So, today I got off work early due to the excessive heat warning. Hurried home because I had a terrible feeling about my 27 Cornish X birds. They had a fan and a mister outside the window of their enclosure as well as my SIL came over to give them new water at noon. I wasn't so worried about the laying hens, as they have plently of shade, under the house vents to lay by, water holes, and grass to lay around in.
Got home at 4:30 to find 11 dead, 6 dying and barely alive, and 3 struggling. Two of the laying hens were out in the yard laying on their sides barely able to pant. I sorted out the dead, then put the dying meaties in a tub and started slaughtering. It was horrible; 115 degree heat, not even prepared to process, and still in my work clothes. We were able to kill the 6 before they died and get water boiling to pluck them. Unfortunately, 2 more died in the shelter before I finished processing the 6 and were non salvagable. My squeamish daughter (29 years old) did not even have a chance to run and hide, she got pulled into the slaughter before she realized what was going on.
I have 9 cornish x left (5 weeks old), hopefully they will make it a few more weeks. A very big lesson learned in all this; Arkansas summer is not the time to be trying to raise Cornish X. I had already decided to get dual purpose breeds for meat from now on; but this makes it official; never again.
Got home at 4:30 to find 11 dead, 6 dying and barely alive, and 3 struggling. Two of the laying hens were out in the yard laying on their sides barely able to pant. I sorted out the dead, then put the dying meaties in a tub and started slaughtering. It was horrible; 115 degree heat, not even prepared to process, and still in my work clothes. We were able to kill the 6 before they died and get water boiling to pluck them. Unfortunately, 2 more died in the shelter before I finished processing the 6 and were non salvagable. My squeamish daughter (29 years old) did not even have a chance to run and hide, she got pulled into the slaughter before she realized what was going on.
I have 9 cornish x left (5 weeks old), hopefully they will make it a few more weeks. A very big lesson learned in all this; Arkansas summer is not the time to be trying to raise Cornish X. I had already decided to get dual purpose breeds for meat from now on; but this makes it official; never again.
