Advice for Cornish cross chicks dying

[ejcrist]

They do taste delicious! We did a batch last year but only lost 1 at about 2 weeks. I just worry I'm doing something wrong. I don't want to make my family sick.

That's what I keep hearing - I'm really anxious to taste 'em. How many did you raise last year? Once I get this stuff figured out I'd like to raise about 50 of them during the fall since I worry it's too hot where I'm at to raise them during the summer and I heard they don't do well in the heat. I just plan to package whatever we don't eat and store in the freezer for later. I don't think we'll make your families sick even if we don't do it right since we're not using medications or anything. Even if our birds aren't as healthy as commercial birds, which they probably are, I'd bet the commercial birds are more likely to be full of more harmful stuff. Mine just get water, some electrolytes and vitamins (broiler booster) in the beginning, and Nutrena Starter/Grower, and it sounds like yours get roughly the same thing, so I'm sure ours are much safer than anything at the market.

 

[reitzm98]

I used only water and MannaPro organic starter for the first 6 weeks. Then I mixed 50% starter and 50% conventional meat feed the last 2 weeks. We left all 9 of them whole. We put them in vacuum seal freezer bags.

 

[ejcrist]

I used only water and MannaPro organic starter for the first 6 weeks. Then I mixed 50% starter and 50% conventional meat feed the last 2 weeks. We left all 9 of them whole. We put them in vacuum seal freezer bags.

Roger that. You're getting me fired up. I'm really looking forward to processing the boys. If you only lost one (10%) last time that's pretty darn good. That's what I'm striving for going forward.

 

[jbofky]

Just to be on the safe side, we mixed some yogurt, feed, acv, oregano oil and they seemed to do better. There is a big spread between the smallest to largest now and we're still losing one here and there. A week ago, we weighed a few that ranged from 1.75lb-4.5lb. They're getting plenty to eat and adequate feeder space. We're down to approx 110-115 now, and every one that has died after they started growing have been on the small side.

Do you all think that this could still be lingering side effects from the shipping delay?

Also, we had to postpone our processing date because they were 10-15 days behind on their weight according to a document I found online. Now I have to keep my biggest roosters from getting too big before June 3. We separated half of the biggest and smallest into two pens. I'm currently feeding 24lbs per day to the 55 largest (approx 4-6lbs). Do you think they'll put on too much weight at this ration or do I need to increase it to keep from starving them?

 

[ejcrist]

Just to be on the safe side, we mixed some yogurt, feed, acv, oregano oil and they seemed to do better. There is a big spread between the smallest to largest now and we're still losing one here and there. A week ago, we weighed a few that ranged from 1.75lb-4.5lb. They're getting plenty to eat and adequate feeder space. We're down to approx 110-115 now, and every one that has died after they started growing have been on the small side.

Do you all think that this could still be lingering side effects from the shipping delay?

Also, we had to postpone our processing date because they were 10-15 days behind on their weight according to a document I found online. Now I have to keep my biggest roosters from getting too big before June 3. We separated half of the biggest and smallest into two pens. I'm currently feeding 24lbs per day to the 55 largest (approx 4-6lbs). Do you think they'll put on too much weight at this ration or do I need to increase it to keep from starving them?

Don't worry about starving them. I'd be more worried about them eating themselves to death. I cut back toward the end because the weather was really heating up and I felt they'd have better odds of surviving if they didn't over-eat, and it seemed to work.