The meat chicks grow at an amazing rate and what started out as a lovely roomy brooder soon becomes cramped. Also becasue I think they sent me more chicks than I ordered (29 instead of 26) and that means space was getting tight.
This week I turned off the heat from the heat plate to get them ready for living outside.
I set the pen up yesterday and then when the children came home from school we moved them across. The kids made me promise to wait for them so they could help.
They spent ages in the pen with the chicks, stroking them and watching them. The chicks are only interested in food though! They never seem to stop eating if you give them the option.
From here on in I'll restrict their food at night otherwise they'll get too fat too quickly. The pasture pen will be moved daily after the first few days when they have settled in. I love this method with them as it meas no mucking out and no chance that they will stay on top of their own mess for very long.
After the children had finished with the chicks we all went in and whilst I prepared tea the kids got on with some crafts. I love when they don't ask to watch the TV! Need to limit it more I feel.
Besides a few wet and windy days I've been really enjoying this autumn weather. It's good for the animals and great for us to enjoy walking to school and evenings outside. Clocks change soon and that really marks much colder and shorter days.
What age do you take your chicks off heat?
Who else is enjoying Autumn?
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ReplyDeleteWe raised 24 of these birds here this last spring. (Here, USA, we call them Cornish-Rocks or Cornish-X, but they look like the bird you have.) I let the birds tell me when the heat is no longer needed. When they stop seeking the heat, then I diminish its use. We were still having snow when our birds were about your size. I raised them partly in a polytunnel, and finished outdoors in a portable unit much like yours. Dressed out at about 9 weeks, they were huge, and delicious! Your are right, in my experience, to restrict their food and make them move around. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWe got our birds back from the locker a couple of weeks ago. That home grown meat is the best! When they got larger we fenced off our sweet corn area and let them run in there. Lots of dirt for them to scratch through for worms.
ReplyDeleteI've done these birds before and they are SO food driven... would attack my hand, boots,etc when there was still food in the feeder :( I did feel bad sending them off at 7 weeks (still babies!) but some of the rooms were starting to limp. Ugh. Can't help you with the heat question as we did ours in spring but I made sure they had a sheltered place out of the wind in our chicken tractor.
ReplyDeleteRoos not "rooms" sorry
DeleteWhat a handsome group of chick tenders you have there! Looks like all those chicks have excellent appetites. :)
ReplyDelete