After a 7 year hiatus, we are back on a farm/ranch and I'm raising meat birds again. We have a Salatin style tractor. It's horribly hot here in Montana.
Last time, I raised Freedom Rangers and they roamed all over the pasture. I still lost a few to predators, but otherwise pretty healthy birds. Took a long while to grow but I felt pretty successful.
Now, I'm raising Cornish Xs because our growing season is shorter and I don't want to spend so much on feed as with the FR. I started with 61 birds and I think I've lost about 7 or 8 now. Lost 2 or 3 in the brooder, dogs have gotten to 3 of them, then I thought I had Cocci going through the flock. Found a dead bird each morning for 2 or 3 mornings. Could've been the heat, too.
These birds do nothing but lay around under the shade panting all day. They waddle if they walk and many of them just recline by the feeder. I tried to do 12 on 12 off, but they were piranhas by morning. Now, I add food 3 times a day--8 am, 3 pm and 8 pm. The 8 pm is really more like a snack before bed since we move them to fresh greens at that time.
Is this normal? They don't seem very healthy. Some of them are huge! Super wide over their spindly legs.
How do you manage the heat? I tried to raise the back of the tracker about an inch per Salatin's book, but the dogs dug under and grabbed a bird. :-(
How can I improve their health?
Thank you!
Last time, I raised Freedom Rangers and they roamed all over the pasture. I still lost a few to predators, but otherwise pretty healthy birds. Took a long while to grow but I felt pretty successful.
Now, I'm raising Cornish Xs because our growing season is shorter and I don't want to spend so much on feed as with the FR. I started with 61 birds and I think I've lost about 7 or 8 now. Lost 2 or 3 in the brooder, dogs have gotten to 3 of them, then I thought I had Cocci going through the flock. Found a dead bird each morning for 2 or 3 mornings. Could've been the heat, too.
These birds do nothing but lay around under the shade panting all day. They waddle if they walk and many of them just recline by the feeder. I tried to do 12 on 12 off, but they were piranhas by morning. Now, I add food 3 times a day--8 am, 3 pm and 8 pm. The 8 pm is really more like a snack before bed since we move them to fresh greens at that time.
Is this normal? They don't seem very healthy. Some of them are huge! Super wide over their spindly legs.
How do you manage the heat? I tried to raise the back of the tracker about an inch per Salatin's book, but the dogs dug under and grabbed a bird. :-(
How can I improve their health?
Thank you!