Hopefully someone can help us here... This is our first time with broilers, Cornish Cross.
We have 50 broilers, they are in an 80sf box, being moved twice a day on pasture. Plenty of feed 21% protein starter, non-gmo. Plenty of water. Actually, we soak the feed overnight, then drain. They drink less water and go right at the food.
Last week, we had some weather: temp. dropped abruptly and rainy, and one died, pretty sure it was exposure. I had removed the end panel because they days were so warm and at one point they needed more air flow under the roof... bad timing there.
Last night we had very wet weather, not nearly so cold, in the 50s. The box is on a bit of slope, tiny slope but enough to drain the water. They aren't sitting in puddles and they have a good roof cover.
Today, there are two that are doing poorly. One will be dead here shortly, the other likely before morning. Very distressing.
What could it be? We are mystified.
Here are some observations/thoughts:
1. They eat voraciously. Chow hounds. Is that normal?
2. They poop just as voraciously. We had to start moving the box twice a day because of the poop... The ground is literally flattened by the time we move it.
3. Some of them had diarrhea when we first started wetting the food, but we started draining it better and that stopped. The poop is green with some white just like our layers.
4. They are pretty well feathered. We have nothing to compare this too but they don't look terribly scraggly like they did for so long.
5. They are about 3 pounds now. Is that normal? I thought they'd be heavier and maybe my digital kitchen scale didn't weigh them right. They LOOK like they are about to explode...
Of the 50 we got, 1 died en route to us, one died in the baby brooder, one in the bigger chick brooder -- all 3 looked like they got crowded rather than sick. The one from last week and these two take us down to 44.
Any thoughts or advice, we would dearly appreciate. Thank you.
We have 50 broilers, they are in an 80sf box, being moved twice a day on pasture. Plenty of feed 21% protein starter, non-gmo. Plenty of water. Actually, we soak the feed overnight, then drain. They drink less water and go right at the food.
Last week, we had some weather: temp. dropped abruptly and rainy, and one died, pretty sure it was exposure. I had removed the end panel because they days were so warm and at one point they needed more air flow under the roof... bad timing there.
Last night we had very wet weather, not nearly so cold, in the 50s. The box is on a bit of slope, tiny slope but enough to drain the water. They aren't sitting in puddles and they have a good roof cover.
Today, there are two that are doing poorly. One will be dead here shortly, the other likely before morning. Very distressing.
What could it be? We are mystified.
Here are some observations/thoughts:
1. They eat voraciously. Chow hounds. Is that normal?
2. They poop just as voraciously. We had to start moving the box twice a day because of the poop... The ground is literally flattened by the time we move it.
3. Some of them had diarrhea when we first started wetting the food, but we started draining it better and that stopped. The poop is green with some white just like our layers.
4. They are pretty well feathered. We have nothing to compare this too but they don't look terribly scraggly like they did for so long.
5. They are about 3 pounds now. Is that normal? I thought they'd be heavier and maybe my digital kitchen scale didn't weigh them right. They LOOK like they are about to explode...
Of the 50 we got, 1 died en route to us, one died in the baby brooder, one in the bigger chick brooder -- all 3 looked like they got crowded rather than sick. The one from last week and these two take us down to 44.
Any thoughts or advice, we would dearly appreciate. Thank you.
