Recent content by TrinityFarms

  1. TrinityFarms

    Cornish Cross Experiment (no, not breeding my own)

    Ken: yes, I've been weighing the feed each day before I put it in and recording it. So far they've been eating around 1000g per day, which I think is still on track for the expected 9.45kg feed intake in the first week. Today I started limit feeding 3 hours in the morning, 3 hours in the...
  2. TrinityFarms

    Cornish Cross Experiment (no, not breeding my own)

    Good reference Tommy. I'm a big fan of Joel Salatin's ideas, and you'll see in a previous post that I'm already raising my chickens on pasture using "chicken tractors" or drag-along cages. At the moment I have five drag-cages, each is 8'x12'. Unfortunately in my climate we can only pasture...
  3. TrinityFarms

    Cornish Cross Experiment (no, not breeding my own)

    Good to hear the different opinions on antibiotics and antiparasitic medication. I'm glad we have a forum where we can state our opinions and also find out some facts. Here's the facts about the medication as it relates to the experiment I'm doing. Aprolium - an antiparasitic medication in...
  4. TrinityFarms

    Newbie Question -Can you sex a Cornish X

    I agree, you can tell the roosters apart at 8 weeks or even earlier by their dark red combs and larger wattles. If you're going to keep one you better put it on a restricted feed diet though! I've read a few accounts of people managing to keep some over the winter, but if you feed them too...
  5. TrinityFarms

    best meat birds

    Just a note about the barred rocks that you bought originally. The source of any dual-purpose bird is really important if you'll be raising them for meat. They of course will never match a true meat bird such as a cornish x or freedom ranger, etc., but you will get a better dual-purpose meat...
  6. TrinityFarms

    Cornish Cross Experiment (no, not breeding my own)

    Thanks Ronnie. We raise our chickens in movable cages in the summer as well. We just had our first snow today though, so everything will be inside until May. I'm glad to hear that you've been able to do it without medication. Do you have any information on weight gain between store-bought...
  7. TrinityFarms

    very stupid question

    bustermommy has mostly got it. Cornish cross are hybrids, and about fifty years ago some of the original ancestors were cornish and rock, but the current breeding stock do not resemble those breeds whatsoever. They have selectively bred the birds for fifty years and do not disperse the...
  8. TrinityFarms

    Cornish Cross Experiment (no, not breeding my own)

    Hi galanie, thanks for the reply. The medication in the chick starter I purchased is Amprolium, and as you mentioned is intended to prevent coccidiosis. I suppose initially I am more concerned about eliminating the broad spectrum antibiotics from their drinking water. The vitamin/antibiotic...
  9. TrinityFarms

    Slow Growth in CX?

    How cold is it getting there? Cold weather can lead to ascites especially in cornish cross. The altitude and sodium levels of the food and water could also influence this, which may be why your friend's birds worked out.
  10. TrinityFarms

    having trouble with my first meaty chicks!

    Hi, really sorry to hear about the losses. I think we all go through that at some point when we raise cornish cross. Eight birds is pretty high for a batch of 60, at least at this point. A 90% success rate at processing time seems to be average on this forum. Cornish cross are DEFINITELY...
  11. TrinityFarms

    Cornish Cross Experiment (no, not breeding my own)

    We raised a few hundred cornish cross this year and would like to work up as we build our market. The limit in my province without purchasing quota is 2000 broilers per year, so that would be the limit for the foreseeable future. The majority will be raised using a pastured poultry system...
  12. TrinityFarms

    Need some newbie advice...

    Are you planning on raising cornish cross or a dual-purpose type? That will make a big difference in how you take care of them and especially how long until processing, etc. If you are raising cornish cross, check out the following guidelines from a couple hatcheries in my area...
  13. TrinityFarms

    Pasty butt cornish x chicks

    Definitely continue to wash the area. Wipe it with a damp paper towel or soak their rears if you need to. You may want to try adding a little bit of plain yogurt to their food to get them some probiotics in their gut. Some sand in a separate container for them to pick at may help as well...
  14. TrinityFarms

    My hens killed a chick

    I agree with NovaAman... it sounds like something else bit it's head off. I've unfortunately had experience with both predators and cannibalism in the chickens, and the predators always seem to go for the head first, whereas the chickens will pick out the body cavity and typically leave the...
  15. TrinityFarms

    Duck Tractor advice?

    Sorry, I missed the part where you said you were thinking of an A-frame. If you're still planning on an A-frame, then I would make it taller than 2 feet. My cages are all built like boxes, so the ducks can use the full area, but another idea would be to take some semi-rigid hose or pipe and...
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