Pasture for Cornish Crosses - Page 2

I've slowly weaned them off the heat lamp and temps are in the 30s still here at night.  I have one out there still just in case it goes lower and I see them piling.  For now I have found a surprising substitute to the heat lamp....one very confused rooster.   

My theory...and this is just a theory, mind you...is that I'd rather they put some of their energy right now into feather growth and maintaining warmth, while their bones are young and soft.  They have plenty of time to pack on the weight when they aren't so young and they should have all their feathers grown by then.  So right now we are at twice a day feedings, full on free range, fermented whole grains only and less heat at night.  Will take it down to once a day feedings soon. 

Hmmmmm...let's see now...my situation isn't the same as yours, so I don't know how to answer this one correctly.  I have a dog and an electric netting fence, so cats just aren't an issue here.  I always integrated my chicks with my free range flock as soon as possible...it's good for them to have the social contact, they learn danger cues, they get exposed to all the necessary germs and they just seem to grow better and stay more content. 

If you free range, I'd just let them out in the morning when you let out the rest and they have a whole day to acclimate, they can run away from any bossy hens and they learn to follow the big birds back into the coop at night.  They take the floor(I'd have some good, dry bedding there) and the big birds take the roosts, so there is usually no conflict except near the feeders.  I gave my meaties a different feeder all their own because they tend to dominate the feeder, even when little....my hens and roo would just stand back in amazement while the little pigs ate like there was no tomorrow.  That all ended when they got their own feeder..then I would feed them first and get them started, then feed the others. 

my question is how do you get a Rooster to do THAT???? what breed is he ive never seen anythang like it??

Me neither!    My dog does stuff like that but I've never had a rooster do it....someone gave him to me the first week I got these CX, he's a White Rock rooster.  The last batch of meaties I had were fostered by a White Rock hen~all 20 of them.  So, I thought, why not get this roo to watch over these youngin's while they free range and teach them to duck and cover when hawks are near...and he does! 

I didn't teach him...he just came that way.  Strange, I know.  I don't know if he would do it if there were hens to care for, so I think the babies are his "flock".  He keeps getting in the nest box and trying to call them up there so he can snuggle with them at night...when they can't get up there, he just goes down there with them. 
 

Beekissed- did you do anything special to integrate the rooster to the chicks?  Was he ever aggressive at all to them?  I think its a GREAT idea!  And the photos are just hysterical... the expression on his face is priceless.  Does he ever try to fly out of the electric netting or does he seem happy to stay in with the chicks?

I didn't do anything special, though he was in the coop with them, at first he could not reach them as they were in a hay bale brooder area with plywood topper.  He has been fine with them and very tender....up until yesterday.   He is very confused, as I mentioned....and yesterday he picked up a chick by the neck, dropped it and tried to breed it.  I rescued the chick but it had a big gash out of it's flank from the experience.  It's going to be fine but I won't take any chances for a repeat of that. 

The rooster has been banned from the chicks area now and is living outside the fence and coop where he can still alarm for hawks and preds but cannot reach the chicks. 

In the past I've integrated meaties with the roo and 30 layers without too many problems but this roo is much younger than my other roo was, less experienced and also had hens to breed when the hormones kick in.  This poor roo was in a bad situation to begin with and it had to be confusing.  He is going crazy right now trying to get back into his chicks and they don't like being separated from him either but it's just not a good idea.

Lessons learned the hard way are lessons learned well, huh?