Cornish Cross Spring 2018 Cost/Profit/Loss or Freezer Meat

Mini Horses said:

I'm still lurking by the tubs in TSC

30 tonight. HEAR ME??? 30 frickin degrees!! I wil NOT have them in my house again. I wait.

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Smart - my first batchi had them on the front porch my wife told me "get them off my porch now". I could not imagine them being in the house. I would probably be looking for new wife.

We've had to brood them in the house. And we have a small house! So gross! We probably won't do ours until summer for that reason.

Mine are on The screened porch. 24 in a tub, 29 in a brooder. They are cute, but already stink.

only "little cuties" the FIRST day you get them, then they are "little stinkers"

Our neighbor Robert took some of our scrap lumber home and made me shavings with his table saw. He used a planer blade. I have to tell you, that is the best stuff for the "little stinkers"!!! It is absorbent, I scrape it up with a putty scraper, put it in a bucket and take to the compost pile. Beats newspapers.

For the brooder, I put newspapers in the tray below. I grab stacks of the free papers for the chicks. Even changing daily, they get nasty and gross.

I am liking the black horse water tub and pine shavings!

Yep, those water tubs can be washed out!! When only a few days old the chicks are better able to walk on the newspaper. Soon then can work around shavings, depends on the size...fine or not.

I need to go pick up another black 100 gal tub a friend GAVE me, almost new even. Someone gave to him and he says his donkeys won't use it. OK -- I can use it.

Plus I have brooder pen I built (2.5X8) that's wood on one long & one short side, 1/2" hardware wire on other 2. Works well for several weeks with most chicks. I cover wire sides if needed for temps. Then they go into another pen or tractor device. It's 30" tall, so can use if I need to pen adults for short time, also, even broodies. Bottom is wood but I have a plastic panel that lays on it to help with cleaning out between, scooping out while in use, etc. I use a one section of a shower door set to cover the top...plus a sire section to finish length. Lets me hook light at one end, etc. All repurposed "stuff" on hand to build.

This thread is great. My mind is playing tricks on me, I can still "smell" that lovely aroma that was there no matter how much you try to keep things clean

We kept our two little grand daughters last night and today. The 3 year old wasn't too enthusiastic, but the 18 month old was all about the chicks. She "helped" me clean the tub, clean the brooder, feed and water them. They both were so much fun.

We run our incubator in the basement and then have new chicks in the basement for about a week. DS2 remembers and with Easter stuff this weekend he is talking about "hatching eggs!". We'll incubate some just for him, but not yet. I think for his birthday. When he was born, we came home from the hospital to 3 newly hatched chicks.

We have our two granddaughters from 2 to 6 Mon ~ Fri my sonwsorks 2nd shift and drops the off @ 2 my daughter in law works 1st shift and picks them up around 6. I love having my grand daughters for 4 hours a day come about Sunday I'm missing them.