New here ... have some questons / need advice

[easyvilleacres]

Hello! I am new to this site/forum and almost new to raising meat birds.

We are not 100% new to meat birds because we've gotten some a few times that were ready to butcher, however we kept them a month or so longer to bring them up to the health we prefer, feeding organic feed, having grass and bugs, etc. We are not new to butchering and have no issues with that.

Our first ever batch of 25 meat bird chicks (Cornish Cross) is set to be here Wednesday or Thursday and I have a few questions.

We have plenty of grass and plan to make a tractor. Now, excuse my ignorance, but do they stay in the tractor 24/7 or do we put them in the barn at night to roost? We do have coyotes and other critters around, however our property is getting fenced soon so maybe that will help??

Tractor size ... 10x10 for 25 birds?

We plan to move the tractor a few times a day to keep their area cleaner ... does anyone have a good tractor design that will not kill our wallet but is easy to move? I will be the one doing the moving and might have help from my adult daughter ... I am not a strong person (MS) ... will I be able to move it on my own if need be???

Feed ... we are assuming we'll need 20lbs of feed per bird before all is said and done. Is that a safe assumption? I do not mind having left overs as we will probably get more if all goes well with our first run. I see many have mentioned the 12 on 12 off and that's what we'll do after the first few weeks.

STARTER FEED? Can we just start them right on the grower feed or do we have to use starter feed? If starter, how long 'til we give the grower?

Any other tips to share for a first-timer? Maybe tips on keeping the area as clean as possible? Move it and hose the used area down maybe??

Thank you for your time and help!! I do not have the internet at home but will do my best to keep up on my phone (I'll be reading but it might take me a while to respond).

Joanne
Easyville Acres
SW MO

 

[Blackberry18]

Broilers only need 1 square foot of space, so 10 by 10 is almost too much. As for feed, give starter the first 6 weeks (brooding period) then feed FINISHER the seventh and eighth weeks, up until slaughter.

Don't keep broilers in tractor 24/7, because other problems can happen besides predators. Diseases, colds, and many other external parasites.

Limit feed the at five weeks of age.

I'm getting Cornish Cross to show in the fair and wish you good luck as well!

 

[lazy gardener]

Hello! I am new to this site/forum and almost new to raising meat birds.

We are not 100% new to meat birds because we've gotten some a few times that were ready to butcher, however we kept them a month or so longer to bring them up to the health we prefer, feeding organic feed, having grass and bugs, etc. We are not new to butchering and have no issues with that.

Our first ever batch of 25 meat bird chicks (Cornish Cross) is set to be here Wednesday or Thursday and I have a few questions.

We have plenty of grass and plan to make a tractor. Now, excuse my ignorance, but do they stay in the tractor 24/7 or do we put them in the barn at night to roost? We do have coyotes and other critters around, however our property is getting fenced soon so maybe that will help??

Tractor size ... 10x10 for 25 birds?

We plan to move the tractor a few times a day to keep their area cleaner ... does anyone have a good tractor design that will not kill our wallet but is easy to move? I will be the one doing the moving and might have help from my adult daughter ... I am not a strong person (MS) ... will I be able to move it on my own if need be???

Feed ... we are assuming we'll need 20lbs of feed per bird before all is said and done. Is that a safe assumption? I do not mind having left overs as we will probably get more if all goes well with our first run. I see many have mentioned the 12 on 12 off and that's what we'll do after the first few weeks.

STARTER FEED? Can we just start them right on the grower feed or do we have to use starter feed? If starter, how long 'til we give the grower?

Any other tips to share for a first-timer? Maybe tips on keeping the area as clean as possible? Move it and hose the used area down maybe??

Thank you for your time and help!! I do not have the internet at home but will do my best to keep up on my phone (I'll be reading but it might take me a while to respond).

Joanne
Easyville Acres
SW MO

The more space they have in that tractor, the less wear on the ground, and the more forage space they will have. Your biggest concern will be predator issues. Will you use chicken wire or 1/2" hardware cloth to close in the tractor? It depends on your risk tolerance for predators. Weasels can squeeze through chicken wire, while any larger predator can tear a hole in chicken wire, or reach through and pull the chicken to the edge where the chicken will be eaten through the wire. Then, there are the critters who will dig under the edge of your tractor. Every body loves chicken. You can somewhat cut your predator risk by enclosing the area in electric fencing. Some folks run a hot wire around their tractors. The other factor that you need to consider with a tractor, is: will they be protected from inclement weather: rain, (snow if that's an issue) and even excessive sun and heat. If all of these issues are satisfactorily dealt with, my goal would be to provide 4 s.f./bird. Part of the reason for raising my own meat is so that it is humanely raised, with adequate space being a big part of that equation. You will also have less load on your yard if you are able to let them free range. Again, you want to do a risk assessment. I do find that it helps to hose down the area after moving a tractor. It helps prevent a cap of manure from settling onto the grass, and helps it move into the soil easier.

There's a book called Chicken Tractor, written by Andy Lee which should give you plenty of good ideas for managing your meat birds. You also may want to read: The Small Scale Chicken Flock by Harvey Ussery.

 

[easyvilleacres]

Hello again - thank you both for your responses and your help. I read them right away and even tried to respond but it all got erased! Such is life I guess.

Our CX birds are seeming to do well. We got 26 and so far all are alive and thriving. One is a runt and probably will not be worth butchering so if it's a hen we'll probably keep it for laying. I haven't paid enough attention to them yet to see if I can tell the sex or not???? That's a very ignorant statement, I know.

I'll post a new thread when I give a more thorough explanation of my experiences. Again, thank you both so much; you were a great help.

 

[WildfireSmitty]

This is a great lighting program. Would work for large scale and small scale meat bird production. I Raise a lot of meat birds and I find this program to be very helpful, a pain sometimes, but it does work.

Not sure if it has already been posted, info similar to this.

Turning the lights off is one of the best things that you can do for young meat-type chickens. By giving your birds short days and long nights from one to three weeks of age, you can help them to maintain a healthy body and rapid growth rate. Long dark periods help stimulate melatonin, vitamin D3 and other hormone levels in the blood that improve the chick's immune system and tissue development. Limiting the hours of light will slow early growth slightly, allowing the birds to develop the strong hearts and bones needed to support rapid growth later in the flock. Turning the lights out when the birds are young produces benefits that can last the life of the flock.

Flocks given significant hours of dark from 7 to 21 days of age benefit from fewer health problems:
Leg Problems - The most dramatic effect of the lighting program is to reduce leg problems, especially twisted legs. The birds will be more active and spend more time walking.
Heart Problems - Turning the lights off will reduce heart problems such as "flips" and ascites. The flips are large birds in good condition that die suddenly and are often found dead lying on their backs. Ascites is a form of heart failure that can lead to fluid build up in the abdomen and dark discolouration of the comb due to poor blood circulation. Lighting programs will reduce but not eliminate these heart problems. Feeding programs and barns temperature must also be properly managed if you want to minimize these health problems
Stunting - Sometimes birds that are challenged by disease early in life will become stunted (noticeably smaller in size than their flock mates). In severe cases, the birds may not feather properly and retain much of their chick down. Research and farm experience suggests that a lighting program will help to combat this condition.
In general, all flocks benefit from lighting programs but farms where total mortality averages 5% or higher will benefit the most.


What Lighting Program is Recommended?

1. Provide 24 hours of bright light each day for the first 3 days after the chicks hatch.
2. Provide 18 to 23 hours of light (1 to 6 hours of darkness) each day from 4 to 6 days of age. The dark period should be provided in one large block, not in little periods of darkness throughout the day. The full 6 hours of darkness is preferred but even one hour of darkness will help the birds become accustomed to having the lights off.
3. Provide 8 hours of light and 16 hours of darkness each day from 7 to 21 days of age. The dark should be provided in one large block during the day or two large blocks split up by an hour of light. For example, you could turn the lights off at 5:00 p.m. in the afternoon and turn them back on at 9:00 a.m. the next morning. An example of breaking up the dark period would be to turn off the lights at 4:00 p.m., turn them on again for an hour at 10:00 p.m. and then leave them off until 9:00 a.m. the next day. The dark period should not be provided in small periods interspersed throughout the day.
4. At three weeks of age, provide the birds with 12 hours of light each day. From 4 weeks of age to market, provide 14 hours of light or natural daylight.

 

[easyvilleacres]

Mine are already past 3 weeks but thanks anyway! How do you keep them in darkness when heat lamps are needed? I guess we could have used an electric heater?

 

[WildfireSmitty]

Mine are already past 3 weeks but thanks anyway! How do you keep them in darkness when heat lamps are needed? I guess we could have used an electric heater?

Red heat lamps don't have the same effect as sunlight or other lights. If all other surrounding are dark, they will still treat it like it is night/dark and still sleep.