UPSTATE NY chickenstock OCT 3rd Sunday!! -The aftermath and hatching

[sonew123]

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new avatar!!! LOVE IT!!! The meaties all look good and have aready gone through alot of food for babies! Im going to track it all ad see how much it truly costs for them until processing day!

My "Freedom Ranger" meaties are 3 weeks old yesterday and it is amazing how much food they eat and then how much comes out the other end. I never had a smell in the brooder with 40 non-meatie chciks, but with these meaties I have to keep adding litter to keep the smell down. They are growing terrifically though! I'm 1/2 way through my second 50 lb bag for 31 chicks. If they aren't too small for ther electric netting I'm thinking about moving their coop out onto the pasture. I've read the sooner they know what grass and bugs are the better. Then I can get them fertilizing the fields.

Funny, I already noticed the smell difference too-not even 24 hours AND their cage stunk already! Cute little buggers! dont not get attached..do not get attached...

Promised 12 yr old we could keep one as a pet DEPENDING on health and such. My plan is to get them in their tractor pen in two weeks -put them in there for a good week and then let them free range when I get home and on weekends.

 

[Dacy Meadow Farmer]

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My "Freedom Ranger" meaties are 3 weeks old yesterday and it is amazing how much food they eat and then how much comes out the other end. I never had a smell in the brooder with 40 non-meatie chciks, but with these meaties I have to keep adding litter to keep the smell down. They are growing terrifically though! I'm 1/2 way through my second 50 lb bag for 31 chicks. If they aren't too small for ther electric netting I'm thinking about moving their coop out onto the pasture. I've read the sooner they know what grass and bugs are the better. Then I can get them fertilizing the fields.

Funny, I already noticed the smell difference too-not even 24 hours AND their cage stunk already! Cute little buggers! dont not get attached..do not get attached...

Promised 12 yr old we could keep one as a pet DEPENDING on health and such. My plan is to get them in their tractor pen in two weeks -put them in there for a good week and then let them free range when I get home and on weekends.

Yes, these little buggers are engaging. What breed are your meaties?

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Funny, I already noticed the smell difference too-not even 24 hours AND their cage stunk already! Cute little buggers! dont not get attached..do not get attached...

Promised 12 yr old we could keep one as a pet DEPENDING on health and such. My plan is to get them in their tractor pen in two weeks -put them in there for a good week and then let them free range when I get home and on weekends.

Yes, these little buggers are engaging. What breed are your meaties?

Cx all girls so they'll dress out about 5 lbs each hopefully more if I freerange them-they said processing at 7 weeks but by the time chickenstock comes they'll be 8 weeks old so Im hoping that will be an extra lb on them.

 

[Dacy Meadow Farmer]

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Yes, these little buggers are engaging. What breed are your meaties?

Cx all girls so they'll dress out about 5 lbs each hopefully more if I freerange them-they said processing at 7 weeks but by the time chickenstock comes they'll be 8 weeks old so Im hoping that will be an extra lb on them.

The Cornish Crosses we processed last weekend at the workshop were 8 weeks old and they were easily 5 lbs. Only a few smaller ones. But there were a lot of roosters too.Excuse me if you already know this, but I heard that if the Cornish are being lazy and not eating the pasture as much as you think they should, restrict their food. Take the feed away for several hours a day and then they will be sure to eat the pasture. Otherwise they may just lay around the feeder.

 

[Sportsterjeep]

I soooo did not like doing cornish x, to the point that I'd rather eat my large fowl excess roos than doing them again. I'm curious to see if yours act like ours did. Changing out bedding and refilling
water was like disturbing a hornets nest, they thought fingers and hands were food too.

 

[sonew123]

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good grief Jeremy! NOW YOU SCARING ME! i BETTER WEAR GLOVES TO FEED THEM!!!

 

[acid_chipmunk]

He's not kidding either! I wouldn't go near them they were so awful! I was watching him try to grab the last one to process the other day and it was hilarious to watch a 6'4" man jerk his hand away from a 5 lb chicken! Poor Jeremy!


And, the smell is horrible. They smelled worse than our 3 goats do! They were only in a brooder for about 2 weeks before I couldn't take it anymore and they went outside.

 

[sonew123]

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BROODER IS ALREADY outside!!! in outside garage-great...I might just pray for alot of roos next year instead! LOL

 

[acid_chipmunk]

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BROODER IS ALREADY outside!!! in outside garage-great...I might just pray for alot of roos next year instead! LOL

The CX's were a learning experience for us. What did we learn? We will NEVER do them again! Our extra BLRW roos will be going to freezer camp before we ever do CX's again!

 

[sonew123]

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BROODER IS ALREADY outside!!! in outside garage-great...I might just pray for alot of roos next year instead! LOL

The CX's were a learning experience for us. What did we learn? We will NEVER do them again! Our extra BLRW roos will be going to freezer camp before we ever do CX's again!

Not only do I have my 26 CX's but about 12 more BLRW roos to process too!