UPDATE On My Meat Bird Project

[WVDan44]

Received my first ever batch of 25 meat birds from Welp on 9/16/11. Kept them in a plastic bin as a brooder for a few days but they got too large so I split them in to two groups and kept two plastic brooders for almost two weeks but again they all got too big and messy. One died at about 5 days - cause unknown, and one has leg issues but the rest are as normal as can be. Anyway, I built a "half way house" brooder in the vacant end of my kennel. They are not as delicate and hot natured as I has imagined. In fact, I keep a red flood light on and most of the time they are spread out around the brooder which is 6.5 ft long and 4 ft wide. They now have a 3.5 gallon waterer up on blocks and a 3.5 gallon feeder on blocks. Here are some photos of them at about 23 days old and the new brooder. Let me know your thoughts if I'm on or off the track here. Thanks.

 

[WVDan44]

Don't know why the other photos didn't upload so here I will try again

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Looks great!

But you will quickly find they outgrow that too. Meat birds grow faster than others and need heat for a shorter period of time (in my experience). I keep mine in a 6' x 2' brooder until about 2 weeks and then they get moved out to the baby coop which is 7' x 5'. Then when they are big enough I let them out in the baby yard so they have more area to run around. Usually about 3-4 weeks of age. They grow so fast.

 

[WVDan44]

Thanks. The reason I called it a half way house is because they will only be there for about 2-3 weeks more. Mine get outside often and when I'm home they go to the ex-pens and they have the whole yard to roam, but most of the time they stick together not far from the safety of the ex pens. I am almost finished with the tractor where they will be housed full time when old enough and feathered up, plus they get to run in a nice size lot full of clover and grass. The brooder I built will be used in the future instead of the stinky plastic bins.

 

[Jenlyn9483]

Those look great! I have 5 colored broilers and 4 Dark cornish at 20 days old I just moved to a movable tractor.

 

[WVDan44]

We had a cold week with rain and wind so I thought it best to limit their time outside because of their lack of feathers. I've heard of people losing for or five when moving them to the tractor but that's not acceptable to me. This week is warm and sunny during day and cool/cold at night so they will spend as much time as possible outside each day between 9 am and 5 pm this week. Their feathers should be grown out pretty well within the next 10 days so the tractor will be their home then. I have a feeling mine will go 9 weeks which is okay because I've tried my best to go as natural as possible with them while keeping them upright and healthy. So far so good I think.

 

[WVDan44]

I forgot to mention that behind the flat panel with the printing on it is a door to the outside. They go out in a yard and are contained within a large wired structure that can be moved around. When I'm on site, I let them free range within a nice grassy fenced in paddock.