Meet the Boys and Girls

Thursday was a long day.

Up at dawn waiting for the chicks and poults to arrive, then transferring them to the brooder and spending most of the afternoon working on one of our two garden plots.  It was a long day...but it was totally worth it.

We ordered 70 White Mountain Hubbards from the hatchery.  These are a kin to the Cornish Cross.  In America, this is what everyone eats.  If you go to a restaurant, you're eating the Cross.  If you get a rotisserie chicken at Sam's Club, it's the Cross.  These are the "race cars" of the chicken industry, so called because they need a higher ration of protein in their food (21%) than other chickens.  Think of it as high octane.  They also grow rapidly, filling out in 6-8 weeks.

We also ordered 5 Rhode Island Reds.  4 of them are for friends (who tacked on to our order) and they will be Layers (chickens for eggs...not necessarily meat).  These are a heritage breed chicken and much heartier than the Cross.  However, they take twice as long to develop.  There are a lot of people who are interested in Heritage breeds and may be willing to pay extra for the long life span.  We'll be experimenting with this breed through the year.  If you're interested in getting some in the future, let me know.  We'll chat...

And last, but certainly not least, we ordered 10 Broad-breasted Bronze Turkey poults.  A poult is a baby turkey.  This is also a heritage breed.  Again, we're experimenting with them this year, but let us know if you're interested.

We picked up the box at the Post Office as I explained here.

 We drove out to the farm to put them all in the brooder.  I've read a lot about separating the poults from the chicks, but a lot of organic farmers indicate that they can be together the first few weeks of life.  The chicks actually teach the poults how to find water and food.  The poults...uh...can't seem to do that on their own very well.

Don't Be in a Rush
It's important to try to keep everything calm.  The birds have already been on a big ride from the hatchery to you.  So set them in the brooder one at a time.  The temptation is to put them in as quickly as you can; to provide food, water, and heat for all.  But they've made it this far.  Just take your time.

Finding Water
As I said, sometimes the poults have a hard time finding water.  I took each poult (and the chicks too) and dipped their beak in the water and then the feed.  Then I put the birds near the water.  This seemed to work well.  We didn't experience any of the issues I've read about where the poults wander around looking for water. They are very social creatures and tend to follow the chicks around.  They're kind of like a big goofy brother.  With wings.

The Feed
I've written before about getting the feed at a local grain mill.  The poults need a higher protein in their ration (28%), but it won't matter much for the first few weeks.  I mix the higher protein rate in with the lower to balance it out.  The chicks get a higher rate while the poults get a lower rate.  I'll separate them in about two weeks and then adjust the protein proportionally.

Thus far I'm happy to report that everyone is healthy and happy.  I can tell by the way they chirp incessantly.  The chicks, not the kids.