I ordered Bresse chickens to arrive the first week of February, so I could put them outside in April. They arrived the first week of January! I had to quick build a brooder and make it large enough for them to live in until it is warm enough outside to put them out. They have their head feathers already, but are doing well inside the barn. Today I am butchering my first batch of cornish hens that I received last fall (they all survived the winter and are plump and ready for the freezer). I also ended up with 6 roosters (I bought "hens" at the feed store), so they are going the in freezer today as well.
Another comment, and this one is regional based. I start my chicks in a solid wood framed brooder that my Dad and I built. They typically stay in there for 3 weeks before I move them to my "nursery" coop (which has a run in the middle of the main chicken run so everyone can get used to each other as they grow). I have learned, and this is in SE Texas, that I had to completely fill the bottom of my nursery coop with concrete before adding all the dirt and shavings - to keep the rat snakes and rats from digging up from below to get my chicks. Also, hardware cloth on every window or opening. I don't know if you have much of an issue with rat snakes up there, but once it warms up, around the beginning of March, we need to be planning for snakes (gathering eggs 3-5 times a day, sealing up the nursery, etc...) I love having the rat snakes around because they really take care of rats and pocket gophers in the feed room/barn, but I don't want them getting my chicks or eggs. Your heat lamps are awesome. I use the eco-brooders, because a barn fire scares the crap out of me, but those lamps look great. Overall - eggcellent advise all around. On water, I've found just a splash of ACV in the water the first 2 weeks, completely eliminates the poopy butt (poop that stays on the cloaca and dries up and seals it up. Had several issues my very first batch of chicks, but never after with the ACV)
I just did my first batch of 26 Cornish Rock Crosses and they were SO EASY! We processed half at exactly 8 weeks and the other half a day before 9 weeks and I've had the All-American jiggling for days! They make the BEST canned chicken meat EVER! You can't get better. Now...I'm moving on to rabbits and sheep! I've raised many rabbits before, but this will be my first time raising them to replace grocery store meat. It's a little different than having some cute bunnies every Easter or so.
I'm excited. I've raised layers for 12 years now, and thanks to a friend coming up and helping me process an excess of turkeys and "asshole" roosters, I believe I'm ready to move on to meat chickens. I'm nervous as all heck, but I think this is the year. I already have a tom that was almost pecked to death by the other 4 toms (or jacks? I'm not sure the age when they go from jacks to toms), so I think I may have to process this one tom soon. He's very lonely in my nursery coop.
Thanks for the awesome video! I was so excited to see all of your great advice! I have convinced my husband to raise some meat chicks, so we will see how it goes. But it makes it so much easier to have you guys as a resource guide!! Much love to you guys and your animals!! 💖💖💖
The Wyze cam is awesome! My daughter used it last year and sent me the link so I could watch the birth of her dog's first litter of puppies and monitor them as they grew. My daughter lives in Ohio and I live in Texas. We were even able to talk to each other during the birth via the 2 way audio.
All super awesome info! We getting chickens for first time this year. This video totally helped me out understanding the best way to care for young chicks. Thank you!
We end up just layering on additional layers of pine shavings until we move them to our barn and chicken run, then you can use all of the droppings and pine shavings as compost in the garden. It is a win-win and we have yet to have any issues with it.
You've got some time under your belt with this chain Demo. I remember when you did it with your eldest son when he was a wee lad LOL. Good Luck with your Chicks! JO JO IN VT 💕😄☃
We got 100 meat chicks the same day you posted this but I didn't see this until a week later.. Thankfully it doesn't look like we made many mistakes! We have only lost one so far and that was less than a day after getting them.
There's nothing better than a great broody! I've got an old girl that's never lost a chick and they free range during the day from just a few days old. She's amazing and let's me help with the chicklets, despite being a full Kelso fighter with 2 inch spurs! I adore my Blondie. She never has to lay an egg again...though she still does during the Spring, but she's earned her retirement here on our farm for teaching the next generation. I've got two of her daughter's coming up and one has got spurs, just like her mama! lol
When my chicks were due to arrive I wasn't quite ready yet. Fortunately, the quantity I ordered was not available when they were supposed to ship so I got a couple more weeks to get everything ready in time.
Also be prepared for the call to happen any time night or day. 3am, we've gotten the call at 3am. The postal workers want those chicks out asap. The noise level can be super high if there is a lot.
Really thought this would be the one... You know... The one where he says... It's a me, Mario. Seriously, TH-cam played the video on silent... I see him turn around and mouth move... I didn't hear him speak but I swear I heard Mario..
If you grew a beard with the mustaches, you would look just like my husband did when we were younger! Lolol. This is to funny! I need to find a picture! Lol
You pointed to where you thought you posted a link to a video to get wifi all over the farm but you didn’t post it. Could you post that and the other links you mentioned but didn’t post? My wifi is really sketchy. Thanks a lot.
#AskHomesteady or anyone really (Don’t own land or anything still in the military) but say you have sub-par pastures or it’s just not good land, could you use pigs to dig up soil and add their own good stuff, clear what’s there, and rotate them throughout your land and seed the previous paddocks they were in? Or does that not work? Been trying to learn lol
sub par can be turned into a good thing by planting nutrient rich, poor soil tolerate cover crops like winter rye. You let the rye mature then roll over it/compact it whole. Then reseed into it with the same. Over time you'll create a mat or organic that also serves as green manure. I've been working on this method in Michigan glacier sand. I had a great turn out of buckwheat this year that produced excellent honey from the bees pollinating the honey. My game plan this year is to take a portion of that 3 acre field and raise meat chickens via the methods presented in these videos. Biggest thing to accept, when dealing with sub par soil/pastures, you can improve them, but you have to be patient. And thank you for your service (88-96 USN Submarines)
It's actually a very light for it's size tractor. John worked in showbiz before he was a farmer and built sets. He used his knowledge of set building to build a lightweight but stable shelter. Really cool!
#askhomesteady Have you used a heat plate for your chicks? I'm debating on the Premiere 1 heat lamp or heating plate and would like to know your thoughts on each. We only have a small area for chickens so we'll be ordering 7-8 chicks and we live in Phoenix so cold weather isn't an issue. I am also curious about your thoughts on raising chickens despite the HOA Nazi's rules that state they are not allowed. I don't like breaking the rules that we have agreed to when buying this house but COVID has shown me how fragile our system is and this government we are stuck with has me very nervous about inflation and being able to properly provide for our 5 kids. We are eventually planning on moving to Tennessee and buying land to finally start my dream of having a homestead but that's about 4 years away.
Hey Austin not sure if you know the Kneady homesteader she has a TH-cam channel. Her and her family went out to eat around Valentine’s Day and was hit head on by a drunk driver. Her husband was killed instantly, her children’s arms were broken, she suffered a brain injury two broken arms broken leg and two broken feet and ribs. Her brother started a Go fund me page. Do you think maybe your channel as well as some of your friends could do a collaboration to help support her. Maybe a video letting your viewers know what happened with a copy of her go fund me link. Go to the needy Homestead her and she posted a video label this is the hardest video I’ve ever had to make. In that video get she gives all of the details of what happened. Just thought this might be worth a try
Whoa, what hatchery are you buying from? I've NEVER had my chicks arrive a week early. Not without the hatchery contacting me 2-3 weeks before that they can get the chicks to me sooner. A day, sure, but a week?? Never. I've been buying laying hens from Ideal and McMurray for 11 years now.
So much easier to let a good hen raise the babies. But I'm a glutton for punishment and prefer to keep my girls only for egg production. Besides, they tell me they don't want to be molested by a horny rooster! lol So I usually raise my chicks.
I ordered Bresse chickens to arrive the first week of February, so I could put them outside in April. They arrived the first week of January! I had to quick build a brooder and make it large enough for them to live in until it is warm enough outside to put them out. They have their head feathers already, but are doing well inside the barn. Today I am butchering my first batch of cornish hens that I received last fall (they all survived the winter and are plump and ready for the freezer). I also ended up with 6 roosters (I bought "hens" at the feed store), so they are going the in freezer today as well.
Another comment, and this one is regional based. I start my chicks in a solid wood framed brooder that my Dad and I built. They typically stay in there for 3 weeks before I move them to my "nursery" coop (which has a run in the middle of the main chicken run so everyone can get used to each other as they grow). I have learned, and this is in SE Texas, that I had to completely fill the bottom of my nursery coop with concrete before adding all the dirt and shavings - to keep the rat snakes and rats from digging up from below to get my chicks. Also, hardware cloth on every window or opening. I don't know if you have much of an issue with rat snakes up there, but once it warms up, around the beginning of March, we need to be planning for snakes (gathering eggs 3-5 times a day, sealing up the nursery, etc...) I love having the rat snakes around because they really take care of rats and pocket gophers in the feed room/barn, but I don't want them getting my chicks or eggs.
Your heat lamps are awesome. I use the eco-brooders, because a barn fire scares the crap out of me, but those lamps look great. Overall - eggcellent advise all around.
On water, I've found just a splash of ACV in the water the first 2 weeks, completely eliminates the poopy butt (poop that stays on the cloaca and dries up and seals it up. Had several issues my very first batch of chicks, but never after with the ACV)
Awesome advice here Rae! Thanks for sharing!
Very informative but the best is get ready early!
Butcher Box is 👍great. Finishing up our first month and looking forward to next month. We can quit whenever but we were very impressed.
I was SUPER impressed by the meat, honestly. We just ate pork chops tonight and wow!
I couldnt help smiling at your post. After all the first thing you hear from addicts is "i can quit whenever i want."
Very well done.
I just did my first batch of 26 Cornish Rock Crosses and they were SO EASY! We processed half at exactly 8 weeks and the other half a day before 9 weeks and I've had the All-American jiggling for days! They make the BEST canned chicken meat EVER! You can't get better. Now...I'm moving on to rabbits and sheep! I've raised many rabbits before, but this will be my first time raising them to replace grocery store meat. It's a little different than having some cute bunnies every Easter or so.
I'm excited. I've raised layers for 12 years now, and thanks to a friend coming up and helping me process an excess of turkeys and "asshole" roosters, I believe I'm ready to move on to meat chickens. I'm nervous as all heck, but I think this is the year. I already have a tom that was almost pecked to death by the other 4 toms (or jacks? I'm not sure the age when they go from jacks to toms), so I think I may have to process this one tom soon. He's very lonely in my nursery coop.
Thanks for the awesome video! I was so excited to see all of your great advice! I have convinced my husband to raise some meat chicks, so we will see how it goes. But it makes it so much easier to have you guys as a resource guide!! Much love to you guys and your animals!! 💖💖💖
It's also a great idea to sterilize the waterers and feeders prior to filling them.
Great tip on the chain for safety and ease of use. We haven’t raised any from chicks yet, but will eventually.
The Wyze cam is awesome! My daughter used it last year and sent me the link so I could watch the birth of her dog's first litter of puppies and monitor them as they grew. My daughter lives in Ohio and I live in Texas. We were even able to talk to each other during the birth via the 2 way audio.
All super awesome info! We getting chickens for first time this year. This video totally helped me out understanding the best way to care for young chicks. Thank you!
Thank you Austin. Great information.
Could you show how you clean out brooder with chicks in it? Do you barrier them off and do one side at a time or what?
We end up just layering on additional layers of pine shavings until we move them to our barn and chicken run, then you can use all of the droppings and pine shavings as compost in the garden. It is a win-win and we have yet to have any issues with it.
You've got some time under your belt with this chain Demo. I remember when you did it with your eldest son when he was a wee lad LOL.
Good Luck with your Chicks!
JO JO IN VT 💕😄☃
😊 they grow up so fast
Very helpful ty!
I spent a lot of time cruising for chicks when I was a teenager. But, no desire to find any now! 🤣
wow you're early! The weather burned us last year with the late freeze so we pushed our dates back this year a little.
Nice PA licence plate! ;) yayy PA ;) lol thanks for the video!
We got 100 meat chicks the same day you posted this but I didn't see this until a week later.. Thankfully it doesn't look like we made many mistakes! We have only lost one so far and that was less than a day after getting them.
GREAT JOB!
You just confirmed again why i let my broody hen do all of this rather than buying chicks or hatching eggs.
There's nothing better than a great broody! I've got an old girl that's never lost a chick and they free range during the day from just a few days old. She's amazing and let's me help with the chicklets, despite being a full Kelso fighter with 2 inch spurs! I adore my Blondie. She never has to lay an egg again...though she still does during the Spring, but she's earned her retirement here on our farm for teaching the next generation. I've got two of her daughter's coming up and one has got spurs, just like her mama! lol
You will love the Cornish Cross chickens!
Can you show what feed you use for starter feed
When my chicks were due to arrive I wasn't quite ready yet. Fortunately, the quantity I ordered was not available when they were supposed to ship so I got a couple more weeks to get everything ready in time.
It is definitely all in the setup! Best of luck here.
Also be prepared for the call to happen any time night or day. 3am, we've gotten the call at 3am. The postal workers want those chicks out asap. The noise level can be super high if there is a lot.
🤣 3am! The sorters get there early and like "Not again!!!!"
Where are the links to the Premier One Heat Lamp - and - the pastured poultry packet...?
My personal favorite hatchery is Tractor supply! 😆
Nice to be able to pick em up warm and healthy!
Really thought this would be the one...
You know... The one where he says...
It's a me, Mario.
Seriously, TH-cam played the video on silent... I see him turn around and mouth move... I didn't hear him speak but I swear I heard Mario..
Love your videos
If you grew a beard with the mustaches, you would look just like my husband did when we were younger! Lolol. This is to funny! I need to find a picture! Lol
How do you recommend getting wifi out to the barn? Our house one doesn’t reach that far
Where can I get those lamps?
You pointed to where you thought you posted a link to a video to get wifi all over the farm but you didn’t post it. Could you post that and the other links you mentioned but didn’t post? My wifi is really sketchy. Thanks a lot.
#AskHomesteady or anyone really (Don’t own land or anything still in the military) but say you have sub-par pastures or it’s just not good land, could you use pigs to dig up soil and add their own good stuff, clear what’s there, and rotate them throughout your land and seed the previous paddocks they were in? Or does that not work? Been trying to learn lol
sub par can be turned into a good thing by planting nutrient rich, poor soil tolerate cover crops like winter rye. You let the rye mature then roll over it/compact it whole. Then reseed into it with the same. Over time you'll create a mat or organic that also serves as green manure. I've been working on this method in Michigan glacier sand. I had a great turn out of buckwheat this year that produced excellent honey from the bees pollinating the honey. My game plan this year is to take a portion of that 3 acre field and raise meat chickens via the methods presented in these videos. Biggest thing to accept, when dealing with sub par soil/pastures, you can improve them, but you have to be patient.
And thank you for your service (88-96 USN Submarines)
Im not seeing any links below the video. Is there one for the camera as well?
And the post office is whacked
Just got 47 dark Brahma chicks last week😊
Getting our 100 chicks in Aug! Sonwe can butcher in the cooler fall weather.
Make sure to order soon! We already had one hatchery that sold out.
Just got our 25 cornish today!
I'll try the camera.
That's a very heavy looking chicken tractor
It's actually a very light for it's size tractor. John worked in showbiz before he was a farmer and built sets. He used his knowledge of set building to build a lightweight but stable shelter. Really cool!
@@Homesteadyshow that's interesting. Was he on walkill building sets? Lol. Can you do a show on that tractor? It sounds nice.
Please link the video for wifi. I looked but cant find it
I new I would forget something!
th-cam.com/video/I4SDMtrOD7Y/w-d-xo.html
where do you order your chicks from????
I literally just bought 8 chicks the other day 😂
I incubated 10 meat ducks last one just hatched yesterday
I didn’t see links in your video. Also missed the Instagram link
How would you snake-proof an area like that? Having them in a secure barn stall seems like it would be heaven for a medium to large snake.
Is your hat Tough Mudder inspired??
I just ordered 30 laying chicken they will be here at the end of April
We just ordered 20, which breed did you go for?
#askhomesteady Have you used a heat plate for your chicks? I'm debating on the Premiere 1 heat lamp or heating plate and would like to know your thoughts on each. We only have a small area for chickens so we'll be ordering 7-8 chicks and we live in Phoenix so cold weather isn't an issue.
I am also curious about your thoughts on raising chickens despite the HOA Nazi's rules that state they are not allowed. I don't like breaking the rules that we have agreed to when buying this house but COVID has shown me how fragile our system is and this government we are stuck with has me very nervous about inflation and being able to properly provide for our 5 kids. We are eventually planning on moving to Tennessee and buying land to finally start my dream of having a homestead but that's about 4 years away.
Hey guys, what do you do with your dead chickens and dead animals? No-one that I've seen talks about this. Cheers!
Is your barn heated? I live outside Erie area. So we have near same weather.
I feel you with the weather... I live in Lawrence county and it sould be 70 one day and 50 the next. And don't get me started on the spring nights.
No, but heat lamps do it for us
Hey Austin not sure if you know the Kneady homesteader she has a TH-cam channel. Her and her family went out to eat around Valentine’s Day and was hit head on by a drunk driver. Her husband was killed instantly, her children’s arms were broken, she suffered a brain injury two broken arms broken leg and two broken feet and ribs. Her brother started a Go fund me page. Do you think maybe your channel as well as some of your friends could do a collaboration to help support her. Maybe a video letting your viewers know what happened with a copy of her go fund me link. Go to the needy Homestead her and she posted a video label this is the hardest video I’ve ever had to make. In that video get she gives all of the details of what happened. Just thought this might be worth a try
Whoa, what hatchery are you buying from? I've NEVER had my chicks arrive a week early. Not without the hatchery contacting me 2-3 weeks before that they can get the chicks to me sooner. A day, sure, but a week?? Never. I've been buying laying hens from Ideal and McMurray for 11 years now.
You gunna do the chicken cam again this year?
do you rat your dogs? or have they rat'ted themselves?
Is this a re download. I swear I've already seen this before. Am I losing my mind?
So much easier to let a good hen raise the babies. But I'm a glutton for punishment and prefer to keep my girls only for egg production. Besides, they tell me they don't want to be molested by a horny rooster! lol So I usually raise my chicks.
Did that roster end up in a pot ???
Are those guinea fowl i hear?
You look like my uncle mark.
I'm sorry, $40 for that pastured poultry packet? I'm out. Too expensive.
Not very well insulaTED is the word you're looking for lol
Mid March is a great time to shave your upper lip
Just saying
Love you guys but I must say, you got that serial killer look going on.
Don't eat chicks