- Apr 5, 2012
- 46
- 2
- 36
my wife and I grew in rural KY, both with chickens and other farm animals, it seemed to be buy some chicks and let em loose, needless to say through the years we have tried this technique without success, loss of 50% or more of the chicks, I attributed it to poor quality birds from the local Co-Op.
This year I special ordered 42 ( 40 came in) we have 30 Silver Wyandottes, 10 Cinnamon Queens, I bought a starter brooder 4'x2.5' and equipment off a local classified site, after nearly 3 weeks I built a 2.5" x 8 foot brooder run, and to date 0 loss, tomorrow we move them to the chicken Coup that I built 12' Deep 8' wide, ( 8x8 run) (4x8 dropping pit area) the lowest ceilings in it is 6'6" I built 15 brooder boxes that can be accessed from the outside.....my Coup is functional not special at all...... I also have a courtyard of approx 350 s/f outside the house
In the mean time i found a Rural King store that had a sale on RI Browns, 1.50 each so i bought 24 and moved them to the small brooder.
last night the same rural king had the same RI browns for 50 cents each.....yep bought 24 more and he miscounted got home had 25,....... so now I got 89 chicks from 1 week old 3 weeks old, to 5 weeks old....so far 0 loss
we are learning as we go.....
This year I special ordered 42 ( 40 came in) we have 30 Silver Wyandottes, 10 Cinnamon Queens, I bought a starter brooder 4'x2.5' and equipment off a local classified site, after nearly 3 weeks I built a 2.5" x 8 foot brooder run, and to date 0 loss, tomorrow we move them to the chicken Coup that I built 12' Deep 8' wide, ( 8x8 run) (4x8 dropping pit area) the lowest ceilings in it is 6'6" I built 15 brooder boxes that can be accessed from the outside.....my Coup is functional not special at all...... I also have a courtyard of approx 350 s/f outside the house
In the mean time i found a Rural King store that had a sale on RI Browns, 1.50 each so i bought 24 and moved them to the small brooder.
last night the same rural king had the same RI browns for 50 cents each.....yep bought 24 more and he miscounted got home had 25,....... so now I got 89 chicks from 1 week old 3 weeks old, to 5 weeks old....so far 0 loss
we are learning as we go.....
from Ohio. So glad you joined. 
