 weeks now. This is my first order from them and I'm curious as to how they'll do.

 

[Wax Myrtle]

Mine also aren't from the special - they're a week old. I have just four, males to fill a box of layers and bantams. Hoping to raise them as large roasters, aiming for early-mid Dec processing. Hope to roast two of them for Christmas.

ATM, they're in the brooder with all the other chicks, everyone is on fermented game starter. In a couple weeks, I plan on putting the broilers in the tractor during the day. They're twice the size of the layers already, but there's loads of space still in the brooder and everyone is still getting along famously.

 

[wsmoak]

(I assume you mean the Surplus Broiler Bargain for the October 9th hatch.) Mine are here!

Brooding *outside* in the heavy duty tractor with paper feed bags underneath to protect the concrete. I'll add more shavings as needed. I usually use a metal stock tank in the sun room, but this is my first batch of Cornish X and as bad as the Freedom Rangers smelled I do *not* want these guys inside. So they're out in one of the covered 'wings' of the garage. That should provide enough fresh air but still keep them out of the weather.



Interior view. 25 healthy happy chicks! They have a heat lamp and behind it you can just see the black cord that is the temperature probe from the Herpstat. I use that to vary the light intensity and keep the temperature where I want it, reducing it each day or so on a schedule until they're ready to go outside without heat.

In this case I'll just flip the wheels down and roll it out onto the lawn!



They are on Purina Flock Raiser (and will be the entire time.)

-Wendy

 

[DogandPonyShow]

Mine are here, too! I think I have 26 if I counted right - one looked like it had a green smudge, so that may be a random freebie. They all made it safely to CA. I have a 3'x4' wooden crate with two heat lamps, since they wanted to pile up too much with just one. You'll be happy that you don't have them inside! What made you choose the Cornish X instead of the Freedom Rangers this time? I raised my last batch start to finish on Flock Raiser, and they did well on it.

 

[wsmoak]

What made you choose the Cornish X instead of the Freedom Rangers this time?

Advertising. I ordered a batch from S&G (they do Red Rangers) back in August but the meat birds didn't survive shipping, only the layers. I decided to just skip it and try again in the Spring. Then somebody here posted the Meyer offer and I went for it. It's a sad thing to look in the chest freezer and see only three or four chickens!

I'm even happier with the outdoor brooder now -- in the late afternoon the sun is low enough to shine under the garage roof onto the 'open' (hardware cloth) end of the tractor, and several of them were down at that end scratching around and sunning themselves. Except for the flies that I'm sure will come, I think we are all going to be very happy with this arrangement.

The green smudge is probably from the little pellets that are in the box under the straw. I'm not sure what they're for -- odor absorbtion maybe? I got exactly 25, they didn't send any extras.

-Wendy

 

[Lora Indy]

I picked up my batch of 25 this morning - except there were only 24 in the box and one of those was DOA.

This is my first time raising broilers. I had been put off by the descriptions of the smell and nasty poop plus their problems with heat. After reading about fermented feed I decided to give it a try. Our weather has cooled , flies are almost gone and there is too much space in the freezer!

So my plan is to use fermented chick starter (20% protein) till the 50 pounds are gone then 18% flock raiser for the rest.They have save a chick probiotics in their water. They will be out in a 25 X 60 ft yard as much as the weather permits with nights spent in a pen in the barn. We have too may predators to allow for true free ranging.

I hope I can keep a cockerel alive long enough to breed on some BO pullets this spring. I prefer the flavor and texture of the dp birds but they are sooo slow to make a decent table bird. If I could split the difference between the two my family would be mighty happy.

Lora

 

[Celie]

I received 52 yesterday, with 1 dead and 1 died shortly after they arrived. I took advantage of the Meyer's special surplus broiler special and got all females except for 1 male. I would have rather males, since the feed ratio is a lot better,or straight run, but will be having to raise them until about 12 to 14 weeks to get a large roaster chicken, from the females.

I have about 20 Easter Eggers and 60 brown egg duel purpose, I hatched out for a friend, right now, in the brooder room ( a 3rd bathroom we aren't using) that is equipped with an electric oil heater that is set at 90 degrees and will be lowered 5 degrees every few days, until they can go outside to their 10x10 pen in the barn. Because these meat birds are messy, we also put a dehumidifier in the room to keep things dry. There are 3 feeders and several waterers, so they will have lots to eat and plenty of fresh clean water, for the first 3 weeks. About that time they should be able to go outside in the barn, without any heat here in Southern Louisiana, I was feeding the other birds starter crumbles, so that is what these will be getting until I use up the 50 pound bag. After they go outside they will get FF and BOSS like the Holland white turkeys and the constant supply of extra roosters, we always seem to have get. It is a large barn that all of the birds are closed up in at night, as all of my flocks are free range.

It seams like there are as many ideas as there are people raising these surplus birds, so we sure will be able to see all the dos and don'ts on this project. Ideal Poultry sent me an Email yesterday that they have black broilers and red broilers on special, if anyone is interested? Boy that would be a whole different slant on things if anyone wanted to try both types.

I bought both red and black broilers last spring and did terrible with them.

I think we got maybe a half dozen out of 50. They were too dumb to eat or find their way back home when they wondered off a bit.
Just remember, these chickens are eating machines and will eat themselves to DEATH, so after 3 weeks, restrict their feed to 12 hours a day, or they will have leg and heart trouble as they get fatter and fatter! Good luck, everyone!!

 

[Lora Indy]

Hi y'all,
The one week update

All are growing well, some too well!
There is 1 smaller chick at just a bit over 3 oz. It is the most active and has the most advanced feathering. On the other end of the spectrum is the 6oz monster sized chick that already has trouble walking. It has started waddling for a few steps the drops down and scootches along on it's hocks.
Most of the chicks weight 4.75-5.25oz.That is more than I wanted them to weigh so tomorrows ff drops to 18% protein.

So far, they aren't stinking. I add a few handfuls of shavings several times a day and tomorrow is clean out day. They do produce an Enormous amount of poop! The poop is much more solid than when they first got here but not the same as a "normal" chicken. They also drink quite a bit.

 

[wsmoak]

Looks like they have another Surplus Broiler Special for next week's hatch if anyone else wants in on the fun.

I lost three chicks in the first couple of days, but so far everyone else looks fine.

They are still in the 'cute little yellow chick' phase, but I know that's going to change shortly!



-Wendy