My new batch of chickens should arrive tomorrow...

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Well I ordered another batch of cornish rocks to raise up and see us over the winter months as the other ones I ordered a couple of months ago are ready to butcher.

I also ordered some silkies to raise up so that next year they can hatch out some eggs for me.

I hope there isn't any problems with the shipping and that they all make it.

-- Anita in NC (anitaholton@mindspring.com), October 18, 2001

Answers

Hope you get your chicks! I wish you luck! I ordered some just before the WTC and have yet to recieve them. I finally had them ship me eggs. Figured that would be the fastest way to get chicks! Let us know how you turn out!

-- Bear (Barelyknow@aol.com), October 18, 2001.

Do you take your chixs to a slaughter house or do you do them yourself. We use to live in Ill, and there were plenty of poultry slaughter houses. I loved raising the cornish rocks, 8 weeks and in the freezer! Here, in Oklahoma there is no slaughter house and I haven't the know now to do it myself. Plus I am a little scared to try it.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), October 18, 2001.

Hi Anita; I have only raised chickens for eggs.Do you raise them in the winter and butcher them in December ? Do they the rocks or crosses grow as fast in the winter even when they are using energy to keep warm. I would rather try raising them several times a year instead of just in the spring and freezing them for so long.Are the feed costs about the same in winter and summer for 'meat' birds. Do you have any problems brooding them this late ? Thanks Chicken-plucker

-- chicken-plucker (chicken-plucker@my.com), October 18, 2001.

chicken-plucker - I plan to raise the chickens year round. I am new to chickens and have only had mine 2 months so I am still learning. I have a chicken tractorand move it weekly to a new spot, if it starts looking mucky mid-week Ijust put another layer of straw down. We plan to winterize the chickentractor and have a heat lamp out there when it is really cold. I'm in NCso it usually isn't that bad. Hubby is also building another chickentractor and I have also put in a request for two additional smaller ones for hens to raise up chicks in.

This batch I just raised are the jumbo cornish game hen crosses from McMurray Hatchery. This next batch are just the Cornish Rocks so I don't think they will get quite as big. I ordered them from Double R in Florida. I also ordered the silkies so they can hatch out my eggs next year. Right now I also have New Hampshire Reds for laying, they should start laying in the Spring and my son has the ones known as the Easter Egg Chicken.

So I basically plan to raise up a dozen broilers every 2 or 3 months so that I have a constant supply enough for one or two chickens per week. Also the kids really enjoy the baby chicks and enjoy seeing them grow up and they know they are for eating and not pets.

I think the feed cost stays pretty constant year round. Ask me again after I've been doing it for a year.

I also plan to try my hand at turkeys in the Spring.

-- Anita in NC (anitaholton@mindspring.com), October 18, 2001.


i have some on the way too they started shipping by truck and i am just in range should be here tomorrow the weather was cold last night 30s but should be up in the 40S for the next few days i have a electric brooder that should be able to keep them warm enough i bought some guiny keets last week at the flea market and they look happy NC should be better than here thier winter is like our early spring .got a trio of silkiesat the flea market too cheep and extras from a show breeder .

-- george darby (windwillow@fuse.net), October 18, 2001.


Hope you receive the chicks, Anita. I'm only 2 hours from Ideal Hatchery, and they have always trucked the birds to my post office. I used to also order from Privett, but I will no longer order birds that have to go by air.

I've never raised the Cornish or Cornish cross.

My hens lay eggs and hatch chicks all year around with no added heat/light. Winter nights can get down to the teens/twenties here. I'm still surprised how the chicks will be out playing in the winter. They tuck under mama for naps and at night. The babies are kept penned until they feather up, then they can go out to free range.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), October 18, 2001.


Anita, I don't know if you'll need to put a heat lamp with your chickens. We have kept bantams in chicken tractors over two winters now and the only winterizing we've done has been to block three sides from the wind and weather, (first year with tarps and haybales, last year with blue insulation board--watch out, they'll eat the blueboard if it's close enough to them). We're in NC too, but we're up in the mountains so we get alot more wind/snow/cold than most of the state. We weren't raising our chickens for meat, though, just eggs and pets so you may want to keep them warmer so they'll spend their energy on growth, but if it's just a matter of keeping them alive I wouldn't waste the energy, (electric and human). Good luck on your shipment, sounds like fun.

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), October 19, 2001.

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