Raising our 1st set of CX meaties

[Angelicisi]

We were ready to add heat to the hoop coop that was intended for their outdoor coop lol but we don't want to add it to the wood coop. :/
Just a personal thing, didn't want to heat a wood coop. But we have talked about hanging a lamp. We may still, just haven't thought about it much yet, I'm totally better under last minute pressure lol
Should that fail we've got brooders galore that they'll have to endure during a hard freeze.

 

[Angelicisi]

Lol sorry!

Ya u sent me to much to read on my phone which is a good thing lol. I'll b home soon and read your detailed message.. Thanks a bunch!

 

[larry529]

It's a good thing I promise

 

[Angelicisi]

They're about 10-12 days old now. Sorry had to go back and look lol time mushes together for me when I'm busy!

That's great!  Are you providing any extra heat for them at night?  How old are they now?  Ideal Poultry confirmed my shipping date (for 15 CX) on the 18th of this month.  Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to get them outside and off the heat as quickly as the last set, but it needs to be as soon as possible, lol! 

eta: Oh wow, I was just looking at your temps for the next week.  Our days are similar temps, but the desert nights are much colder.  Sigh.  Looks like I'll have to have these broilers on heat for a while.  Well, the few CX we were able to process last batch made such an impression on my husband that he is much more amenable to having the CX in the garage for a little while. 

 

[BCMaraniac]

They're about 10-12 days old now. Sorry had to go back and look lol time mushes together for me when I'm busy!

It doesn't seem like it has been that long....but it was Friday before last, wasn't it?

 

[Angelicisi]

It was!
Having the 1st set sold and reordering sorta messed up my time line lol
Time flies with these guys and with layer chicks seems like Forever waiting (for an egg n e ways) I am still awaiting my ameraucana eggs :/ they're from June!

It doesn't seem like it has been that long....but it was Friday before last, wasn't it?

 

[Angelicisi]

All 47 still kicking!
My EE decided she wanted to investigate...

Had a lil talk...

Then escaped with 2 when I went for treats! doh

By the end of this week I'm going to 12/12 feed and extra lights are going out. They range with the layers just fine. I booted a group out today and my girls wanna cuddle instead of eat them so it works. Yay. It was 82 degrees today...chicks were ****** errr whoops! "very upset." That sorta sux because summer time here is brutal. May skip mid summer batch. A lot of work if theu all drop dead 5 weeks in from humidity and 100 degree weeks :/ heating is much easier than cooling the nuggets.
Although I may try a small batch in a secure pen in our wooded area, maybe 5-10 and see if with constant shade and cold water they can do it.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Good to hear they are all well. Temps in the 60's here today, which is like a heat wave here after single digit temps last week......

 

[pipemum]

Looking good, Angelisci! Yeah, I'm going to have to stop the small batches of CX by mid-May. It'll just be too hot, and WAY too much work to try and keep them cool. It's hard enough with the layers. I'll be able to start up again mid-Sept.

 

[Angelicisi]

Thanx pipemum.
I have a batch of 50 arriving in January of slower growing broilers. With these (47 CX) and those 50 (say even 40 if some weird loss happens ) we should do just fine and have plenty of meat for us 2 adults and 2 growing kids thru next fall.
I think we are going to invest in a plucker. We didn't initially due to being a newb, didn't wanna go balls to wall on all this equipment if it was a thing we just couldn't do...but we are doing it lol so we may bite the bullet and buy a large one.
Maybe :/ if he can talk me into it. I'm all for drill plucker but he fears its A LOT of drilling coming up...lol multiple times a year...so maybe

They played outdoors today before the rain. Napped in the sun. Fought the big girls for grubs and chased the ladybugs (invasion of the lady bugs at my house every winter! Great for the garden but the birds don't eat um lol guess they taste nasty! Fun to watch tho. )