Meat Chickens at five weeks old

Our meat birds are still in the chicken tractor out on the pasture.  That would normally be a nice place to be.  Unfortunately, it is not.  As of January 11th, we have had a total of 11 inches of rain.  Today it was 73 degrees, too, in mid-January!  I put a pallet in the bottom of the tractor and put hay around the edges so that they can climb up and out of the rain water if they needed to - and they did.  We have a high percentage of rain for the next four days.  I'll remove the soiled hay tomorrow and throw it in the compost pile and replace with fresh hay in anticipation of the additional rain.  We're thankful for the rain, but it would be nice to have a few days for the mud to dry up.

The birds are muddy, the ground is saturated with water and it is hot and humid and smelly, but that is all part of it.  Sometimes the weather cooperates and sometimes it doesn't.  Gotta roll with the punches.

Below is the chronology of the Cornish Cross Meat chickens from 1 day old to 5 weeks old:


One day old baby Cornish Cross Chick



One week old chick sporting new white wing feathers

 

Two week old chick in that uncomfortable adolescent stage



Three week old chick putting on weight

 

Four week old Cornish Cross chicken



Here is the five week old in all his glory.  You can see how he's kind of muddy.   You can also see where his feathers aren't even.  He has white feathers in many places, but has many bald spots where all you see is pink skin.


5 weeks old

 Only 3 more weeks until they reach maturity and it is butchering day.