***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[mjgigax]

What a beautiful guy! Marans are on my wish list for the next batch of chicks we get.

They are quite friendly, not as friendly as my Silkies but docile and curious. I really like them.

 

[Poco Pollo]

I have a question for my fellow Okies. I've mentioned that I received 8 meat birds with my order from Murray McMurray. I've noticed about a week ago that they were acting like they were too heavy for their frames. They lay on their sides take a few steps and lay right down again while the other forage normally. At first I thought they were just sunning themselves but if you watch them it looks like they would just rather lay down than stand. I don't have a problem with meat birds and had already decided to process them once the get to the right size. My issue is that I've lost one yesterday and one today. I don't see any signs of trauma and it looks like they died in their sleep, one even appears to have fallen off the roost. None of the other chicks show any sign of illness, I checked everyone out after I found the first one yesterday. The only theories I can come up with is that they had something congenital or it is weight related. From the hatchery site they should take 12 weeks to reach processing age and mine are 6 weeks. I'll admit I've never raised a batch of meat birds just to process but I can't imagine that there is anything different from the standard chicks. I'm debating just culling the remaining 6 as for all intents and purposes they act just like the two that died. If they aren't going to live to processing age they are just taking up space and eating feed. Is it unusuall to lose meat birds like this or am I missing something that I should be doing?

I have 48 in a big brooder right now. Take up the feed at night. Make sure they drink lots of water. Around the fifth week you'll see difficulty walking if you've overfed then. Cornish Cross often develop ascites (fluid around heart and inside body cavity - congestive heart failure. You'll see sluggish behavior and purple combs when they start to feel awful.) I usually butcher at six or seven weeks, and I don't feed mine around the clock. I feed 20% chick starter for the first four or five weeks. For week six and seven, I feed 18% grower pellets.

 

[jrjoplin]

I have 48 in a big brooder right now.  Take up the feed at night.  Make sure they drink lots of water.  Around the fifth week you'll see difficulty walking if you've overfed then.  Cornish Cross often develop ascites (fluid around heart and inside body cavity - congestive heart failure.  You'll see sluggish behavior and purple combs when they start to feel awful.)  I usually butcher at six or seven weeks, and I don't feed mine around the clock.  I feed 20% chick starter for the first four or five weeks.  For week six and seven, I feed 18% grower pellets.

I've been feeding round the clock. That may be my issue as they started having issues right around 5 weeks. Is this something that can be fixed or is the damage done? If I can't reverse it I think culling may be the most humane thing to do as I doubt they make it to processing day and they'll have a miserable existence for the time they do live.

 

[Poco Pollo]

I've been feeding round the clock. That may be my issue as they started having issues right around 5 weeks. Is this something that can be fixed or is the damage done? If I can't reverse it I think culling may be the most humane thing to do as I doubt they make it to processing day and they'll have a miserable existence for the time they do live.

Don't cull, process. People eat doves, pigeons, quail, etc. These are small birds but well worth the effort to process, prepare, and eat.

 

[jrjoplin]

Don't cull, process.  People eat doves, pigeons, quail, etc.  These are small birds but well worth the effort to process, prepare, and eat.

Now that I think it through, your right. Right now they would be the size the Cornish hens you see at the store. Couldn't be too different and would make for a fancy looking dinner.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Now that I think it through, your right. Right now they would be the size the Cornish hens you see at the store. Couldn't be too different and would make for a fancy looking dinner.

I've heard that Rock Cornish Hens are often the early leg failure birds or the queazy blue-combed heart attack birds. They are processed early so that they aren't a complete loss. I've never worked in a commercial chicken house, though, so that may just be hearsay or urban myth. Sounds logical, though. If I had a thousand birds and three hundred looked like they might keel over tomorrow, I'd process them and call them Rock Cornish Hens : )

 

[jrjoplin]

I've heard that Rock Cornish Hens are often the early leg failure birds or the queazy blue-combed heart attack birds.  They are processed early so that they aren't a complete loss.  I've never worked in a commercial chicken house, though, so that may just be hearsay or urban myth.  Sounds logical, though.  If I had a thousand birds and three hundred looked like they might keel over tomorrow, I'd process them and call them Rock Cornish Hens : )

I've heard the same, but as you said can't confirm. I still have at least ten roosters from the straight run order that I will attempt to caponize around 9 weeks so I will have some large birds to process later. It's been a long time but I've gone over the caponizing thread and refreshed my memory and hope it's like riding a bike (another thing I haven't done in years). I'm still undecided on who gets to keep their manhood.

 

[NanaKat]

Hope all my Okie friends are hanging on tight with the storms. Saw some pictures on the news of some really awesome ones that hit out there. Be safe.
 Boy Nana you have been busy canning already! Have never tried it with eggs. But I love wild onions with eggs!

The clips and stills of the storms are tremendous! No surprise they made national news. Sadly two Oklahomans lost their lives to the storms.
We put up 69 pints of poke...should last a while. We love onions and eggs too! Roger's family calls it "crow".

 

[Kassaundra]

Coral the 4 girls intergrated nicely w/ the other chicks, my group were skeptical at first but once the food came out everyone just got down to the business of eating! lol Thank you so much you are so generous. I really hope this breeding plan works.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Coral the 4 girls intergrated nicely w/ the other chicks, my group were skeptical at first but once the food came out everyone just got down to the business of eating! lol Thank you so much you are so generous. I really hope this breeding plan works.

I'm sorry I had to rush you out like that. I'm happy to hear that the new chicks have become part of the group without too much fussing. I'm interested in how your project turns out. Keep us posted.

The air conditioning tech just left (3+ hours). The good news is that he found the break in the wiring by the heat pump that's outside, and fixed it, so now both units are communicating with the computer board that controls everything, and we're comfortable again.