The Meat Chickens Are Growing Fast!

It has been about one month since the meat chicks arrived in the mail.  They only lasted in the indoor brooder for about two and a half weeks before things were starting to get too crowded for them in there.  I finished attaching all the chicken wire to the large run about a week before they were ready to go outside.  The nights were still in the forties a couple weeks ago, so I made a makeshift brooder box in their run that they will use until they are big enough to not need to be kept warm at night.  Hopefully they will be done needing the heat lamp at night in just a couple more weeks.

They spend their days chasing each other around their brooder box, exploring their little world.  Many of them have figured out how to get up to the perches and will take naps throughout the day when they are full and sleepy.  I have heard that traditional meat chickens like cornish crosses are very inactive and dull, even when give the chance to run around.  I am glad that these are just heavy bodied egg breeds because they seem to enjoy a much more active and exciting life.  I know that they won't be as big as the chickens from the store, but I know they will taste so much better because I know what they ate and what types of lives they had.  Apparently happiness tastes better!