The Meatie weigh-along!

[DogandPonyShow]

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You really have to stop this. You're making the rest of us look bad.

I use a kitchen scale. Your math makes me feel inadequate.

Seriously, though, the way you calculate your weights really gives a lot of information, especially the change from last week and the st dev! Thank you for doing that. If I wasn't already doing 3 research projects for school, I would consider putting in that effort as well...

Ha ha! No!

I'm a scientist; that's how I roll. I actually use a kitchen scale, too - it drives me nuts because it measures in 1/8ths of a pound and I have to try to remember the decimal conversion for 2 lb. 3 5/8 oz. or whatever. I'd rather straight ounces, but my scale doesn't do that, so oh well. I have a basic Excel spreadsheet going with formulas for all of the above - I just plug in the new numbers and it does the rest. I think the St Dev is really interesting - even though they're 14 individual beasties, both male and female, the weights are all very close to each other. Genetic engineering at its finest, via decades of selective breeding!

 

[Matrix Escapee]

Sorry I'm late guys. I am still in!
It's been busy. Got another 100 in on friday. Not as nice as the 1st batch. A lot smaller and 4 DOA with another dying this afternoon. Must have been a new/young laying flock that laid these eggs. Maybe its seeing the older birds that makes these look so small, but I swear these are tiny.
I will weigh tomorrow morning.

I need some input on moving out to pasture. In my mind I was thinking group one (18 days old, will be 3 weeks old on WED) would go out at 3 weeks old. I live in Southern Delaware, and temps have stayed above freezing for almost 2 weeks now. We are still experiencing night temps in the 40's. Nights next week are supposed to be upper 40's and mid 50's. Days are supposed to be in the 60's and 70's.
My question is this: Do the birds have to be 100% fully feathered to make the transtition at 3 weeks old given the expected temps I mentioned above? I know the chart shows they can take a low of 32 at 3 weeks olds, so I guess that is why I was thinking of doing the move at 3 weeks. Not that I expect a freeze in the next week.

What is your experiences with the move outside? I would say my birds are 50% feathered.

Thanks guys. Weights coming tomorrow.

 

[ddzFunnyfarm]

Hi all ~ We missed getting in on your weigh-along... our 14 meaties arrived 1/31 and were processed over 2 Saturday mornings, 7 on 4/2 and 7 on 4/9. We had great results! They dressed out at 5 3/4 lbs to 6 3/4 lbs. Well worth the effort! (once they got outside, that is!)

We're expecting our next batch of 21 to arrive Monday the 25th. Will you chart more batches after this one?

 

[Matrix Escapee]

A day late, but: Smallest was 1 lb. Largest was 1.5 lbs. All a little over 2 weeks old. I was weighing after 2 full weeks of feeding, so they are 2 days past 2 weeks. In the future I will weigh based on their hatch date.
So I'd say my average is 20 ounces.

 

[backyardmenagerie]

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I moved mine outside around 3 weeks, and we were having similar temperatures. I was super paranoid about it getting so cold at night, so I moved them into a dog crate in the barn at night. That way they had extra protection from the elements, and (in theory) the smaller space would help them stay warmer. Now they are 5+ weeks, and I still move them into the barn when it rains. Otherwise they stay out.

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Sure! I don't know if I'll be getting another batch, but I'll keep up with the charts if others are still interested. I've though about starting a turkey one, too.

 

[DogandPonyShow]

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It sounds like we have similar temperatures at the moment... My birds went out a couple of days ago at 3 1/2 weeks and they're doing great. The majority of them are mostly feathered, though - much more so than my neighbor's Cornish Xs from Ideal ever got last year. I took pics yesterday if you'd like to compare. They still have fluffy heads but that's about it. We've had a lot of wind recently and that doesn't even seem to bother them. Mine were just getting too big and messy for the brooder, and I wanted to switch the meaties to Flock Raiser and go restricted. The laying pullets get to stay on starter full-time.

 

[jktrahan]

Here is my 2 week info, can someone check my video and look at the feathering to see if the look 1 week old or 2 weeks old? TSC told me they were 1 week when i bought them, but my weights look more like everyone's 1 week totals. Thanks


12 cx
hatched on 4/4/11? , i got them on 4/11/11
TSC
26% Gamebird unrestricted
tractor
6 to 8 oz

Video of Chicks in their brooder box

and please if you can, post your before and after pics on this thread... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6180681#p6180681

 

[PotterWatch]

Quote:
I moved mine outside around 3 weeks, and we were having similar temperatures. I was super paranoid about it getting so cold at night, so I moved them into a dog crate in the barn at night. That way they had extra protection from the elements, and (in theory) the smaller space would help them stay warmer. Now they are 5+ weeks, and I still move them into the barn when it rains. Otherwise they stay out.

Quote:
Sure! I don't know if I'll be getting another batch, but I'll keep up with the charts if others are still interested. I've though about starting a turkey one, too.

We'll be getting a few different breeds of turkeys in a few weeks so we would be in on that one, though I imagine as they get really big, it will be incredibly hard to weigh them...

 

[PotterWatch]

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They look like my two-week olds.

 

[backyardmenagerie]

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oh. yeah. I hadn't thought about that.

Umm... has anyone tried the method of step on the scale while holding a bird, then subtract your own weight?