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Barnyard Buddies:  A few more chicken questions  |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 11 2010 : 07:10:36 AM
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Hi farmgirls. The first bunch from my husband's homemade incubator never hatched so we are looking to hatch again soon. But here are some questions we need answered first:
1. What is the age of maturity on meat birds for butchering? Not the cornish rock (the ones who are ready to butcher in 6-8 weeks). I have looked up different meat birds or dual purpose and they will simply say "short to medium maturity time". We are thinking if we have another hatch by the beginning of May, would we be able to butcher them in Sept./Oct...or would we need to do it before then?
2. Can meat birds and egg layers be in the same coop/yard? Will the meat birds pick on the egg layers, or doesn't anybody really care?
3. Along the same coop/yard question - we talked to some people at the feed store who said that you should never feed a meat bird after 8 pm at night because they will eat and eat and eat and don't have a mechanism to say "I'm full". We currently put food out for our egg layers at night - that's how we get them to come in! What do you ladies think about what the feed store people said?
4. Can meat birds and egg layers free range together? Are meat birds more destructive to the yard than egg layers? Does it just depend on the bird? Do you not free range meat birds?
5. How many birds are too many to free range on a 1/2 acre yard? This is a traditional backyard with grass and trees and all that good stuff. My mom is concerned they are going to destroy the yard once we finally let them out. I told her another option was to not have them out all day long.
6. Can you incubate eggs of chickens, turkeys and pheasants all together?
Thanks ladies for answering all our green questions. I'm sure we are just overthinking everything. :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.wakeupstartlearning.blogspot.com
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
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Chives
True Blue Farmgirl
232 Posts
Victoria
Shelton
Washington
USA
232 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2010 : 09:42:41 AM
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| I think turkey eggs are 28 days and chicken eggs are 21 days to hatch and I think they are at diffrent Temps. I have all my chickens together, I have bantys,wyndottes,rhodes, ect. They seem to get along okay. I let mine free range. I dont know how many per acre but as long as there is bugs I guess. I leave food in thier feeder all the time. They dont seem to gobble it down. Chickens like to scratch for food. It works for me anyway. Vicki sister #280 |
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magnoliakathy
True Blue Farmgirl
453 Posts
Kathryn
Magnolia
Texas
USA
453 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2010 : 11:51:19 AM
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Meat birds are ready at 6-8 weeks or 3-4 pounds. The meat birds will get too heavy if you wait too long and begin to have problems, walking and getting up on the roost. I have raised orpingtons, barred rocks, rhode island reds, bantys, geese, ducks, peacocks and turkeys together. Turkeys will get agressive and that is when I seperate them to a different pen. Peacocks want to go to the trees around 8 mos old and I let them. I have used chicken hens to hatch and raise, chickens, ducks, geese, and peacocks. Any chicken breed can be put together in an incubator, but turkeys, peacocks, ducks and geese have different incubation times and temperatures. As long as, the birds are coexisting well, I leave them alone. When aggression starts, I seperate for the well being of the flock.
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
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mamasunshine
Farmgirl in Training
18 Posts
Stella
Humboldt County
Ca
18 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2010 : 2:21:11 PM
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1. What is the age of maturity on meat birds for butchering? Not the cornish rock (the ones who are ready to butcher in 6-8 weeks). I have looked up different meat birds or dual purpose and they will simply say "short to medium maturity time". We are thinking if we have another hatch by the beginning of May, would we be able to butcher them in Sept./Oct...or would we need to do it before then?
It depends on the breed. This year we ordered freedom ranger chicks after not liking the sedentary lifestyle of our cornish crosses last year. The freedom rangers are supposed to be done in 9-11 weeks. They are bred to free range and forage and still grow pretty quickly. I think you can butcher your chickens whenever you want, I think the longer you wait the less tender the meat, but slow cooking fixes that.
2. Can meat birds and egg layers be in the same coop/yard? Will the meat birds pick on the egg layers, or doesn't anybody really care?
I don't think you will have any problems unless you get the cornish crosses. Our egg layers picked on them, because they were always just sitting around.
3. Along the same coop/yard question - we talked to some people at the feed store who said that you should never feed a meat bird after 8 pm at night because they will eat and eat and eat and don't have a mechanism to say "I'm full". We currently put food out for our egg layers at night - that's how we get them to come in! What do you ladies think about what the feed store people said? That is only for the crosses. We left feed out all night even when we had the crosses and they didn't seem to be affected.
4. Can meat birds and egg layers free range together? Are meat birds more destructive to the yard than egg layers? Does it just depend on the bird? Do you not free range meat birds? Again I think it depends on what breed. Our cornish crosses last year weren't even interested in going in the yard, it was to far from the feed bucket. Any other breed you would use though would be more dual purpose and act like a regular hen.
5. How many birds are too many to free range on a 1/2 acre yard? This is a traditional backyard with grass and trees and all that good stuff. My mom is concerned they are going to destroy the yard once we finally let them out. I told her another option was to not have them out all day long.
6. Can you incubate eggs of chickens, turkeys and pheasants all together?
Thanks ladies for answering all our green questions. I'm sure we are just overthinking everything. :)
Life has no limits, if your not afraid to get in it ... |
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Barnyard Buddies: A few more chicken questions |
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A few more chicken questions
