1st try raising chicks: what the avg loss rate?

[OHB]

I'm about to pull the trigger on an order of chicks, probably from McMurray. This is my first try at raising chicks and it's for pleasure and eggs for a family of four. Are there any rules of thumb for the loss ratio? What are some of your experiences? Thanks.

[egon]

Generally speaking the loss ratio may be dependant on the knowledge of the owner.

Keep them warm,dry, lots of space, proper food, water and isolate any chick the others are picking on.

Then there are always the unknowns. Free run eggs are just plain different.

Several years ago we had company and comments were made on the tasty eggs. Free run purchased at a local store.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[mysticokra]

Try to order a dozen. Two will be DOA.
If kept warm, dry and fed only one other might die.
THe dog will get one.

We got 4 ducks to go with ours and now they hang out together. The adult chickens frown, but hey!

If you don't have any other chickens then the group will set its own rules. If you already have a few, then fence off an outside area and let them see them a for a week before you merge them. You still need to watch for "pecking order problems" Kinda like high school. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[opie744]

We have had 3 sets of chickens and ducks from Mcmurray and NO loses yet. We just followed the suggested way of taking care of them and now problems.
http://www.poultryconnection.com/phpBB2/index.php
Go to them and ask questions too, they know everything about birds.

[RichZ]

I'm with Opie. We've ordered chickens from Murray McMurray for 4 years in a row. We have a nice little business selling free range eggs. We've never had ANY chicks DOA from McMurray, and we've never lost any chicks while raising them. We have lost many adult chickens to a nitwit neighbor's dog though. [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

[egon]

The dog still around??

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[RichZ]

Yeah, he still is Egon. Even though many of my neighbors, and even our town animal control officer told me to shoot him. The way I figure it, it's not the dog's fault if his owners don't control him. He's actually a nice dog, except for his killing chickens. I don't think he should die because he has owners that are nitwits. The town animal control officer has fined them repeatedly, and he has a count on the number of chickens the dog has killed. He's making my neighbors pay me $25/chicken that he's killed. He's going to serve them with an order to pay me, in a few days, and if they don't pay me in a certain amount of time, they'll owe the town equal money, and if they don't pay that (and me) in a certain amount of time after that, the husband will get arrestted and actually be brought to the county jail until he pays me and the town. Since the dog has killed about 20 of my chickens over the past few years, they owe me about $500. They put an invisible fence around their yard, but they claim their kids turn it off. They're one of our few non-farming neighbors, and they moved here from the city, and just don't get it. Maybe after they pay me and their fines, they'll move back to the city.

[rfawkes]

I free range chickens and guineas. When a dog kills one of my birds, he has just signed his death warrant. Once a dog gets a taste for a chicken it will never stop.

[RichZ]

I love dogs, and I wouldn't hurt a dog for being a dog. It's the owners who should be punnished for not keeping their dogs off of other people's property. I have three dogs, two of them are huge, and they are NEVER off of my farm. Call the animal control officer of your town like I did. They'll make the owners pay for the chickens and even fine them, but is it the dog's fault? Should the dog die for having owners that are morons?

[egon]

Rich:

You are so far ahead of me on public relations I must hang my head in shame!

Egon

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