My chickens.....my friends??? Pics of my meat friends on pg. 13

[bibliophile birds]

there is nothing more valuable than a good healthy colony of barn cats!

my sentiments exactly. but, with kittens coming soon, i think i've hit my limit of how many i'm prepared to look after...

 

[Aidenbaby]

One of the spay/neuter clinics around here is called Planned Pethood. We've had a couple of our critters altered there.

 

[Farmfresh]

My D1 has a all black Siamese mix cat named Mommasita.

She was captured at a construction site with her litter of kittens she was TOTALLY feral, but a good momma. The captors took her to the vet hospital where my D1 was working at the time. Mama was caged and kept until her kittens were old enough and tame enough to be spayed/neutered and homes were found for them. Mama however was too wild and was destined to be destroyed. Then at the last hour a client called with a litter of expensive pedigreed kittens that the mother had refused. With hope they were given to Mama. She took them and raised them all. Then another litter came and another. By the end of the summer Mama had raised LOTS of kitties, tamed down considerably, gotten herself spayed and found herself a lifetime home with my D1. She still helps raise babies from time to time.

 

[Beekissed]

I think my cat population has been thinned by one..... Mooch hasn't been seen for the last couple of days, which is highly unusual....we are assuming he has met his demise.

Spike will be needing a companion....he does much better with a friend.

I'm pretty sure some predator visited the other night, as I heard a cat growling and yowling for a minute....Spike has been rather spooked since then.

My meaty chicks are all thriving and mama hen is doing such a great job with all her children. I get tickled everytime I see her all puffed up with her wings spread when we enter the broody house...like we are after her babies....

Anyone else getting meat chickens this year?

 

[Farmfresh]

I will be raising about 30 this year as usual. I won't be purchasing mine until July or early August. I am also planning on about 6 turkeys and replacing my three old laying hens.

 

[Beekissed]

Farm, are you going to process your layers also? Do you free range your broilers? Do you provide continuous feed? If so, do they get too big to walk? If you free range, how do they do with this?

I think I wouldn't mind doing a few turkeys each year to butcher for the holidays but just haven't gotten around to it.

 

[SKR8PN]

Anyone else getting meat chickens this year?

My cousin and I are going together to raise about 75 meaties this summer. He has a little more acreage and already has a house and enclosure for them. We just finished piping water to his hen house.
The meaties he raised last summer had continuous feed AND water. Water is the most important part. At 7 weeks he had a couple that couldn't walk. They grow soooo stinking fast!

 

[Farmfresh]

Farm, are you going to process your layers also? Do you free range your broilers? Do you provide continuous feed? If so, do they get too big to walk? If you free range, how do they do with this?

I think I wouldn't mind doing a few turkeys each year to butcher for the holidays but just haven't gotten around to it.

OF COURSE! I am a hardened farmer Bee. My hennies always get the best of care and come running to me when I am in the yard, but when your time comes... your time comes. They make GREAT stew hens, but usually I will cook them up some, bone them out and can them up. Great for those quick dinners!

I DO continuous feed my broilers, but as I have stated elsewhere I change WHAT I feed the along the way. All my feed is un-medicated and I give no antibiotics and fresh chopped green all along the way.

These lazy broilers will EAT a lot of greens, but won't forage for it by their selves, so I pick and chop it. They have NO lights so they rest naturally each night. Even at the brooding stage I often use a timer on the lights so they will have a rest period.

New babies get 24% chick starter until they are mostly feathered out. (usually the first week or two) Then they go to 20% protein and are moved out to the Chick Mobile. (I am hoping to use a slightly different set up this season I'll keep you posted on that. ) I let the broilers determine the feed after this. If I have a batch that looks like it is growing way to fast - they start sitting around even more - I drop them down to a 15% feed. Often the 20% works just fine. I usually switch them to cracked corn the last week or so just to add that little extra "golden" to the fat. It makes them yummy.

I usually start the turkeys early in the year with my pullet replacements. The chickens help the turkeys to learn to eat and drink well and the turkeys provide some measure of predator protection to the growing pullets. At least I feel the big birds present help to dissuade hawks. I try to get them on grass as soon as I can. They consume A LOT of grass and bugs and that helps my feed bill.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

thanks for all the good advice, FF. i'm using some of it now!

we got some meaties so we'll see how they go. and we'll need to thin our ranks a little....we have some older layers.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Anyone else getting meat chickens this year?

My cousin and I are going together to raise about 75 meaties this summer. He has a little more acreage and already has a house and enclosure for them. We just finished piping water to his hen house.
The meaties he raised last summer had continuous feed AND water. Water is the most important part. At 7 weeks he had a couple that couldn't walk. They grow soooo stinking fast!

Oy! Continuous Feed? Not good, cause they do not need it.
3 feedings per day and none at night, and if they can't free range, then tractored is next best.
Otherwise, giving them chopped grass and weeds helps lots.
Ours could still run a good distance at 8 weeks, and we had no health issues at all.
Oh, also, at night, its lights out for a good 8 hours as well.