Jumbo Cornish Cross: When did you start to lose birds

[marmarjake]

I was curious to know when folks with CX started having some loss within the flock.

I understand that health related losses are to be expected with this breed. However, a I orderred 25 and at 5 weeks I still have 25.

• They have a constant supply of water
• They are fed once a day and get a little wheat bread every other day as a treat.
• They also recieve garden/veggie scraps.
• They have access to both sun and shade

Is it just early in the game to see loss of birds or am I just lucky? I am trying to keep em all healthy and happy till freezer camp and was shooting for 10 to 12 weeks for that. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Darin115]

I lost 0 of the last batch of 16 that I raised. I limited feed and had no issues at all.
The previous batches I lost one or two around 4-5 weeks. I never lost any older than that.

My hens dressed out at over 7lbs. My roos were probably over 10lbs. I had the largest birds cut up and packaged seperately. If I kept them 10-12 weeks I am sure I would have lost some. My birds were huge and they were starting to limit their travels.


Darin

 

[Oregon Blues]

I lost 5 out of 55 within 2 weeks and every one was handler error. Mistakes that won't be made next time.

Then 2 more killed by crows at 3 weeks. Again, that was due to handler error. I mis-figured how large a bird the crows would kill and mistakenly thought they were big enough to be safe.

10-12 weeks is quite old for Cornish Cross, unless you want gigantic birds. 8 weeks is typical. Mine are getting done just shy of 9 weeks. They are all lively and healthy.

 

[marmarjake]

When they are about 7-8 lbs I am ready. I want em big but not at the "I am about to die" stage. I guess it all depends. I have one that is handicapped I am waiting for last. I have determined his left leg does not bend. However, he gets around great. He modified his walk to a cocky little dance. He eats as much as some of the average bird in my group too. I guess I am a champion of those that overcome obstacles.

 

[PlumpChicken]

I wouldn't keep them that long. I finish mine out at 8 weeks and not a day later.

 

[marmarjake]

I think part of it is that I am pregnant now and when I decided to jump both feet into the meat bird adventure I was not pregnant. I am not squeamish, but think this might make me feel nauseated when I butcher them. However, I have the hubby to help me so I will live.

I have a feeling the hubby will have em butchered sooner than later. He wants some Polish chicks and I said no till we butcher these.

 

[donrae]

I don't as a rule lose birds. Maybe one as a very new chick, but to me that's just how it goes, sometimes chicks die. Or, as mentioned, maybe to a predator. But to something like flip, or just sudden death? Not so much.

My last batch we had four birds get put off until 12 weeks. I really don't advise it. Not so much for the birds, as mine were doing okay even at that point, but they were really large to handle. They were well over ten pounds *hens*, wouldn't fit whole in a gallon baggie, and needed my honey's freakish upper body strength to cut through the breastbone to split the carcass. Maybe if we'd butchered turkeys in the past, we'd have been better prepared!

 

[WishboneDawn]

We lost 2 out of 26 (took them to 10 weeks) last year but one was deformed and doomed from the first day. We've lost none of our current 17 and they're around 4-5 weeks.

We only feed a 2-3 times a day, let them forage and run around and find, much as you did, that we had healthy, strong birds with little loss.

 

[marmarjake]

Some of my hens are smaller than the cockerals by a vast difference. Those will get to be towards the end of the process. Everyone eats the same. Plus I have found an effective exercise program is throwing a cube of bread to one end of the run, letting them all eat it, then throwing one to the other. Either that or I throw crickets left over from fishing in there. They get a brief jog in that way.

 

[JayBro]

I ordered 25 this year from murray. I had them vaccinated for coccidiosis but not mareks. One came unable to use his legs and lived about a week and a half (I didn't cull him). Now at 3 weeks old I have a second who is unable to use his legs. I'm intending to cull him tonight after I get off work.

The rest appear lively and are growing very fast. Well, I've never raised dedicated meat birds before so it sure seems fast to me! Normally I order a straight run of black australorps and harvest them at about 20 weeks, keeping a half dozen as layers.

I'm guessing the leg paralysis issue is marek's but I've never experienced it before, nor have I raised the jumbo cornish crosses before... so I'm unsure what the problem is. Any thoughts?