First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

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Congrats Ralph!!!!

I am turkey hunting this morning and hoping that more babies will have hatched when I get back.
 
Hello Raisinemright. I really like the look of your meat bird tractors. Now I know what I need to build for my first run of Cornish X. What size is your tractor, and how many birds fit into one humanely?
 
GramaCindy said:
Hello Raisinemright. I really like the look of your meat bird tractors. Now I know what I need to build for my first run of Cornish X. What size is your tractor, and how many birds fit into one humanely?
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Welcome to the thread.

Do you plan to raise them their entire lives in a tractor or just while they are young?

I use my tractor as a "base" letting them out to free range every day. I have 2 4x4 boxes I use as a brooder coop, One of the boxes has a heat lamp in it for when they are young. I add the other box when they get a little older and need more space. I have a 5x10 ft wire tractor, I raise 25 in there, BUT I let them out to free range every day.
 
Yay for the JJ and Ethel baby!!

How is Bert today? I hope he is walking on his own. And it doesn't sound cold, that is the fact of how things are. I hand fed and watered Bonnie for 2 weeks before I said enough was enough. Then we culled her.

Holm- Did you find any turkey babies?

I have a dead CX this morning. When everyone was at the feeder, I did a count and noticed one missing. He (judging by wing feathers) was laying on top of the heating pad brooder. His body is very firm, neck is wobbly so I believe rigor has passed. He is in the fridge for a couple of days and then I will necropsy. Not sure what it was. I started them on the fermented feed yesterday (I like to wait until they are a bit older so the protein is not too much), so if it was that, I would imagine others would be looking unwell. But everyone was happily eating at the feeder, flapping and chirping.
 
MM we bought 3 BB whites and bronze yesterday!!

Hope u find out what caused the death of the CX. When we raised them some of them would be running and playing go lay down and an hour later u would find them dead... But we had 250 of them so we had quite a few deaths...
 
GramaCindy said:
Hello Raisinemright. I really like the look of your meat bird tractors. Now I know what I need to build for my first run of Cornish X. What size is your tractor, and how many birds fit into one humanely?
Click to expand...

Thank you. The base is 8'x8' and it's around 4 1/2' tall. With the 4 square foot per bird rule it will hold about 17'ish I think. But moving it daily allows for way more. So far I'm only doing 25 bird runs and they seem to be really happy in it. Very simple build and you could turn it into a live in coop by boxing it in a little. Right now I have two built and that's enough. But might in the future build another 1-2 of them. Thanks again
 
duluthralphie said:
First off... I have a JJ and Ethel baby!!

We had to do a turkey C-section, but baby is well an noisy. It was 19 hours and no movement on egg cracking. I have had trouble getting the humidity up in the hatcher, was around 40-45 most the day.

I kept adding water to the sponge but it still stayed dry. We did a full C-section and removed the entire egg from him and then had to pick the dried membrane off him. He is doing good now, walking and chirping like a banshee screams.

I have another that has started to zip and the moisture is at 61 now, just being very hard to get it up. (get your minds out of the gutter)..



MM I loved the video, you raise them right.
All these pictures are making me want some CX's.

Bert is outside tonight, but I am not sure he will make it, his foot seems "ok" but he is refusing to walk much, I will keep feed and water on opposing corners of his pen now to make him walk, if he does not walk he is a goner. I do not mean to seem cold, but I am not going to keep him around if I have to hand feed and water him and care for him like an invalid. Even though he is Bert he has a purpose in this world and if he can not do it, I will be sad but its the way it is. It makes all of your adult CX's such miracles.
Click to expand...
Good mindset, Ralph. Enjoy him while you have him.
hugs.gif
 
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I don't know if some one on here could help me but this is the first time I'm raising cx and they did great in the brooder no loses then but them outside in the tractor and they did great the first week now there 5 1/2 weeks and every day for the last 4 days I've lost one don't know what I'm doin wrong they eat good and look healthy then there just dead the only thing I changed is I took the heat lamp out of the tractor but there fully feathered and it's 40 to 45 at night I'm thinkin I need to put the lamp back in any suggestions? Thank you
 
When I had the lamp in the tractor I never seen them under it that's why I took it out they were always around it never underneath it. Thanks again if any one has suggestions
 

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