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- #201
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
Anyone else want to report on the progress of their meat birds? Reports and pics are appreciated so we all can learn! I learned quite a bit from Snowhunter and her clabbered milk, although I didn't have the good milk or the clabbering she had it is still a useful tip and method of keeping young chicks, particularly the meaties, healthy and thriving.
My chicks are now 8 days old and have started to eat more so I am taking them to twice a day feedings with the intent to take it down to once a day when they are finally out on forage. They are growing well and I can report normal poops with no "CX smell" noted.
They have adapted well to the fermented feeds, are very active and have started to use the roost (an old pitchfork) that I placed for them. My goal there is to encourage roosting instead of lying on the floor at night. I'll be placing low roosts in the coop when the brooder is gone to see if they will all catch on to roosting instead of lying down...I think it will keep them cleaner, will promote leg strength and will keep the floor space open and aerated each night instead of being covered with hot bodies.
Tomorrow I place the poultry electric netting in which they will be free ranging. I want to see what it looks like and how much space it will encompass before letting them out into it. I will also be making a scare hawk(instead of a scare crow
) for their paddock to see if this helps deter hawks. I figure the dog can use all the help he can get out here...lots of hawks and owls in these woods.
My scare hawk will be comprised of two lengths of pvc fastened to form the shape of a person, with the "body" piece large enough to slip down loosely over a push in fencing stake. The cross pieces, the "arms" will be outstretched and will have Walmart bags tied to the hands and maybe even a few CD discs. I will dress it in a large black plastic bag that will, hopefully, flap in the wind along with the walmart bags on the hands, while the discs spin and flash in the sun. The head will be a wally bag stuffed with newspaper, and she'll be wearing a straw gardening hat. I hope to also add "legs" outstretched like the arms and attach the bag in that area so that, hopefully, the whole thing will spin in the wind as the breezes catch the trash bag dress.
I'll let you know if it works like I want it to...spinning or at least moving in the wind, hands flapping and shining in the sun, hawks thinking we have a bag lady guarding the chickens!
My chicks are now 8 days old and have started to eat more so I am taking them to twice a day feedings with the intent to take it down to once a day when they are finally out on forage. They are growing well and I can report normal poops with no "CX smell" noted.
They have adapted well to the fermented feeds, are very active and have started to use the roost (an old pitchfork) that I placed for them. My goal there is to encourage roosting instead of lying on the floor at night. I'll be placing low roosts in the coop when the brooder is gone to see if they will all catch on to roosting instead of lying down...I think it will keep them cleaner, will promote leg strength and will keep the floor space open and aerated each night instead of being covered with hot bodies.
Tomorrow I place the poultry electric netting in which they will be free ranging. I want to see what it looks like and how much space it will encompass before letting them out into it. I will also be making a scare hawk(instead of a scare crow
) for their paddock to see if this helps deter hawks. I figure the dog can use all the help he can get out here...lots of hawks and owls in these woods. My scare hawk will be comprised of two lengths of pvc fastened to form the shape of a person, with the "body" piece large enough to slip down loosely over a push in fencing stake. The cross pieces, the "arms" will be outstretched and will have Walmart bags tied to the hands and maybe even a few CD discs. I will dress it in a large black plastic bag that will, hopefully, flap in the wind along with the walmart bags on the hands, while the discs spin and flash in the sun. The head will be a wally bag stuffed with newspaper, and she'll be wearing a straw gardening hat. I hope to also add "legs" outstretched like the arms and attach the bag in that area so that, hopefully, the whole thing will spin in the wind as the breezes catch the trash bag dress.
I'll let you know if it works like I want it to...spinning or at least moving in the wind, hands flapping and shining in the sun, hawks thinking we have a bag lady guarding the chickens!
The chef in the video takes the meat off the bird so slick it's like watching him take a jacket off the thing....seriously a cool method. 
I have 72 chicks now and another 80 eggs in the incubator. (I will be selling many that are in the bator now) but we plan on raising many of the roos for eating. I think I will separate the roos into their own coop-tractor. but if anyone has any ideas on a better feeding style for growth that would be welcome.
