Time for round two with another batch of peeps

[Winsor Woods]

I've got my brooder all cleaned out and reset. I've got an order of 25 Cornish X's and they should be arriving at my Ranch supply store today. Yesterday's high was 109.5 ° F

So I'm not positive that the shipment will happen today.

Regardless, this batch will have it's own challenges for me. I'm not allowed to get attached to any of the peeps from this batch. They are destined for my freezer and that's their purpose. I've never killed a chicken and I suppose I'll be learning all that stuff pretty well by the time the processing weekend is over. Assuming all 25 make it to slaughter, (probably lose some though) the goal would be to kill and process 12 per day so I'm done with it all on a weekend.

I'm keeping these peeps in the brooder for a week or two and then moving them to a chicken tractor which is not yet built

Dan

 

[Winsor Woods]

Apparently there was a mix-up on someone's end with the date I can pick them up. They gave me the hatch date as the pickup date so I won't get my peeps until tomorrow or Friday.

Dan

 

[cochinbantam-lover]

When we first started farming and got a bunch of chickens for the purpose of eating them, for me it was a nightmare!!!

It will never happen again!

Now I only have my babies to raise and to roam our farm and to grace with just their presence!!

It will be hard for you not to get attached to any of them! Good luck!

 

[Winsor Woods]

I picked up my 25 peeps and got them home and set up in the brooder. You are right, they are very cute at this age. I love their color. They are the stereotypical peep that you see in all the easter commercials. My favorite part is how short their wingspan is in relation to their body. It just looks so comical. Despite the cuteness, I'm fairly confident I'll be able to complete the mission as previously stated. It won't be easy but I think it's important to undertake this task at least once. I've never known eating any chickens that didn't come from the supermarket. I'd like to change that in my family.

They sure do guzzle the water down. Right now the 25 peeps are going through a quart of water daily. They're also going through the feed but not as quickly. I got 25 expecting to lose some in the initial days, but so far so good (knock on wood.)

I also got some more chicken wire so that I can make a chicken tractor. A 4x4 brooder won't last for very long with 25 fast growing cornish crosses.

Dan