- Feb 24, 2008
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Hi all...
I know that there has been a lot of conversation about the Red Bro broilers and I thought I would share the photos of mine now that they are out of the brooder and in their day ranging pasture. Mine came from JM Hatchery. They are 4 weeks old in these photos. (The color is a bit iffy on some of them, as it was close to sundown and I was taking them with my cell phone. They are not as yellow as the first picture and not quite as deep red as the hoophouse photo. The other three are somewhat closer to their true color of most of them, though there is some variation with a few of the birds on the blonder/yellow side and several of them in the deep red category.) I have to say that it is an absolute pleasure to have 'pretty' broilers -- complete with feathers -- for my customers to see!
I have been very impressed with them in terms of hardiness and foraging ability. It has been lots of fun to watch them on pasture the past few days. No leg problems, growing well and very healthy and active. As you will see from the photos below, they look like they will have nice full breasts and wonderfully meaty legs and thighs.
Mine live in an open air hoophouse in an 80x20 electronetted pasture. Those trees that you see in the background are home to several foxes, but thanks to the electronetting, I have yet to lose a bird to predation (except the occasional wayward layer who decides to venture outside the "friendly confines" -- but none of the broilers have ventured that far yet) and my birds have a wonderful life as you can see from the photos -- ranging, foraging and getting to be chickens. My border collie likes to 'patrol' the perimeter (I think it frustrates him that they don't like to stay in a flock), which I think has also encouraged the chicks to opt to stay inside the fence rather than to venture out into "Fox Heaven".
You will notice a blue tarp on the back of the hoophouse in this photo, but it is not there all the time. In fact, the only time I close up three sides of it is when we are expecting lots of wind and rain -- otherwise it is just a cattle panel hoophouse with Astrotek-type bubble foil coming down about 2/3 of the way and hardware cloth going up the other 1/3 from the bottom.
Normally, they do not eat in the hoophouse, but because we were supposed to get rain, I moved their feed inside, as well. Normally, though, their food and water is at least midway or further down the pasture to encourage them to get outside and move around. Unlike the Cornish Crosses, though, they hardly need any encouragement -- they are outside from shortly after dawn until the heat of the day when they retreat back to the comfort and shade of the hoophouse. Once it starts to cool off a bit -- around 4pm most days -- they are back outside until they come in to roost for the night.
There is also lots of roosting room, as you can see. I use the 1x6 across the back (right in front of the tarp and about knee height) as another roost -- and they love it.
I 'float' a hovering blanket of Astrotek foil over them on cooler nights (not pictured). It helps to prevent smothering deaths, by encouraging them to stay in the warmth of the center of the hoophouse rather than piling in the corners. I had lost a few to piling prior to using it.
Anyway...I just wanted to share, as I know that several of you have ordered the Red Bros. I'm as happy as can be with mine. The proof, of course, will be coming in another month or so when they are processed, but so far...so good!
I know that there has been a lot of conversation about the Red Bro broilers and I thought I would share the photos of mine now that they are out of the brooder and in their day ranging pasture. Mine came from JM Hatchery. They are 4 weeks old in these photos. (The color is a bit iffy on some of them, as it was close to sundown and I was taking them with my cell phone. They are not as yellow as the first picture and not quite as deep red as the hoophouse photo. The other three are somewhat closer to their true color of most of them, though there is some variation with a few of the birds on the blonder/yellow side and several of them in the deep red category.) I have to say that it is an absolute pleasure to have 'pretty' broilers -- complete with feathers -- for my customers to see!
I have been very impressed with them in terms of hardiness and foraging ability. It has been lots of fun to watch them on pasture the past few days. No leg problems, growing well and very healthy and active. As you will see from the photos below, they look like they will have nice full breasts and wonderfully meaty legs and thighs.
Mine live in an open air hoophouse in an 80x20 electronetted pasture. Those trees that you see in the background are home to several foxes, but thanks to the electronetting, I have yet to lose a bird to predation (except the occasional wayward layer who decides to venture outside the "friendly confines" -- but none of the broilers have ventured that far yet) and my birds have a wonderful life as you can see from the photos -- ranging, foraging and getting to be chickens. My border collie likes to 'patrol' the perimeter (I think it frustrates him that they don't like to stay in a flock), which I think has also encouraged the chicks to opt to stay inside the fence rather than to venture out into "Fox Heaven".
You will notice a blue tarp on the back of the hoophouse in this photo, but it is not there all the time. In fact, the only time I close up three sides of it is when we are expecting lots of wind and rain -- otherwise it is just a cattle panel hoophouse with Astrotek-type bubble foil coming down about 2/3 of the way and hardware cloth going up the other 1/3 from the bottom.
Normally, they do not eat in the hoophouse, but because we were supposed to get rain, I moved their feed inside, as well. Normally, though, their food and water is at least midway or further down the pasture to encourage them to get outside and move around. Unlike the Cornish Crosses, though, they hardly need any encouragement -- they are outside from shortly after dawn until the heat of the day when they retreat back to the comfort and shade of the hoophouse. Once it starts to cool off a bit -- around 4pm most days -- they are back outside until they come in to roost for the night.
There is also lots of roosting room, as you can see. I use the 1x6 across the back (right in front of the tarp and about knee height) as another roost -- and they love it.
I 'float' a hovering blanket of Astrotek foil over them on cooler nights (not pictured). It helps to prevent smothering deaths, by encouraging them to stay in the warmth of the center of the hoophouse rather than piling in the corners. I had lost a few to piling prior to using it.
Anyway...I just wanted to share, as I know that several of you have ordered the Red Bros. I'm as happy as can be with mine. The proof, of course, will be coming in another month or so when they are processed, but so far...so good!
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