Please advise on meat bird chicks

[cassie]

This may not apply to you but I will tell you how I started and raised mine. You may, or may not, find it helpful. I got one of those, for lack of a better term, brooder kits from the hatchery. It consists among other things of a strip of cardboard about six or eight inches high. You make it into a circle. The size of the circle depends on how many chicks you have. I hung a heat lamp over the center. The chicks could huddle under the lamp or move away from it as they liked. When you get them take each chick individually out of the shipping box and dip its beak in the warm sugar water. They will be thirsty after their trip.

I fed my chicks broiler starter, grower, and finisher when I could get it and turkey starter, grower, and finisher when I couldn't. I had my feeders and waterers hung by chains from the rafters so I could adjust the height as they grew. I wanted them to have to stand when they ate and drank. Otherwise they will just go the feeder, plop, then eat. Go to the waterer and plop and then drink. Then go to the heat lamp and plop and go to sleep. They reminded me of my couch potato brother-in-law. I had the feed on one side of the pen and the water on the other so they had to walk a bit to get from one to the other. I bedded them on shavings and I just added shavings as necessary so the pen was dry. I put paper towels on the shavings for the first few days to keep the new chicks from eating the shavings. Cornish X eat a lot and therefore they poop a LOT and many beginners are not prepared for that. I added Broiler Booster to the water from start to finish.

Welp will send some directions with the chicks. If you have questions later call or email them. I have found them to be very helpful. They want you to succeed with their chicks. Relax and enjoy your chicks. I found them to be a fun short term project. I think you will too.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

kindered spirits.... I keep working twords the biggest cockerels I can at 12-14 weeks old and still have a decent number of eggs from the females.... so many possibilites.

I'm willing to give up some egg laying - its just my wife, myself, and what I donate to the neighbors, so every 2nd or 3rd day is just fine, since I have space for a largish flock. What I'd like to do is get some red into the birds while keeping some of markings of the dark brahma or the silver lace, because that will absolutely disappear on my land, lose the pea comb, minimize the brahma foot feathers, lighten up the average egg color but keep a medium-large size, and speed up the rate of maturity to something less than the brahma 7 months before laying. I'd also happily give up plenty of the brahma's (eventual) weight to get something closer to a 7# cockerel without needing a year to get there. and they can't get too stupid along the way, because I expect them to continue to free range... Tall Order, I know.

Next outside addition will likely be some good quality Buff Orp for size, lighter color eggs, faster maturity once the current flock has a chance to muddy the genetic waters some. But if I really get the bug, and have the time and resources to be serious about this, I'll likely pick an existing rare breed like the redcap, which already has a lot of those traits, and try to bring its size up some. Until then, lots of reading, lots of learning. I've got years.

 

[3KillerBs]

Next outside addition will likely be some good quality Buff Orp for size, lighter color eggs, faster maturity once the current flock has a chance to muddy the genetic waters some. But if I really get the bug, and have the time and resources to be serious about this, I'll likely pick an existing rare breed like the redcap, which already has a lot of those traits, and try to bring its size up some. Until then, lots of reading, lots of learning. I've got years.

We're getting way off-topic, but have you tried Australorps for the egg color and size? One of my Welp Blue Australorp girls has given me my first two eggs yesterday and today @ 22 weeks. The Light Brahma will probably be larger in time, but she's the biggest in the flock right now.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

We're getting way off-topic, but have you tried Australorps for the egg color and size? One of my Welp Blue Australorp girls has given me my first two eggs yesterday and today @ 22 weeks. The Light Brahma will probably be larger in time, but she's the biggest in the flock right now.

Not **too much** off topic, I hope, since I'm looking to bring down egg production and increase size/speed of maturity in a homebrew ranger...

but to answer your question, yes, I looked at Australorps. Henderson's chart has them tolerable weight, moderately early maturity - both traits I need - clean legs, single comb - again, good plusses - BUT. They are very dark in color, have higher egg production (no value to me) of smaller, and brown eggs. Those traits I'd like to avoid, which is why the Buff Orp is the current leaning, as it matches or exceeds the Australorp, on average, in the traits I do want - size and lighter colored eggs (while maintaining egg size)

 

[3KillerBs]

Not **too much** off topic, I hope, since I'm looking to bring down egg production and increase size/speed of maturity in a homebrew ranger...

but to answer your question, yes, I looked at Australorps. Henderson's chart has them tolerable weight, moderately early maturity - both traits I need - clean legs, single comb - again, good plusses - BUT. They are very dark in color, have higher egg production (no value to me) of smaller, and brown eggs. Those traits I'd like to avoid, which is why the Buff Orp is the current leaning, as it matches or exceeds the Australorp, on average, in the traits I do want - size and lighter colored eggs (while maintaining egg size)

I've wondered about Orpingtons and heat-tolerance while thinking about adding some English Orpingtons to my flock, but if dark color is a problem even the blues would certainly not be what you're looking for.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Right - I'm wanting the pattern of the Brahma or the Wyandottes - even if it gets muddied along the way (but not almost absent, as in many buff brahma) - since it makes them hard to spot on my leaf litter to be combined with the oranges and reds of some of my other birds, which blends better with my clay sands. and an egg light enough that I can candle it more easily.

Some middle ground between a smutty buff brahma and a typical GLW would be awesome in terms of coloration.

 

[Xouie]

Not **too much** off topic, I hope, since I'm looking to bring down egg production and increase size/speed of maturity in a homebrew ranger...

but to answer your question, yes, I looked at Australorps. Henderson's chart has them tolerable weight, moderately early maturity - both traits I need - clean legs, single comb - again, good plusses - BUT. They are very dark in color, have higher egg production (no value to me) of smaller, and brown eggs. Those traits I'd like to avoid, which is why the Buff Orp is the current leaning, as it matches or exceeds the Australorp, on average, in the traits I do want - size and lighter colored eggs (while maintaining egg size)

I’m loving the evolution of this thread!!

 

[3KillerBs]

Right - I'm wanting the pattern of the Brahma or the Wyandottes - even if it gets muddied along the way (but not almost absent, as in many buff brahma) - since it makes them hard to spot on my leaf litter to be combined with the oranges and reds of some of my other birds, which blends better with my clay sands. and an egg light enough that I can candle it more easily.

Some middle ground between a smutty buff brahma and a typical GLW would be awesome in terms of coloration.

I am amused that you want to get red into your flock and I want to keep red out of my flock.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I really should move the conversation elsewhere, and attach some pictures, but not sure where the thread would best belong...

 

[B-Goock]

I’m loving the evolution of this thread!!

Me too! Ive never done meat birds so any info I can gather I'll take. All Ive done before is DP birds. Thought I'd try 10 weeks instead of 6 months yet i still have 5 pens of DP & heritage birds oh and quail.

Anyways thanks. Got 34 at the post office this morn. 39hrs in shipping. All healthy, active, and zipping around like no sweat!