my first meaties raising experience-with pictures now 1st post:-)

[PurpleChicken]

I just caught the PC brand pic. LOLOLOL Tooooooo funny.

Just a note on your plucker, it's not a whizbang knockoff. Whizbangs use a big tub. That type of plucker has no name that I know of but I've made a few and they work great for what they cost.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
aww PC you just piddled on my parade! LOL... I knew it wasnt a true wizzbang-we are working on that next Im hoping to have that done by chickenstock Everyone that came over today ( MIL bday party) kept looking at my meaties and asking why there was P..C's on the wings--"Are they shipped like that" "Is that there brand" "Is that how you tell boys vs girls?" pretty funny

 

[sonew123]

Ok another light bulb moment for me! get MY butt in gear and have an secure overnight set up done before arrival of chicks. SO I have predators-lots of them and will get my birds the first chance they see. SO everyday Ive been himming and hawing what to do. I just yesterday put up a huge tarp over tractor for chicks with cement block holding it down. Ok form of protection done. But then at the end of the day I carry all 26 fatties in a wheelbarrel and bring them back to the barn into pens. Im so afraid they will get eaten if left outside. I need to build a stronger more prtective coop/shelter. I see everyone with PVC pipe shelters and the coons and cyotes would rip right through those here:-(... Mn-Friday they are in stackable breeding pens-which isnt so bad because their poopies fall through onto trays and are easy to clean. I just dont like the fact they are penned up all day and just eating until they exploid! I would like them to get a little amount of excercise-flapping wings and running. They were actuallly eating grass and bugs when they were outside. I think by next weekend they wil have outgrown their breeding pens and then they have to be outside:-( Does anyone know of having meaties scuccessfully going into a coop at night all by themselves?? then to be locked up. shoot I might just let these buggers free range with my other bunch-they go in garage at night and then I lock them up..

 

[eKo_birdies]

my cornish X have always put themselves to bed at night in their coops after free ranging.

the first time i ever raised cornish X i didn't know better, and raised them right along w/ the day old layers i had gotten. to date, they were the most active, longest lived, most "normal" cornish Xs i have raised.

ETA by longest lived i mean of the pullets i kept behind.. they lived til right around a year (11 months).

 

[sonew123]

Im deffinately thinking about it now-will the other chickens fend them off for food? I mean It would be so much easier but the mess in the coop at night they would produce would be nasty. I have them 13 and 13 in seperate cages right now and I can see I will further have to seperate into a 3rd cage by the weekend-will their meat taste totally different if I free range them instead of having them in cages and their food plus goodies??? their poop trays are just so easy to clean this way:-(

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
My CX use their size advantage to crowd out any and all competion at the feeders , but they've always been with same age birds . I just provide extra feeder space so everyone can eat at the same time ; its a must do [ IMO ] with CX if you control their diets at all . I use plastic rain gutters ; with the snap-on ends and premade gutter-hangers to screw to a backboard they make economical , light weight , but durable and professional looking feeders I can cut to any length . I use steel hangers made to hang tools on shop walls screwed on the back of the backboard that allow me to hang the feeders on any type of fencing .
As far as free ranging affecting taste ; I have read many reports saying it improoves flavor .

 

[noladq]

Quote:
eKo - would you have done it differently if you had "known better"? I raised my meaties with my laying hens (the two week olds, and after a while, the older hens). I thought it worked great. Did I miss something?

PS - I'm no NoCo too! Took my first to RMPP in Nunn. They did a great job for 3$ each

Five more to go!

PPS - I raised "cornish slow" broilers from Privett and LOVE them. Will get them again next year. I started them in a tractor, but then had a skunk incident so they went into the coop at night. Then they outgrew the tractor so they just went straight into the coop with time free ranging part of the day every day. Weighed between 5 and 8 lbs live weight at 10 weeks. Life got in the way, so slaughtered at 14 weeks. The large ones hadn't changed size much in those four weeks, but the smaller hens were still gaining. I cooked the first one last week. S/he weighed 5 lbs dressed and was delicious!!

No health issues other than a few with "crooky foot"

which I figure is genetic. It didn't keep a single one from running around like a maniac. They also can jump/flap pretty high.

 

[sonew123]

ok folks I am on my second bag of food at 2 1/2 weeks old-and today ---tadah--they are outside free-ranging..all thought they are not going far they are still in the barn with outside to their disposal. Im hoping they will be easy to catch and pick up to pick back at night. For now thats what Ill do-they are getting picked onby the bigger hens and a few got some spankings from me because of it-bad birds! either way they are dust bathing and having a grand time trying to fly around with their bulging butts dragging behind them! Im still waiting on my scale to come to weigh them!

 

[sheaviance1]

Okay, so I am completely new to chickens this year. My laying flock has just gotten started. Hubby and I are planning to do meat birds soon, so I am lurking to learn all that I can. I see that you are one of the more experienced BYCer's on here. I have a ton of questions, but I don't want to hi-jack your thread, so I will ask the one relevant to all that I have learned from reading through your posts. What the heck is a whizbanger??????

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

lol!!!! sonew123 is a wizbanger!!!!

ssonew - aren't the butts hysterical . . . it get worse! You probably didn't see my cost break down but I finally figured mine out at 2.00 per bird per month, I know lots are lower but I'm pretty happy with that and with knowing the #.