Get Yer Toque On!

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
They say at some point they’ll develop leg problems.

Right now they’ve just developed a tendency to fly the coop!

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That won't last long. They can develop leg problems depending on how big you want them to get. I've grown them as big as 12-13 lbs. The biggest I ever had was a little over 15 lbs.You probably don't want them that big, but here's a few tricks I learned along the way. As they grow start hanging the feeder so they have to reach for feed, otherwise they will literally sit in front of it and eat all day. As long as they can get their head into the feeder it's not too high, especially if you are feeding a grain mix instead of pellets. If they can see what they are eating they will pick through it and throw what they don't want on the floor.

Don't make sure they constantly have feed in front of them. Feed them twice a day. That forces them to walk around, looking for something to scratch and dig for.You will be able to tell the difference between starving and hungry in short time. If I had then in large enough pen, I used to just throw the feed on the ground and let them run around for it. Anything to keep them mobile.

Unless you want larger chickens, they should be at 6-7 lbs in probably about 8 or 9 weeks and you shouldn't have any problems just feeding them as I've said. If you want them to get heavier, let me know and I'll tell you what I found out.
 

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
What kind of light did you get? How come you are making a change from day light to night light?
Just the red heat lights. When I picked them up the store only had clear ones so to keep them warm enough I needed to keep the clear ones on all night. 24 hour bright light and they don’t sleep much

They recommend 23 hours of daylight at first so I thought I’d be ok for a bit but I started losing chicks this week. Second one looked more like a heart issue so I hurried up and got the lights so I can make them sleep better than short naps.

Plus it’s only a matter of time in a small space with a bright light that they start picking each other. That’s a battle I don’t want to fight if I don’t have too.

Now all the heat lamps are red so I don’t need to worry about them getting cold when I darken it. They just get a normal light bulb sun.
 
Just the red heat lights. When I picked them up the store only had clear ones so to keep them warm enough I needed to keep the clear ones on all night. 24 hour bright light and they don’t sleep much

They recommend 23 hours of daylight at first so I thought I’d be ok for a bit but I started losing chicks this week. Second one looked more like a heart issue so I hurried up and got the lights so I can make them sleep better than short naps.

Plus it’s only a matter of time in a small space with a bright light that they start picking each other. That’s a battle I don’t want to fight if I don’t have too.

Now all the heat lamps are red so I don’t need to worry about them getting cold when I darken it. They just get a normal light bulb sun.
I've never given lighting a second thought. I do prefer the red one but I never noticed it made much difference in the chick's health. I just leave ir on until they are feathered out and then turn it off. When Ithey get about half feathered I open the sides of their brooder so they can get out and run around , but that is mostly because they are starting to get crowded.
 
Oh okay, I understand now. I'll have to look into changing my bulb, or perhaps changing the color. It was kind of pricey, They only had a sodium light when I picked up the chicks this year, $22. See what I can figure out.
 

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
Oh okay, I understand now. I'll have to look into changing my bulb, or perhaps changing the color. It was kind of pricey, They only had a sodium light when I picked up the chicks this year, $22. See what I can figure out.
All the hardware and farm stores here have the red ones. If you can’t find them there the pet stores should have some. They probably are lower watts but if you’re already in a warmer place it’d be fine.

The shed mine are in isn’t much warmer than the temp outside so I need enough to keep it warm on the cold nights.
 
I've found that going lower than a 250W bulb is too risky here. I don't have the extremes you get but my averages are probably similar. Also my barn is exposed to the north and east winds and the last few years they have been slow to leave. And it's an old barn so not particcularly wind proof or warm. I'll have to poke around and see if I can find a red one that high.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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