I thought 20 to 25 baby chicks was enough. lol. First time I hatched my own chicken eggs. I am just trying this out and have learned a little more each time. thank you for the video.
@@minahdladla8235 depending on size of coop and amount of chicken . clean the coop as often as needed .. the coop should not smell if kept clean .. i have 12 hens and a rooster i clean it once a week . it does not smell
This series is working out very we'll or me, I received a new batch of 52 Cornish Cross yesterday in the mail, I've done one batch of 24 so far, This Friday will make their fifth week, had two dead on arrival, but haven't lost any sense, had pasty butt on one, took care of it, it's doing well too. One of them almost overdosed on food, it's crop was so packed it couldn't breathe, I took it out of the pen set it in front of water left it alone it finally got over it all is well, received your book in the mail 3 days ago, very well written, Great descriptions on everything needed, you made it look simple
Another GREAT, informative video. Thanks for sharing. We generally have rotations of 40-50 Cornish-X chickens during the summer. Last weekend I harvested half of my current batch and this weekend we should finish them up. Until this rotation we always fed a 20% chick starter ration from our local feed store. This rotation we fed a 23% broiler ration for show chickens and we'll try something different next rotation. My question to you is - Have you done a cost analysis raising different rotations on different feed setups, such as 20% protein versus 23 % protein versus a combination of different feeds fed at different intervals over the 8-10 weeks? If so, have you found any relation in the feed versus weight/lb. using different feeds? This rotation I started tracking all the data I can to try and get my cost/lb. down as low as possible while raising the largest bird possible during the 8-10 weeks (basically - the most bang for your buck). I realize this is not extremely effective on a 40-50 bird rotation, however, I feel as though I need to try.
That's great that you are thinking and experimenting with efficiency no matter what scale you are at. I have not done experiments that thorough yet but I actually have been planning some feed experiments for next season. Just couldn't take it on this season. There are certainly differences when you start messing with feed. It's the biggest input even in a pastured-system.
Just a suggestion to reduce the need for that shovel. Hang the water bucket higher and place a storage container under it to catch the dripping water. Make a cover for the container from hardware cloth that is stretched right over and attached to a wooden frame for the birds to stand up and create a couple short ladders or ramps for your dinner to climb up to the water. When you change out the water empty the container below; no more wet shavings... well not as many anyway!
I have 50 chickens for show, they’re 2 weeks old also. I was just wondering how you keep your chickens so active? Mine are not near as active as yours and I need them to be so they build muscle. Thanks!
Hello John, I live in Nigeria,I just planted alfalfa grass, can I place my chicken sorely on the pasture, will I still need to give the vitamins or they ll get all the vitamins they needefrom d alfalfa greens
Hey John I love the series, it isbso informative. Between everything Ive learned from you and Joel I did my first batch of 10 broilers in my backyard last fall. A couple questions...do u give grit to chicks to help develop their crop or gizzard? Or oyster shell or something? I feel like my chicks had really large soft crops. Also when u put them on pasture do u do anything to teach them to scratch for food or look for bugs etc? Like give scratch grains on the ground? I feel like my chickens only ate food in the feeder and ignored everything else.
So I have Cornish Cross, and they are 8 days old. I am considering putting them out at near 18-20 days old due to cooler weather. The weather is predicted to be sunny and 75 during the day but 40-45 at night. Thoughts?
How hot does it get there? Here in Kansas we have high temps 100+ at times and I'm worried that is too much for them at 6-8 weeks. We butchered our last batch a few weeks ago and that last week of hot weather I lost a good handful of grown birds. I assume it was the heat.
@3:39 Why that particular baby chick is chirping so loud and it's like she's looking for something? I ask since I had similar experience with one of my chickens and didn't know what to do.
I realize this is old and I haven't read all the comments but I did see a couple chicks that were pasted up. I wondered if you or someone deals with that or just let it go?
hi John I am raising chickens in my backyard trying to slowly turn it into a homestead plan on getting land in the next few years but I'm having trouble with feed costs at the moment is there a company you can point me in the direction to? You've been a big inspiration for me and I appreciate all that you're doing
Feed companies vary regionally and the quality varies with them. I would ask other chicken farmers in your area what they use. Visit the farmers' markets while the season is in full swing and talk to the gal selling chicken. They would be a better help for you than I would.
I don't market them as organic but I do let people know that the feed is organic non-GMO. Most customers don't care that I'm not certified. I give farm tours open to the public every weekend and that transparency serves as my certification. People can come and see for themselves.
Right now I do Shelley. I have them vaccinated for marek's disease. Marek's is carried by wild birds and I have had birds come down with it on farm before so I vaccinate now. Video here: ua-cam.com/video/Q3DsZQor-TM/v-deo.html
Just moved my layers and forgot that I promised to show you my electric net winder, will have to take some pics instead. Cheers Richards. Ps will show you my new chook tractor too!
I use wood chips because they're more absorbent than hay. Hay can also more easily become infested with mites which would be bad. I use pine shavings not cedar shavings because the oils in cedar shavings can irritate the chicks' lungs and give them long term health issues.
I am raising cornish cross in this video series. I buy them from a hatchery as day old chicks. Ask farmers in your area what hatcheries they use and find one as local as possible.
Just starting out, but thought I'd share my mileage on those buckets. Homer bucket lids are a pain to get on and off, but tractor supply ones are in comparison awesome. They are slightly more, but seem to also be UV resistant and don't discolor in the sun. Therefore it is time efficient to keep the water covered if you use tractor supply buckets and after 6 months havent had to clean out the nipple drinkers. Just sharing if anyone has struggled with homer buckets. Thanks for the vids, I built 2 Suscovich style tractors and they are very well thought out! Recommend strongly considering them among the best designs. I may use the 2 tractors as greenhouses in the spring and I think I will build 2 more next year. Processed all my chickens 2 weeks ago and I have 5 turkeys in each for now. I may put our nigerian dwarf goats in them winter nights to add a layer of protection from bobcats and mountain lions this winter. They have come down from the mountains and an adjacent property has mountain lion tracks. Very versatile design for someone with some land! Wish I was the marketing guru John is, starting to look at where I can sell the very high quality meat I have in my freezer as well as working out the kinks with packaging. Had 30 out of 30 birds make it to processing day in the last batch.
This is how meat animals SHOULD be raised. THANK YOU!
I thought 20 to 25 baby chicks was enough. lol. First time I hatched my own chicken eggs. I am just trying this out and have learned a little more each time. thank you for the video.
Do you trim the grass ahead of putting them out in the tractors. How short do you cut it, like 4 inches?
how to save money ... cut grass in orchard , let dry for 3 days then bale it , once baled it is called hay , use hay for chicken brooder housing floor
Hi does that prevent the place from smelling or should have a routine of cleaning the hay out and replacing it with new one?
@@minahdladla8235 depending on size of coop and amount of chicken . clean the coop as often as needed .. the coop should not smell if kept clean .. i have 12 hens and a rooster i clean it once a week . it does not smell
Great series so far John. I'm looking forward to the progress and the final results.
The final results are usually delicious. Thanks for following along.
Hi good morning I landlord from your videos I am doing the same thing in The Gambia hey thank you very much for sharing your ideas with the people
This series is working out very we'll or me, I received a new batch of 52 Cornish Cross yesterday in the mail, I've done one batch of 24 so far, This Friday will make their fifth week, had two dead on arrival, but haven't lost any sense, had pasty butt on one, took care of it, it's doing well too. One of them almost overdosed on food, it's crop was so packed it couldn't breathe, I took it out of the pen set it in front of water left it alone it finally got over it all is well, received your book in the mail 3 days ago, very well written, Great descriptions on everything needed, you made it look simple
Wow Monnie, I love what you're up to. Congrats on the success with raising chickens.
Another GREAT, informative video. Thanks for sharing. We generally have rotations of 40-50 Cornish-X chickens during the summer. Last weekend I harvested half of my current batch and this weekend we should finish them up. Until this rotation we always fed a 20% chick starter ration from our local feed store. This rotation we fed a 23% broiler ration for show chickens and we'll try something different next rotation.
My question to you is - Have you done a cost analysis raising different rotations on different feed setups, such as 20% protein versus 23 % protein versus a combination of different feeds fed at different intervals over the 8-10 weeks? If so, have you found any relation in the feed versus weight/lb. using different feeds?
This rotation I started tracking all the data I can to try and get my cost/lb. down as low as possible while raising the largest bird possible during the 8-10 weeks (basically - the most bang for your buck). I realize this is not extremely effective on a 40-50 bird rotation, however, I feel as though I need to try.
That's great that you are thinking and experimenting with efficiency no matter what scale you are at. I have not done experiments that thorough yet but I actually have been planning some feed experiments for next season. Just couldn't take it on this season. There are certainly differences when you start messing with feed. It's the biggest input even in a pastured-system.
I put a baby pool with the edge cut low under My waterer. That protects the floor and makes shaving removal easier.
That's a great idea. See, this is why I have a UA-cam channel. The teacher becomes the student. hmmm. I'm definitely going to use that in the future.
Just a suggestion to reduce the need for that shovel. Hang the water bucket higher and place a storage container under it to catch the dripping water. Make a cover for the container from hardware cloth that is stretched right over and attached to a wooden frame for the birds to stand up and create a couple short ladders or ramps for your dinner to climb up to the water. When you change out the water empty the container below; no more wet shavings... well not as many anyway!
I have 50 chickens for show, they’re 2 weeks old also. I was just wondering how you keep your chickens so active? Mine are not near as active as yours and I need them to be so they build muscle. Thanks!
Apple cider vinegar first 1-2 weeks!
Got it. You're a character, I like it.
Hello John, I live in Nigeria,I just planted alfalfa grass, can I place my chicken sorely on the pasture, will I still need to give the vitamins or they ll get all the vitamins they needefrom d alfalfa greens
It is very good experience on how to keep bloiller ckickens. How many drinkers and feeders do I need to accommodate 200 Chickens? Thanks.
Factor about 1.5" of feeder and waterer space per chick. You want enough where they can all drink and eat at once if they want.
Hey John I love the series, it isbso informative. Between everything Ive learned from you and Joel I did my first batch of 10 broilers in my backyard last fall.
A couple questions...do u give grit to chicks to help develop their crop or gizzard? Or oyster shell or something? I feel like my chicks had really large soft crops.
Also when u put them on pasture do u do anything to teach them to scratch for food or look for bugs etc? Like give scratch grains on the ground? I feel like my chickens only ate food in the feeder and ignored everything else.
What are the dimensions of your brooder? What kind of feed do you give them?
I am too late but I love this.. very helpful
Keep 'em coming!! Good stuff! - Mike
Thanks Mike! Will do.
So I have Cornish Cross, and they are 8 days old. I am considering putting them out at near 18-20 days old due to cooler weather. The weather is predicted to be sunny and 75 during the day but 40-45 at night. Thoughts?
What are you feeding during the chick stage?
What percentage of protein do you feed your birds?
How hot does it get there? Here in Kansas we have high temps 100+ at times and I'm worried that is too much for them at 6-8 weeks. We butchered our last batch a few weeks ago and that last week of hot weather I lost a good handful of grown birds. I assume it was the heat.
Hellow can you please make similar videos for brooding layer chickens instead wanna learn from you
how many chick's did u first start out with on ur first run with chickens
Is there a facility that I can bring birds to for processing?
im doing it for eggs but it's still helpful!!
Chickens are chickens and a lot of the same rules apply.
Pls I need direction on how to rear poultry layer
What type of floor do you have in your shed ? Wood ? Concrete ?
Great video! And that's such a sweet picture of the little girl! New subscriber here :)
Hello, I wanted to grow chickens and I have no idea how to make cheap chicken houses. Can you please help me with that?
I’m thinking about starting my own chicken farm. What’s the best drill style plucker to buy?
Do you pull their feed for 12 hrs a day to prevent overeating? Curious because I've had 2 die to what appears to be just overeating.
When the chicks arrived was there no drugs given? Like glucose or vitamins
How do you treat them when you notice eye problem, like sour on the eye lid
Do you sell an electronic version of your book?
What’s that red bucket for ?
hie how do you control flies in summer?
@3:39 Why that particular baby chick is chirping so loud and it's like she's looking for something? I ask since I had similar experience with one of my chickens and didn't know what to do.
Hi how do I workout the feed conversation please
I'm wondering what that 5 gallon bucket is for that's hanging in your brooder?
That’s the type of waterer that I use in the field. I train them in the brooder which reduces a variable of when you move them to the field.
hi Jhon, hope you don't mind but growing 'em does make you profit? 'coz here in Phi. it just take 28-31 days, but so far ... thumbs up!!!
What size are your moveable coops, and how many chickens do you put in each?
I realize this is old and I haven't read all the comments but I did see a couple chicks that were pasted up. I wondered if you or someone deals with that or just let it go?
OOPS! I posted before watching the whole film....lesson learned.
Lol
hi John I am raising chickens in my backyard trying to slowly turn it into a homestead plan on getting land in the next few years but I'm having trouble with feed costs at the moment is there a company you can point me in the direction to? You've been a big inspiration for me and I appreciate all that you're doing
Feed companies vary regionally and the quality varies with them. I would ask other chicken farmers in your area what they use. Visit the farmers' markets while the season is in full swing and talk to the gal selling chicken. They would be a better help for you than I would.
nice and interesting video👍because I also like broilers. good luck and greetings🤝
Do you put apple cider vinager to the water?
what is a good temperature to keep the chicks at?
do you change the shavings or the you put fresh shavings on top?
Depending on your type of shelter you should add a layer everyday. We do and it works great!
@@audreybender6485 does it not cause birds sneezing? The dust
@@c-4839 I haven't seen it in our chickens.
Where did you order you chicks from
When must i stop giving my chicks stresspark?
What's in the orange hanging bucket?
Water pail with nipples underneath;)
Another great video John. Do u market your chickens as organic? How do u market your chickens for sale?
I don't market them as organic but I do let people know that the feed is organic non-GMO. Most customers don't care that I'm not certified. I give farm tours open to the public every weekend and that transparency serves as my certification. People can come and see for themselves.
We love the video - the chicks are growing fast- -
SUPER fast. Might put them outside earlier than expected.
What are the dimensions of your brooder John?
I am excited for the next video, i luv chicken :D
Do you give them medicine to fast the growth?
I think that is how broilers grow.
is soil bedding good for chicks?
HI How many birds in the brooder
How much would you recommend selling one of the chickens for?
I love baby chucked I have 2 and they are blue.
Great video! Thank you
Is it ok to raise meat chickens in ur garage
what do you do with the manure loaded wood shaveings?
I add them to my compost pile on another part of the farm. They're a great addition.
yes good raising and u said pasty butt lol pasty i wish farms did all chickens like this
John, do you have your chicks vaccinated when you order them?
Right now I do Shelley. I have them vaccinated for marek's disease. Marek's is carried by wild birds and I have had birds come down with it on farm before so I vaccinate now. Video here: ua-cam.com/video/Q3DsZQor-TM/v-deo.html
Just moved my layers and forgot that I promised to show you my electric net winder, will have to take some pics instead. Cheers Richards. Ps will show you my new chook tractor too!
Thanks for thinking of me Richard. I'm still curious about that net winder.
Do you give them medicine
Good job man
Thanks dude
Should i feed my chic's during the night when they run out of feed?
Help full knowledge
When you have dead birds what are you doing with them
shavings of what?
Why don't you put hay down instead of wood chips ? I don't know anything about chickens but love watching your show! :0)
I use wood chips because they're more absorbent than hay. Hay can also more easily become infested with mites which would be bad. I use pine shavings not cedar shavings because the oils in cedar shavings can irritate the chicks' lungs and give them long term health issues.
What breed of chickens are you raising in this video, and where do you get them?
I am raising cornish cross in this video series. I buy them from a hatchery as day old chicks. Ask farmers in your area what hatcheries they use and find one as local as possible.
Thanks
Great vid
Thanks Rory.
please-tell-me-during-21-days-how-many-chicks-is-death
Awesome shameless plug. =)
haha, thanks man. What can I say, internet marketing right?
Growing up I was told if you want people to notice you you have to toot your own horn.
Just starting out, but thought I'd share my mileage on those buckets. Homer bucket lids are a pain to get on and off, but tractor supply ones are in comparison awesome. They are slightly more, but seem to also be UV resistant and don't discolor in the sun. Therefore it is time efficient to keep the water covered if you use tractor supply buckets and after 6 months havent had to clean out the nipple drinkers. Just sharing if anyone has struggled with homer buckets. Thanks for the vids, I built 2 Suscovich style tractors and they are very well thought out! Recommend strongly considering them among the best designs. I may use the 2 tractors as greenhouses in the spring and I think I will build 2 more next year. Processed all my chickens 2 weeks ago and I have 5 turkeys in each for now. I may put our nigerian dwarf goats in them winter nights to add a layer of protection from bobcats and mountain lions this winter. They have come down from the mountains and an adjacent property has mountain lion tracks. Very versatile design for someone with some land! Wish I was the marketing guru John is, starting to look at where I can sell the very high quality meat I have in my freezer as well as working out the kinks with packaging. Had 30 out of 30 birds make it to processing day in the last batch.
have you used any vaccine or medicine? tell me its totally natural ?
❤❤❤❤❤
You said b hole..LoL.
do you vaccinate your chicks?