First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[holm25]

Ralph do your turkeys like you enough to let you pet them or are turkeys the kind of Bord that puts up with you??

Well we have been getting three to four pullet eggs a day now . And one duck egg about six of seven days a week from our one hen . The drake just eats and drinks we do not even get fertile duck eggs I don't think. Do any of you have pekins if so do they go broody??

For some reason one of our welsimmers tried to sleep on the ground in the pasture last night . Darn hen would have froze to death. Her and one of our buff orps were with the cattle and the ORP got stuck in between the fence and a bale feeder . She was chased there by this crazy calf.

How are you all doing in the cold??

Ralph one of our BR bit me and it hurts.

Mountain mom butchering in you living room that is a first.

 

[duluthralphie]

My turkeys are very friendly. It depends on the bird whether I can hold it or not. They all follow me wherever I go. Ethel will sit in my lap. JJ will not fight sitting in my lap but he does not really care for it. JJ will try to duck a pet, but not real hard.

It is hard to say with the younger ones because they all look so much alike I cannot tell which one I am holding or petting. I can do both but to varying degrees of acceptance by the birds.

The RSL that bit me surprised me. I thought all the RSL were friendly. I guess I was wrong.

It sure is fun getting the eggs, I am getting 11 a day now, but soon I will shorten their daylight hours.

 

[holm25]

OK what breed do you have??

 

[duluthralphie]

OK what breed do you have??

I have "slate blues" and a pair of "slate reds".

I bought all Slate blues , but the person that sold me Ethel and JJ were wrong about them. When I got them they were very bedraggled looking and it was hard to see any color. They did look like blues, but after the molt with their new colors there is no doubt they are "reds".

 

[duluthralphie]

I forgot to post this picture proving they are not afraid of their coop.



That is their coop behind them. They are so unafraid of it they can sleep on the fence right next
to it all night long without nightmares!

 

[holm25]

Pretty we have "Royal Reds". They are Royal Palm Bourbon Red cross. We are going to try breed this tom to a Bourbon Red hen or Chocolate hen.

 

[duluthralphie]

Lets see some pictures!


Will yours go into a building?






And A PS!!!


I found my barred rock that was not going into the coop at night.

I went into the coop to tuck them in and I noticed I only had 2 barred rock hens, I thought I had 3 or 4. I looked in all the buildings and did not find her. I looked behind the coop behind a piece of OSB I have setting next to the coop on the north side to cut the wind a little more. Behind said OSB I found Rick and the white rock he made love to in front of Brutus, ticking Brutus off. The were cuddled together like true lovebirds. I picked them each up and placed them on a roost in the coop.

Then I gave Brutus a nice long pet and hug, just to show him I can if I want. That put him in a bad mood I am sure. I know chickens do not pair off, BUT Rick and the white rock sure seem like a pair. Maybe Rick has decided to quit playing the field for his little white rock.

Anyways back to the barred rock. I was taking my last 4 eggs of the day to the house and I thought to myself " Self, You should check the summer coop and see if she went in there". I have two coops. I force all the birds into one coop for winter and split them in summer when it is hot. My little coop would be too hot in summer for all my birds. Some people here think I over crowd them in winter, but they have lots of room with the run and many roosts to pick from. I like them closer in the winter for shared body heat. This is Minnesota after all, and it gets chilly here some nights.

She was in the summer coop all by herself! I carried her back to the winter coop. Her crop was full but she seemed light. I think all her food is going to body heat. I suppose I will have a new nightly chore carrying her back to the coop every night! Silly birds!

 

[holm25]

Yep they go into the coop every night but when it is warm out we let them sleep out only two usually stay out.

 

[holm25]

In the last pic you can see our cornishX with them those turkeys have a hard time getting out the back door . So we open the front door now . The back door leads to a run with a gate I prefer to free range them but not everyone likes that but they still free range .

 

[LindaB220]

Linda - So the Cobb 500s you got are for egg laying? I'm pretty sure my meatballs were Cobb 500s. If they're anything like mine, you're going to have to restrict their feed for sure! Are you planning on hatching any out?

Mountain Mom - Awesome!

Yeah assumably these are the regular ones. Yes, they got big almost overnight. But they are 14 months old and totally grown. They shouldn't have trouble with leg issues. Not like the 8 week old babies. I'm not sure about hatching. The male I have has not been fertilizing the eggs. The hens evidentally won't have it. So next week when I get my big Blosl White Rock in I'm going to let him loose for a while and show 'em how it's done.

BUT Ronott1 told me to not put him in yet because of security. They have been vaccinated w/ mareks and he hasn't. I want to be sure that my good birds are not killed off by my rescue birds. I am lowering the feed though.