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Doodle and Smudge. Smudge is the first photo, Doodle the next. Doodle was just dust bathing explaining the Purple face. :D

Introduction
Doodle and Smudge today are 2, 3 month old Cornish X. It was only be worth it for me if I got to save 2 lives from the bunch, so now I have 2 clumsy, huge, food motivated, adorable, and hysterical meat birds as pets. It's definitely a decision I'm glad I made, and I'm so happy I get to give them a chance at a long happy life. They have the best disposition and are probably one of my favorite breeds. Gotta love them!
I hope you can use this article as a guide, and for information if you plan to keep them as pets as well. With the right setup, I think these guys are just as happy as any other bird on the farm. A bit more maintenance, but its endless entertainment as they are truly the most hysterical breed I've ever owner.


Starting the project
As soon as I knew what I wanted to accomplish, I started at thread on BYC to gather all the info I could. Its another great source for information tracking my learning curb, and something good to look through as well. The most important information I got, and key tips to keeping these feathered toddlers are below-

Restricting food and protein amount
I started restricting feed at about 3-4 weeks. They were already a couple weeks old and mixed ages when I got them, so I wasn't entirely sure on their age. At 4 weeks of free choice 18% protein feed, Doodle and Smudge were already chubby. I had picked them out and marked them based on fear of humans, size, gender, and how much time they spent at the feeder. I then placed a dollop of nail polish on their wings so it would be really easy to spot them vs. leg bands. (I did use equine hoof polish so that it was safe and non toxic.)
The protein amount is very important as well. I've had them break into the 20% protein feed a few times and scarf down some pellets for a moment, and it took a toll on their weight. They definitely gained weight afterwards, not visually, but I definitely noticed the gain around the keel bone. Its very important to keep these guys eating 18% or less consistently.
Tip- When choosing your food, if you purchase Purina feeds, it was very helpful to use the Purina website to easily compare the nutrition etc, for each feed, and choose the correct feed for Doodle and Smudge. I ended up switching to Kalmbach because of freshness, no dust, and the All natural/Non GMO factor, but the Purina feed comparison chart was still very helpful in finding out what type of feed would work best for them.

Free range or space to forage/coop setup
Doodle and Smudge spend their time in a large, (8 x 12) chicken tractor. They'll be living with an all bantam flock once the young bantams get older, and they have plenty of space to move. They also get to free range daily when we don't have dog threats. I usually let them out between 9 and 1, but it really depends on my schedule. Than they go back in so I can let the ducks out without Doodle and Smudge getting into their food. After running there route to see of theres any easy snacks or ways to get into the duck coop, they spend their time foraging, hunting carpenter ants, and bathing in the sun. They often come back with semi full crops which is great for exercise as well.
This is crucial for keeping weight down because they're exercising and getting rewards, and they feel fuller when you give them their small amount of food each night.
I find that the mobile unit is also curtail. They poop a TON and its so easy to keep it under control when you can move the coop around as often as you like. I can imagine that having them in a small space or run would be a lot of maintenance.

Socializing them
Doodle and Smudge know I'm the bringer of food, and will follow me anywhere for just the possibility of a treat. They are super social, and will let you hold them for as long as you want. They love to peck my toes haha, and do the most hilarious things I've ever seen any chicken do.
Socializing them makes it easy to exercise them if nessasry. I usually run around our yard with their food for as long as they will follow, and then let them eat. This helps exercise them, and is pure entertainment for the owner as well.

My journey with Doodle and Smudge
I love these guys so much, but caring for them isn't without its challenges. They can jump/fly surprising higher then I expected. They scaled a garbage can to get the the feed bags inside, and have figured out how to remove the fire wood from the top of the rolled up feed bags, and get inside the feed bag to eat.
They go for whatever they can find, and figuring out a system to keep them out of the others food is curtail. Below is the process I took when separating and raising Doodle and Smudge.
When I first got them, we picked up 15 Cornish X chicks. They were mixed ages carrying from 2-4 weeks of age. On the way home, I plucked one smaller female looking chick and she sat in my lap the entire car ride. I loved her disposition and how laid back she was, so I marked her wing with Purple equine hoof polish. I picked out Smudge about a week later. I leg banded 2 female looking chicks with plastic hair ties. Both were about the same size and spent about the same amount of time at the feeder, so I wasn't sure which to pick. When I came time to separate Doodle and soon to be Smudge, I selected Blue leg band from the 2 as I just had a good feeling about her. Btu of course, As soon as I got her into better lighting, I noticed the red popping up on "her" comb that I couldn't see while she was under the red heat lamp. I quickly replaced her with the Pink leg band who is now Smudge.
The hardest part for me was figuring out how much to feed. Google claimed the average layer chick eats about 1/4 cup a day, and since they were a bit chubby at 4 weeks I decided to go with it. Preferably, if they were a good weight I would let them eat as much as they could in 15 minuets.
They grew fast and soon outgrew their separation brooder and were ready to go outside. It was tricky since I had to free feed the roasters, but I couldn't let Doodle and Smudge eat their 22% protein feed. Doodle and Smudge were also going to live in the chicken tractor that the 12 were currently living in, so this left Doodle and Smudge without a separation coop. I ended up letting them free range during the day, and putting them back in the, (now to small) brooder for the evening, getting them out ASAP in the morning.
Once they roasters were ready to be butchered, I as finally able to move Doodle and Smudge into the tractor were they belonged. They did great and were so much happier then being stuck in that tiny brooder for the night.
They settled into the schedule of being let out during the day and going back in the coop in the evenings, but it wasn't without its slip ups and feed room break in's.
I really wanted to let the ducks and Doodle and Smudge free range together, but that only resulted in Doodle and Smudge eating way to much 20% protein feed, and hungry ducks. (Because I had to put the food up if they were out together.) I finally decided I just had to let them out as different times, and the schedule works great!
Today, I've introduced them to 4 of the bantam chicks, with 15 more Serama eggs incubating. The Serama eggs came from Florida, so I'm not expecting a large hatch rate.
The biggest thing I've learned from this is that you need a system. These birds are like kids and candy, and will do everything they can to get it. Even peck at an empty feed bag for hours on end, hoping to break through to get to feed. ;)

Ps. Today the bantams are all grown up, I got 4 healthy chicks out of the 15 eggs, which I'm considering good since they came from so far away. I've had Doodle and Smudge in a separate area then them until I can get a better feeder system setup. I will be moving Doodle back into the bantam tractor soon, because like I guessed above, a stationary setup is maintenance.

Feeding and coop setup
When feeding these guys I give them their whole meal in the evenings so that they will be encouraged to forage during the day. I also wet down their food so that it expands and makes them feel fuller when they eat. Its also helpful to put out the same amount of bowls as you have birds, so that they can rotate bowls and get a more even amount of food each.
For coop setup these guys don't need anything to special. They don't "perch", but do make themselves comfortable sitting on a 2x4 that lays on the ground of the tractor supporting the coop. I keeps them off the flat ground so they don't sit in their poop during the night which is crucial as they poop a ton. So any "perch" you can lay flat on the ground or slightly off the ground works great for these guys.
Edit: Today when I moved them into a separate area, there was a high perch that I never removed. Both of them were using it the night I moved them in. What I've learned from this experience is that it depends on the bird. They will perch if they like, but having a very low perch is helpful as well.
When designing the coop its also good to think about their heat tolerance. They are built to be butchered, so aren't heat tolerant at all. They stay in an open air coop, (Its been getting between the 80's and 100's here) so air can circulate through the coop well. Electrolytes in the water also helps with heat to give them a boost, and misters and fans could be necessary in high temps. Of course, lots of deep shade is crucial as well.


Extras
I second guessed myself when I stared the project. I second guessed wether I wanted to deal with restricting feed etc, and the work that is put into it. I'm happy to say that I'm so glad I didn't give up. These birds are incredibly social, and crack me up all the time. I've had friends come and hold them for extended periods of time, and Doodle hardly batted an eyelash. The hardest part is keeping them out of the other birds food. These guys are so worth it, and I strongly encourage other aspiring Cornish X owners to take the chance and go for it. Thank you for reading this article, and I want to give a shout out to all the members that helped me so much in my thread, and helped Doodle and Smudge thrive like they do today.
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask in the comments. Thanks again!

RIP Smudge, Smudgles. February 28th 2021 - Oct 31st 2021 You will be deeply missed