My Cornish X experiment

[duluthralphie]

Glad to hear the first night went well..

Mine will be going outside today. They are 2 weeks old today.

I have a tractor, no wheels either. I will put them in that for a few days to a week, just to get them use to outdoors.

I have debated just making a temporary fence for them, but elected on the safety of a tractor. I will post pictures tomorrow, if all goes well today.

 

[ktn65]

Looking forward to your results duluthralphie. My second batch for the summer are the same age as yours. I have 25 but one is much smaller than the others and I don't expect it to make it.

Mine should be going into the tractor this weekend if everything goes as planned.

 

[duluthralphie]

Mine went in today!

They are a little scared now.

Pictures:


This is the babies home for the next two weeks. I have a thermostat controlled infra red light under the blue tote. The tote is screwed down incase of a storm. I have the temperature set at 91 degrees, The thermostat is plus or minus 3 degrees. the bottom is screen. There is another screen window on the other side.



This shows their house attached to the tractor.






And here are some babies out foraging the scratch I gave them!

 

[JacobH]

Awesome! I'll get some pictures tomorrow if I remember. I like your tractor. I'm considering leaving mine in the whole 8 weeks now, after we had an idiot dog chasing our free range layers today. It took forever to round them all back up out of the woods, I can't imagine doing that with 25 CX. The tractor is plenty big, and we're on acreage so I can move them once or twice a day. Essentially they'll be free range...right? I'm just too worried about predators to take the risk right now. We're surrounded by fairly dense woods with tons of raccoons, coyotes, foxes, and even what I thought to be a mountain lion or bobcat one time.

 

[duluthralphie]

Awesome! I'll get some pictures tomorrow if I remember. I like your tractor. I'm considering leaving mine in the whole 8 weeks now, after we had an idiot dog chasing our free range layers today. It took forever to round them all back up out of the woods, I can't imagine doing that with 25 CX. The tractor is plenty big, and we're on acreage so I can move them once or twice a day. Essentially they'll be free range...right? I'm just too worried about predators to take the risk right now. We're surrounded by fairly dense woods with tons of raccoons, coyotes, foxes, and even what I thought to be a mountain lion or bobcat one time.

I understand. I the same fears. BUT I have my dogs to keep those away.

My dogs are trained hunting dogs, BUT they are trained. They leave the chickens alone. I do not trust them completely but almost. I think I have taught them the difference between a chicken, and a pheasant now.

Here is my dog with my Tom.

They now sit along side me while I feed treats to the chickens, they will sniff the chickens but they make no move on them.
This is the mother (dog) her daughter my other one is laying in the far background, but very hard to see.

I do not have a decent place to drag my tractor, moving it is a pain. so I will be fully free range in 2 weeks. (fingers crossed)

 

[duluthralphie]

DAY 15:

The chicks all made it through their first night outside.

This morning when I went to feed them they were ALL outside pecking and scratching at the bird seed I had dropped for them last night.

I decided to feed them on the ground instead of in feeders to encourage scratch and pecking. I poured their 18% protein in a line on the ground in the tractor. They immediately went to the line and started eating like CX's do. I then scattered wild bird seed (milo, millet, thistle, sunflower, oats etc) mixed with cracked corn on the ground in the tractor.

I checked on them an hour later, most were inside, however they were not huddled under the light. They were either lying around or drinking water. 5 birds were in the tractor.

About 30 minutes later I noticed most the bird outside, pecking and scratching either at the bird seed or the place I poured the chick grower.

They are growing at a much slower rate than the last bunch, if my memory serves me right. I am extremely happy with the progress. I am thinking I will move up their schedule and give them a fenced paddock at 3 weeks age.

I have a couple cross members in the tractor there were even some chicks perched on them! I never saw my last CX's perch on anything.

 

[LindaB220]

I've heard various things help. I've never actually saved a chick (all 3 died when I tried), so this is really just me repeating what others say. They say to make sure and get some probiotics into the water for sure, maybe try getting them to eat some small scrambled eggs? Like I said before, all of mine passed within 24 hours of looking bad. Is the chick the same size as the others?

Also, on the water note, fermented feed drastically reduces the amount of water they consume. I guess because they're kind of drinking when they eat, because the food is moist. I know you said you were wanting to wait to try it, just throwing that out there.

Ours are doing great! Starting to get some big feathers, and they think they can fly. I have them in a 13" tall brooder box, and they jump up and flap and hit their heads on the wire top. I actually had a Red Sex-Link chick (I have 3 in with my CX) fly up and fit herself through the wire fence and she was standing on top of the box when I went out to check on them. Crazy birds.

Hi Jacob,

Just found this thread and it's a good one. For new chicks I put NutriDrench for sheep or poultry in their water. It is a good source of vitamins. It super helps the weak ones or any chickens that are in hot, hot weather. I am in deep south NW La. and I pretty much keep it in the water to help heat exhaustion. I bought the 8 oz sheep one with a squirt top and I put 2 o3 squirts in a gallon bucket. I bought hatchery birds born on 3/23 and they are starting to lay right now. First egg 2 days ago and 3 yesterday. After the die off of 4 the first week I have not had any losses out of 37 except for one that a predator got. I started all of them on fermented feed by day 3 and equate their good health to that. Fabulous.
I'll be getting 25 CX's in Sept and will have a separate place for them. I do deep litter and along with the fermented feed have no smell or poop buildup. I'll be feeding 2 x a day like I do the others. Ok, ok, sometimes I feed a 3rd time with scratch or something. Not the babies though.

 

[LindaB220]

DAY 15:

The chicks all made it through their first night outside.

This morning when I went to feed them they were ALL outside pecking and scratching at the bird seed I had dropped for them last night.

I decided to feed them on the ground instead of in feeders to encourage scratch and pecking. I poured their 18% protein in a line on the ground in the tractor. They immediately went to the line and started eating like CX's do. I then scattered wild bird seed (milo, millet, thistle, sunflower, oats etc) mixed with cracked corn on the ground in the tractor.

I checked on them an hour later, most were inside, however they were not huddled under the light. They were either lying around or drinking water. 5 birds were in the tractor.

About 30 minutes later I noticed most the bird outside, pecking and scratching either at the bird seed or the place I poured the chick grower.

They are growing at a much slower rate than the last bunch, if my memory serves me right. I am extremely happy with the progress. I am thinking I will move up their schedule and give them a fenced paddock at 3 weeks age.

I have a couple cross members in the tractor there were even some chicks perched on them! I never saw my last CX's perch on anything.

Don't forget that you need to use grit for when you start using whole seeds like oats. Thick sand with pebbles will do.

 

[duluthralphie]

Don't forget that you need to use grit for when you start using whole seeds like oats. Thick sand with pebbles will do.

I am sorry I forgot to put into the notes here, I started grit on day 3. I bought a small bag of grit and give them it right away. I always do, I was taught by my grandmother as a little kid, God bless her soul, all birds need grit. Of course she just duh gravel for them. I being much lazier bought the grit.


Also the tractor is in a semi-sandy spot with many little stones for them to pick at.

Thank you for mentioning the grit. I never thought to mention it and it is so very important for their little gizzards to work.

 

[JacobH]

Ours made it through night two. Happy little guys. I think our 3 layer chicks are teaching them how normal chickens at. They all scratch like crazy during the day and eat a good bit of grass. Finally got some pictures. Unfortunately my phone kept focusing on the chicken wire. I'll open it up and get some better ones later.

Here they are day one.

You can't tell very well, but that CX is perched on a branch with the Sex link lady. Only one CX allowed on at a time, because of weight restrictions. Haha.

Basking in the heat. It was chilly this morning.

My wife thinks this tractor is "redneck." ):