How many chickens have you had total and how many lost?

[Lacy Duckwing]

Down to 78 as of yesterday... the Bruges Fighter chick did not survive the weekend due to failure to thrive. Fortunately, the six Shetland Hen chicks that I received with him from Greenfire Farms last week are doing great and are chunky little fuzzballs.

Sorry about your loss. I'm glad to hear the Shetlands are doing well.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Down to 78 as of yesterday... the Bruges Fighter chick did not survive the weekend due to failure to thrive. Fortunately, the six Shetland Hen chicks that I received with him from Greenfire Farms last week are doing great and are chunky little fuzzballs.

Pictures?

 

[Chicken Heel]

Pictures?

This one was taken last Friday... will have to get some more because they are already growing fast and getting their wing tip feathers.

 

[1cock2hens]

In my lifetime I've had millions of chickens and have lost only God knows how many. I grew up on a commercial broiler farm and we would get 125,000 chicks every 10 weeks or so. One big loss i recall was the day before Thanksgiving in 2004 we had an glitch in the computer system that regulated temperature which caused the heaters to turn on and just keep going and going in 2 tunnel houses, we lost over 70,000 chickens that day, just days before they were to be sent to slaughter. It was a long 2 days of picking up and counting dead chickens

I live a different life now and have like 15 chickens? Lost one just yesterday to a raccoon

 

[Chicken Heel]

In my lifetime I've had millions of chickens and have lost only God knows how many. I grew up on a commercial broiler farm and we would get 125,000 chicks every 10 weeks or so. One big loss i recall was the day before Thanksgiving in 2004 we had an glitch in the computer system that regulated temperature which caused the heaters to turn on and just keep going and going in 2 tunnel houses, we lost over 70,000 chickens that day, just days before they were to be sent to slaughter. It was a long 2 days of picking up and counting dead chickens

I live a different life now and have like 15 chickens? Lost one just yesterday to a raccoon

I have always wondered when receiving the amount of chicks that you noted, did you dip their beaks individually in the waterers before releasing them, or just "wing" it so to speak?

 

[1cock2hens]

I have always wondered when receiving the amount of chicks that you noted, did you dip their beaks individually in the waterers before releasing them, or just "wing" it so to speak?

They come in big trays and you literally toss them out of the trays onto paper that is rolled out under the chicken feeders. It's not a gentle process, it's very fast. Literally putting 35k+ chicks in a house in less than an hour. The water lines run parallel to the feeders on both sides, they figure everything out without help. The only work you do with those houses is monitor temperature and make changes accordingly, make sure water lines and feed are proper height, monitor the chickens growth, pick up the dead twice a day and then cull runts and chicks with deformities. 7 - 8 weeks and they are ready to be sent away. Sometimes up to 12 weeks depending on the order( if they want fryers or broilers etc)

 

[Chicken Heel]

They come in big trays and you literally toss them out of the trays onto paper that is rolled out under the chicken feeders. It's not a gentle process, it's very fast. Literally putting 35k+ chicks in a house in less than an hour. The water lines run parallel to the feeders on both sides, they figure everything out without help. The only work you do with those houses is monitor temperature and make changes accordingly, make sure water lines and feed are proper height, monitor the chickens growth, pick up the dead twice a day and then cull runts and chicks with deformities. 7 - 8 weeks and they are ready to be sent away. Sometimes up to 12 weeks depending on the order( if they want fryers or broilers etc)

Appreciate the information.

 

[NatJ]

I have always wondered when receiving the amount of chicks that you noted, did you dip their beaks individually in the waterers before releasing them, or just "wing" it so to speak?

I pretty much do not dip beaks, with any quantity of chicks.

I just put glass marbles in the water the first few days, the chicks peck the shiny things and get their beaks wet, and of course they all learn from each other too.

I do occasionally dip a beak if I think a chick is struggling, but for most chicks that have been shipped I think it is more helpful to get them under the heat quickly, rather than having most of them sit in the box while you take them out one by one and dip beaks.

I've dealt with chick numbers ranging from about 6 up to over a hundred. I do not know if you would have to do anything different with a very small number, but among any group of 6 there seem to be enough that catch on and teach the others.

 

[Chicken Heel]

I pretty much do not dip beaks, with any quantity of chicks.

I just put glass marbles in the water the first few days, the chicks peck the shiny things and get their beaks wet, and of course they all learn from each other too.

I do occasionally dip a beak if I think a chick is struggling, but for most chicks that have been shipped I think it is more helpful them under the heat quickly, rather than having most of them sit in the box while you take them out one by one and dip beaks.

I've dealt with chick numbers ranging from about 6 up to over a hundred. I do not know if you would have to do anything different with a very small number, but among any group of 6 there seem to be enough that catch on and teach the others.

Sounds plausible. The most chicks that I have gotten at one time was 35 and I dipped the beaks on all of them. In the case of the six Shetland Hen chicks that I got from Greenfire Farms last week I did it because I wanted to make sure they started drinking and eating ASAP because they were not cheap. The free Bruges Fighter chick that was shipped along with them was treated in the same manner but died over the weekend. However, he had arrived very weak with a pasty butt and simply did not thrive like the SH chicks have.

 

[SmiYa0126]

13, 10 hens, one rooster, one cockerel and a two month old cockerel. No losses, only unhatched chicks.