Day Old Chicks!

Our day old chicks arrived today! It was a bit of an effort for the delivery guy. I had to meet him at the nearest intersection but he thinks he'll find the place when the next delivery is due. These chicks are broiler chicks which means they are especially bred for producing meat. The Afrikaans word is 'Braaikuikens' which directly translates to 'BBQ Chickens' which kinda fits them better. You don't hear 'broil' much these days...In my world anyway.

All 100 arrived in this little box this morning.

  They are so cute and fluffy...

And one day we'll eat them!

I let them run around at first,

but they need to be kept in an enclosure for the first few days.

 

They have a special feeder so they don't foul up their food

 and miniature little water founts so they don't drown

These broilers will be ready for the abattoir in just 42 days! they have a special diet of starter, grower and finisher mash to maximise their growth. I am very much still learning about chickens and although I've done what I can to make sure they are kept happy and healthy some may not make it. We'll just have to see what happens. The layer chickens are doing fine. One died. My worker said it had a floppy neck and wasn't doing well...so he ate it.

 So one month and one fatality isn't too bad at all. I'll give a tally of eggs produced at the end of the month, next Monday, for whoever is interested . So glad to have this project functional. Still lots to do though.