First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

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Morrigan said:
Good work MountainMom and Betsy! It must be nice to have that all done.

I'm a bit conflicted about keeping one of my CX. I have one really small female, who can't be more than 3 lbs at 6+ weeks. I would kind of like to keep her but . . .

For starters, I'm a bit overrun with hens as it is. We were originally shooting for 8:1 hen to rooster ratio. But, we wound up with 10 healthy hens from our first order of layers. Then, when two new hens hatched this spring, we couldn't bear to part with those either. So we are at 12:1 now and I'm worried with winter coming there are already going to be a bit cramped in the coop as it is.

Second, I'm worried about how she will integrate with the established flock. They are in side-by-side runs, so they can see each other, but don't range together. Maybe our rooster would protect her, but it's only a guess. Also, I don't think she would be able to fly up to the roosts, which are 3 feet off the ground. I would have to try to make a little sub-perch. And, that's assuming she want to go into the coop at all at night. I suspect she will want to sleep in the outside shelter that she's used to, but with only one chicken that's going to be too cold.

My head says to just process her with the rest, but my heart would kind of like to give her a chance.
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Before I put hens in with an existing flock, I always allow the rooster in to "meet" the gals and to claim them. He has always protected them when I put them in with the others. I do it slowly over a few days. They're together in the yard but separated at night and then finally all together in the coop.
 
Betsy57 said:
Butchered 3 more today. 6 3/4 lbs prior. Nice and meaty. Just two left. One will not be ready for several more weeks. That one may get a pardon. I think these last two are roasters instead of Cornish x. I am ready to be done with this all tho. I am getting better at this and quicker!


Originally Posted by Morrigan

Good work MountainMom and Betsy! It must be nice to have that all done.

I'm a bit conflicted about keeping one of my CX. I have one really small female, who can't be more than 3 lbs at 6+ weeks. I would kind of like to keep her but . . .

For starters, I'm a bit overrun with hens as it is. We were originally shooting for 8:1 hen to rooster ratio. But, we wound up with 10 healthy hens from our first order of layers. Then, when two new hens hatched this spring, we couldn't bear to part with those either. So we are at 12:1 now and I'm worried with winter coming there are already going to be a bit cramped in the coop as it is.

Second, I'm worried about how she will integrate with the established flock. They are in side-by-side runs, so they can see each other, but don't range together. Maybe our rooster would protect her, but it's only a guess. Also, I don't think she would be able to fly up to the roosts, which are 3 feet off the ground. I would have to try to make a little sub-perch. And, that's assuming she want to go into the coop at all at night. I suspect she will want to sleep in the outside shelter that she's used to, but with only one chicken that's going to be too cold.

My head says to just process her with the rest, but my heart would kind of like to give her a chance.
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YOU PEOPLE!!

You need to toughen up and just do it! I am getting tired of all these pardons. Yesterday some guy on here even pardoned a turkey! What is becoming of these farmers?

(said with tongue placed firmly in cheek)

BTW Morrigan, when you start talking about a small sub perch, the decision has already been made. You just do not realize it yet....hahahahhaha


Actually I think next year ,if I buy any CX's and do not just raise frogs, I will buy all roosters just to keep the size more consistent. Or maybe all hens because they grow slower and a CX hen is just so luvable.


BTW LINDA,,, I have been without internet for 18 hours. I set up my IPhone personal network and am tethered to my phone now. I hate not having internet. Without internet I might be forced to visit or talk to people in real life,,,YUCK!

That is something I rarely do and makes me very uncomfortable. I prefer chickens to people.



PS. I just took my 10lbs 15 ounce CX out of the freezer to thaw. We are having chicken and ham for thanksgiving day, beings someone here did not process a turkey. BUT I told my wife we would have bought a 10-12 lb turkey anyways, so no one will even notice it is not a turkey.
 
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Well not blood clots we thought it was weird eating fertilized eggs so I would not sell fertilized eggs.
 
I absolutely can not tell any difference in taste between fertilized and unfertilized eggs. I never really thought about it to be honest, and I'm not sure why there would be any difference.

As far as telling if an egg has been fertilized or not. If you look carefully at the uncooked yolk, you can see if an egg has been fertilized by whether there is a small white disk (as opposed to a white speck) on the yolk. The blood clots you sometimes see in eggs are the result of a burst blood vessel when the egg was being formed and can be present on both fertilized and unfertilized eggs.

ETA: The other thing is, a fertilized egg needs a certain set of conditions to trigger the onset of development -- mainly the heat/humidity provided by a hen sitting on top of it for some number of hours. In fact, a good broody hen will accumulate several eggs in a nest, laid over a period of several days, before she begins to sit on them, thus triggering the start of development simultaneously for all the eggs. So, its not like the fertilized egg you collected and placed in your fridge has started, or will start, to develop or grow.
 
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My frog parents are sure different than my DP/layers. It has dropped 18 degrees since this morning when I let them outside. I just went out to check on the chickens.

The frog mommys and daddy are outside scratching at some grain and corn I threw on the ground for them. I went into the DP coop and they are all on their roosts and trying to huddle against the cold and wind.

The only DP outside was Rick. Rick was walking away from the coop. Last night I had to force Rick into the coop. I put him through the chicken door. When I went in the human door he left the coop for the covered run. Rick spent the night in the run.

This evening I picked up Rick and carried him into the coop. Rick complained because I picked him up. My roosters do not like to be carried, they think it is beneath them to be subject to us mere humans. I carried Rick through the human door and set him on the nest boxes roof. As soon as I brought Rick in Brutus started protesting and making some racket. I then reached out and petted and scratched Brutus. He protested further, he hates being fondled even less than Rick does.

Rick jumped to the ground and immediately mated with my little white rock pullet. Brutus protested this but did not attack Rick. I watched to make sure Rick was not too violent. It was over fairy quickly. The pullet then got up and I thought Rick might jump her again. He did not, instead the white rock starting picking something off the peck and head of Rick. It looked almost lovingly. I decided the white rock was not too upset over the mating.

Now my question after the set up. Is it possible for Brutus and Rick to have a falling out? Brutus is the head rooster and Rick has always been his best bud. Now it appears like they are not happy with each other. Can Brutus be ticked off because Rick has a girlfriend ?

I have 35 pullets and 4 roosters in the coop. Is the ratio of boys to girls the problem? I do not have any pullets being harassed or beaten.



AND>> I found an egg on the floor/ground. Dang lazy EE could not even jump into a nest. I had to throw the egg out. It was frozen and cracked.
 
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Morrigan said:
I absolutely can not tell any difference in taste between fertilized and unfertilized eggs. I never really thought about it to be honest, and I'm not sure why there would be any difference.

As far as telling if an egg has been fertilized or not. If you look carefully at the uncooked yolk, you can see if an egg has been fertilized by whether there is a small white disk (as opposed to a white speck) on the yolk. The blood clots you sometimes see in eggs are the result of a burst blood vessel when the egg was being formed and can be present on both fertilized and unfertilized eggs.

ETA: The other thing is, a fertilized egg needs a certain set of conditions to trigger the onset of development -- mainly the heat/humidity provided by a hen sitting on top of it for some number of hours. In fact, a good broody hen will accumulate several eggs in a nest, laid over a period of several days, before she begins to sit on them, thus triggering the start of development simultaneously for all the eggs. So, its not like the fertilized egg you collected and placed in your fridge has started, or will start, to develop or grow.
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I read somewhere that you cannot tell visually if an egg has been fertilized. Those spots are nothing to indicate fertilization from what I've read.
 
I was told this was how to tell, and it seemed to be true when I began examining my eggs after I got my rooster. As first there were no white patches as the new boy was basically running for his life, then more and more as Duke worked his way up the pecking order. Now all the eggs seem to have them. But, I really don't know for sure, I guess. I may just have been seeing what I wanted to see, lol.

 
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Nothing worthwhile to say, bored today so I was playing with my eggs......





I posted these on another thread about first eggs, but I thought they are so cute I should share them with the gang here too.... Notice my life savings just cover the egg.
 
That is a beautiful bunch of eggs! My two EE's have decided to take some egg-laying time off. Slackers. My egg cartons are certainly not as pretty without their contribution!
 

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