Trials And Tribulations Of Suburban Meat Bird Production

[JMotuzick]

For what it’s worth, I was at tsc today watching the chicks under the heat lamps. They all looked dead! Came back 5 minutes later and all dead but in different places. The heat plate/mhp is the way to go! The 10 layer chicks we have in the garage look alive! Watching and reading as we have 25 rangers coming in a few weeks!

 

[Birdinhand]

well, I've had a couple of rough days. I have lost 6 chicks out of 37. not terrible but my worst yet since switching to the cobb 500. I have a call into the hatchery to see if they have any ideas. 7 went legs up in the course of 2.5 hours one morning. it seems that the cold here has taken it's toll, but it hasn't been that cold. the ones that have had issues had empty crops, so I'm thinking they just didn't get to eating and drinking and got week. I will likely try keeping them in doors for at least a few hours with open access to food and water and a heat lamp next time to assure they get an initial hit of hydration and nutrients before setting them out in the cold. ... a little bummed, I have to admit.

 

[aart]

Bummer.
I assume you checked for pasty butt and dipped beaks.
Checking that many chicks must be daunting.
Even inside(~65F) I use a 'heat' lamp over the feed/water station for a day or two after hatch (only during the day-they sleep under the heat pad) to make sure they all are eating and drinking and to be able to observe more closely for any problems.

 

[Lookin4GoodLife]

Sorry to hear about your losses. Maybe like people, some of the chicks are just not as hardy. Maybe those 6 came from a weaker mother or they were affected somehow in transportation and just never got off to a good start. Will be interesting to hear what the hatchery says even though they probably won't know much out of the thousands they hatch. Hopefully they'll give you a credit for those so they don't negatively affect your end-result bottom line, but the good news is, you've got 31 healthy birds moving forward.

 

[Birdinhand]

Bummer.
I assume you checked for pasty butt and dipped beaks.
Checking that many chicks must be daunting.
Even inside(~65F) I use a 'heat' lamp over the feed/water station for a day or two after hatch (only during the day-they sleep under the heat pad) to make sure they all are eating and drinking and to be able to observe more closely for any problems.

now that's a thought, I actually put a heat lamp in the brooder but every time I've turned it on, they all just huddle under it and forget about the MHP and I worry that it will confuse things long term. it's a small bulb, so maybe as part of a new protocal, I use a large enough output bulb, 250W, during the first day so they have enough warmth even if they don't go under the MHP at all, and then once they get established with eating and drinking, switch it off at night and send them all under the MHP where they will then get established with the "ins and outs" of the MHP. as for pasty by, that has not been an issue at all this go round, the guys that died were apparently not eating or drinking, I think they stayed under the MHP the whole time and never came out till they were on deaths door.

 

[Birdinhand]

Sorry to hear about your losses. Maybe like people, some of the chicks are just not as hardy. Maybe those 6 came from a weaker mother or they were affected somehow in transportation and just never got off to a good start. Will be interesting to hear what the hatchery says even though they probably won't know much out of the thousands they hatch. Hopefully they'll give you a credit for those so they don't negatively affect your end-result bottom line, but the good news is, you've got 31 healthy birds moving forward.

yeah, every so often I see a chick that is nothing but legs and fluff and kind of has no back end, legs to straight up to the tail, I suspect that these come from smallish pullet eggs and they are the most likely to have issues because they just have so little gas in their gas tank. i'll keep you all posted about what the hatchery has to say, this is definitely a weird one, I welcome learning opportunities and a bit of humble pie is good for everyone.

 

[Birdinhand]

well I talked to the hatchery and they gave me credit for the one's lost, chalked it up to shipping stress. they looked at the shipping route and it got rerouted by an extra leg or so so that could have been it, that and the colder than usual spring. so far, everyone else seems to be clucking right along.

 

[biophiliac]

well I talked to the hatchery and they gave me credit for the one's lost, chalked it up to shipping stress. they looked at the shipping route and it got rerouted by an extra leg or so so that could have been it, that and the colder than usual spring. so far, everyone else seems to be clucking right along.

Good to know. Now that they're settling, is it time for some more pics of the fluff balls?

 

[Birdinhand]

well, I feel like we have made it past the shipping stress bump in the road. Jenks gave me the location of a tractor supply near me that has their chicks, so I swung by and got some extras that were very close to the same age and added them in. we are off to the races, once again! In a few days we have our first spring warm front coming in, with highs near 60, I'm looking forward to the sun and all the chicky sunbathing!

 

[aart]

Are the extra chicks also the cobb500?
Guessing not, will be an interesting thing to observe,eh?