The Middle Tennessee Thread

[amenfarm]

I have 2 flocks I will be integrating soon. I bought barred rocks that are now 13 weeks and rhode island reds that are 17 weeks. In November, we will be buying more chicks to bring our numbers to 20. They are suppose to be 8 week old barred rocks available that day-- the outside quininetine coop will be available to house them, it is drafty-which we will be adding blocks around the perimeter of the playhouse for.
My question is, is the last Saturday of November too late to raise 8 wk olds outside chicks? should I wait for spring chicks? I will have 8 more weeks before they can be added into the main flock.
Would I be better off on survivability-because of the weather, in getting older-16 week pullets?
where they will be coming from there,Mennonites, is no electricity. So unless they would still be with a broody I think I'm fine, temperature wise. Any thoughts would be welcome.

 

[elorraine52]

I have 2 flocks I will be integrating soon. I bought barred rocks that are now 13 weeks and rhode island reds that are 17 weeks. In November, we will be buying more chicks to bring our numbers to 20. They are suppose to be 8 week old barred rocks available that day-- the outside quininetine coop will be available to house them, it is drafty-which we will be adding blocks around the perimeter of the playhouse for.
My question is, is the last Saturday of November too late to raise 8 wk olds outside chicks? should I wait for spring chicks? I will have 8 more weeks before they can be added into the main flock.
Would I be better off on survivability-because of the weather, in getting older-16 week pullets?
where they will be coming from there,Mennonites, is no electricity. So unless they would still be with a broody I think I'm fine, temperature wise. Any thoughts would be welcome.

8 week old chicks should be fully feathered and able to handle cooler temps, I think you'll not have any problems, but why do you need to wait 8 weeks before adding them to the main flock? I thought 4 weeks quarantine was adequate?

 

[RedRidge]

I have 2 flocks I will be integrating soon. I bought barred rocks that are now 13 weeks and rhode island reds that are 17 weeks. In November, we will be buying more chicks to bring our numbers to 20. They are suppose to be 8 week old barred rocks available that day-- the outside quininetine coop will be available to house them, it is drafty-which we will be adding blocks around the perimeter of the playhouse for.
  My question is, is the last Saturday of November too late to raise 8 wk olds outside chicks? should I wait for spring chicks? I will have 8 more weeks before they can be added into the main flock.
Would I be better off on survivability-because of the weather, in getting older-16 week pullets?
 where they will be coming from there,Mennonites, is no electricity. So unless they would still be with a broody I think I'm fine, temperature wise. Any thoughts would be welcome.

I hatch mine in Jan and Feb outside. They have heat (either a heat lamp on rate occasion or normally a heat plate) until they are 6 weeks old. I rarely (if ever) loose chicks after the first 24 hrs.

 

[cree57i]

I hatch mine in Jan and Feb outside. They have heat (either a heat lamp on rate occasion or normally a heat plate) until they are 6 weeks old. I rarely (if ever) loose chicks after the first 24 hrs.

I am really curious about this. I want to try to hatch some chicks early this year (Jan-Feb.) but stayed sick when I was keeping them inside last spring from all the dust. Do you think if I kept them with a heat lamp, in a brooder, on a covered back porch they could survive in Jan.? This is really hopeful!

My girls are finally laying. The majority were hatched in late April-June. I've started to get some large eggs and lots of double yolks. I am wondering if this is because they are getting pumpkins, turnip greens and free ranging now or if this is normal for late fall. I have 47 hens and am finally getting about 20 egg/day.

That still doesn't seem very good though.

 

[RedRidge]

My brooder is in an open air barn. No problem.

 

[JW12]

My brooder stays on my covered front porch. I have a heat lamp on them and they seem to do fine. I make sure they stay dry but that's the only precaution I take.

 

[DMRippy]

Well that makes me feel better too.... this is the first year I will have my younger birds on wire floors in the shop and I was worried they might get too cold. I am happy I will have FEWER chicks this year. YEAH FOR ME!!!!! How old are they when they are outside? I can keep them somewhere warmer till they are about 6 weeks and then I can have heat when I move them to the shop where it will be colder but out of the wind and dry.

 

[amenfarm]

Thanks for the discussion, I feel more comfortable about buying 8 week old pullets. They will be in the quarentine, for 4weeks, then begin integrating into the older flock,over the following 4 weeks. For safety sake, they will not be housed in the same coop until they are big enough to protect themselves.

 

[RedRidge]

Well that makes me feel better too.... this is the first year I will have my younger birds on wire floors in the shop and I was worried they might get too cold.  I am happy I will have FEWER chicks this year.  YEAH FOR ME!!!!!   How old are they when they are outside?  I can keep them somewhere warmer till they are about 6 weeks and then I can have heat when I move them to the shop where it will be colder but out of the wind and dry.

My chicks go straight from the incubator in the barn feed room to the brooder in the barn hallway. Note: there isn't even a door at the north end of the hall. I've never had a problem.
If it's supposed to get below 20 and I have chicks under 2 weeks old in the brooder, I pin towels around the sides to block the wind. Of course I never cover the top... Fire hazard.
The left side has a low heat lamp. Chicks are left in the left side for 3 weeks. The right side has a higher heat lamp in this pic - this has since been replaced with a heat plate.
Note also that chicks are started on chicken nipples from day 1. I offer water in a regular gravity water dispenser only the day they come out of the bator to assure they hydrate... Then all they ever get is the nipples.
Drop a deicer in the buckets with nipples on the bottom and you never have nasty or frozen water.
The enclosed bottom section on the ground is where they are moved to at six weeks when they no longer require heat - is a great 2 week transition to the ground. I do not worm or do vacs so ground exposure is important. Usually by 8 weeks they are in my "chicken creep area" with a group of hens in one of the coops.

 

[DMRippy]

I am thinking of going to the Knoxville Show here is my post if anyone wants anything I have. I can stop along the way to Knoxville from Nashville but I will not go off I-40 to meet you.

Here is a link to my ad on the BST section....if I have something else you want but it is not listed just ask..... I can't remember everything I have available.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/936052/knoxville-show