Please advise on meat bird chicks

[Xouie]

Ok, my first ever batch of meat birds (not counting Pie) is arriving next week from Welp hatchery. This is also my first ever batch of ANY kind of shipped hatchery chicks. (We always hatch at home.) So I’m just plain scared silly right now. Here’s my plan:

1. Go to the local post office when I get a shipping number and let them know a box of chicks is coming and can I come to pick up on the arrival day.

2. Set up a 2x6 brooder cage for the first few days. It will have a brooder plate in one area and a light in another.

3. When they arrive put them in the cage immediately with just sugar water (hatchery recommendation) then after an hour give them protein starter in a canister feeder and a bar feeder. Change the sugar water to plain water.

4. after a few days (when they look ready I guess), move them to their grow shed, continuing the plate and light. once they’re grown big enough to be in the grow shed I’m not so worried.

Do you see any flaws in this plan? Any gaps from your experience? Anything you want to advise or add, I’m ready to learn. I’ve searched the forum and read the detailed articles by @Tre3hugger and @jolenesdad — and thank you both for the information!!

 

[jolenesdad]

how exciting! Your starter plan looks great to me. @Tre3hugger and I both use the same vitamin supplement for our birds, Murray McMurray's Broiler Booster. I highly recommend a vitamin and mineral supplement that contains biotin and b-vitamins for strong leg growth in the birds. It's one of the best things you can do.

I prefer paper towels the first few days, and I move them all to a separate container while I change them out daily, and that way you can inspect each one for pasty butt. It's really hard with 15-20 birds or more at a time to make sure you're checking each one. With the paper towels, you can also spread food on them so they have more chance to be constantly eating those first few days.

I think the most important is brooding and getting food in them during that brooding process, at least the first week or even two... ensure there is AMPLE space for them to all eat at once, with no crowding issues. That's the number one key to uniform growth later on. Its a formula between how much they can grow based on how many times they are able to fill and empty their crop during the first week of life. If birds are crowded out of feeders and eat less during this time, they'll be the "runty" looking birds later on, even if they're getting food then. To aid with this, chick grit is really helpful during this time to ensure they are efficiently processing their food.

 

[Molpet]

X2 on the paper towels

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Get your brooder cage set up now. Put a thermometer in it at chick height, in a couple places. I worry that heat plate plus light may be too warm - but then my climate isn't yours, and I don't know how far your bulb is from the box, its wattage, or type. But better to know temperatures now and make adjustments than find out in a bad way after you have the birds in it.

otherwise, looks good to me - I keep my birds on water a little longer (couple/three hours), and use a little more space, but can't say its better or worse - its simply what I do and the space available to me. Cutting a 4'+ by almost 6' into a smaller space just doesn't seem necessary, even with a smaller number of chicks - just gives me more room for waterers and to scatter food for them, without risking that they get so far from the heat source (again, different climate for me) that it risks their health.

 

[RoosterML]

X3 on paper towels for first few days, sprinkle food onto floor. Keep area small until you are sure they know where food and water are. Add a makeshift divider to shrink your broader at first. Dip each individual birds beak into water as you place them into brooder.
Most hatcheries have a hold for pickup at post office instructions with chicks. You could confirm with Welp.

 

[blueberry1]

We keep ours in the brooder as long as they are comfortable there or you can’t stand the smell every morning.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

The last few times I had meat kings, we just brooded them outside in the coop from day one, in August with few (if any) losses, until I got chicks in April. We lost about 13 out of 50. I like your plan, I will definitely brood inside for the first few days next time, and if I ever get them late or early in the season I'd keep them inside for a couple to a few weeks. It also depends on your outdoor lows.

 

[Xouie]

how exciting! Your starter plan looks great to me. @Tre3hugger and I both use the same vitamin supplement for our birds, Murray McMurray's Broiler Booster. I highly recommend a vitamin and mineral supplement that contains biotin and b-vitamins for strong leg growth in the birds. It's one of the best things you can do.

I prefer paper towels the first few days, and I move them all to a separate container while I change them out daily, and that way you can inspect each one for pasty butt. It's really hard with 15-20 birds or more at a time to make sure you're checking each one. With the paper towels, you can also spread food on them so they have more chance to be constantly eating those first few days.

I think the most important is brooding and getting food in them during that brooding process, at least the first week or even two... ensure there is AMPLE space for them to all eat at once, with no crowding issues. That's the number one key to uniform growth later on. Its a formula between how much they can grow based on how many times they are able to fill and empty their crop during the first week of life. If birds are crowded out of feeders and eat less during this time, they'll be the "runty" looking birds later on, even if they're getting food then. To aid with this, chick grit is really helpful during this time to ensure they are efficiently processing their food.

Ok, broiler booster is on its way and I’ll pick up chick grit this weekend. I think I’ll also get a second bar-type feeder and just refill those frequently along with using the paper towels. Thanks for the heads up on daily pasty butt checks too.

 

[Xouie]

Get your brooder cage set up now. Put a thermometer in it at chick height, in a couple places. I worry that heat plate plus light may be too warm - but then my climate isn't yours, and I don't know how far your bulb is from the box, its wattage, or type. But better to know temperatures now and make adjustments than find out in a bad way after you have the birds in it.

otherwise, looks good to me - I keep my birds on water a little longer (couple/three hours), and use a little more space, but can't say its better or worse - its simply what I do and the space available to me. Cutting a 4'+ by almost 6' into a smaller space just doesn't seem necessary, even with a smaller number of chicks - just gives me more room for waterers and to scatter food for them, without risking that they get so far from the heat source (again, different climate for me) that it risks their health.

I’ll set up the heat tomorrow to figure out temperature. Makes perfect sense to do it before the weekend so I can make mods or extra purchases before the chickies get here. Thanks!

 

[Kiki]

X3 on checking the temp in the brooder before the birds arrive.
Don't over heat them with a lamp and plate.