Some meat bird questions/concerns

We raised both this year, freedom rangers and cornish X.

We found the cornish to be ready a week or two earlier but to be around the same size as the FR at processing. The cornish were much grosser... they didn't feather out, pooped all over themselves, couldn't walk well, and are projectile poopers. They free-range a little but not much and have trouble getting around. The biggest problem is that we lost 1/4 to ascites... we live at 5200ft elevation and they just really didn't do well for us here. We fed a high quality, high protein diet and had no leg problems. Overall I felt bad about having them because they were such sad, giant things and looked like they had trouble moving around at the end. We processed them at ~8wks and they dressed to 4-6lbs.

The freedoms also finished out large but had larger bones and structure (frame fit the muscles) so they moved a lot better and had a much better quality of life. They looked like normal, happy (but big!) chickens and looked like fully feathered, pretty birds! They ate the same food we fed the cornishes and lived in the same coop but seemed much happier. They were great free-rangers from the beginning and were very mobile. They were also very sweet birds. And best of all - NO losses (or projectile pooping!!!) They were processed at 9.5 wks (roos crowed at 8.5 wks FYI) and weighed between 4-7lbs dressed.

I felt better about raising the freedom rangers and won't raise the cornish again, but that just personal preference.

It's a great feeling to produce your own food, enjoy!

I have 4 day old Jumbo X cornish cross chicks, and everything I've read says they are lethargic and abnormal. I just wanted to share that mine seem just as active as other chicks I've raised, and they even played a game of keep-away with a worm this morning in the brooder (I found some tiny worms in the compost pile). They scratch and preen, and seem pretty active. This might be because they are still young, I don't know. I made a pen for them in the garden in some recently-sprouted mustard and buckwheat, where some millet had grown and dropped seeds this summer, and put them outside this afternoon for 20-30 minutes. (It was about 70 here and they were in direct sunlight, no wind). They ran around and pecked at things, ate some seeds I think, and seemed normal. They seemed to begin to get chilly (clumped together), so I brought them back under the brooder and they ate and all got ready to have a nap, nearly all 20 were asleep, until my dachshund came up and barked at my mother, who was visiting, to pick him up, and they all scattered like a wave of water away from the noise. I hope that with this early training they will forage more for themselves when I'm able to put them on pasture (for the 2 or 3 weeks after they are fully feathered before slaughter). I might have tried some other breed besides Cornish X except I wanted to have them finished before Christmas so I could go out of town without worrying about them. I enjoyed seeing the video of the 4 week old ones someone else posted. It's truly amazing how quickly they grow!!
Please visit my blog about gardening and chicken keeping at http://maryannscountrygarden.blogspot.com
ReplyQuote Multi

I've processed 10 of my 20 CX and have not had a single issue with them at all. The 10 I left over to process this weekend are now just over 9 weeks and have no problems running around the yard, jumping on and off my back deck and free ranging all around the barn and house. They are healthy, happy and very active.

Everything I have read about the negative aspects of the CX to me come down to management. If you treat them like chickens, they will be chickens. If you treat them like Frankenchickens, they will be Frankenchickens.