Are we Cornish Rocks? *UPDATE PG 13*

[BJ_BOBBI_JO]

ROBIN"S BOOD--- So your cornish rock laid her 1st egg at about 4 1/2 - 5 months? Am I getting that right?

Mine are 16 1/2 weeks old(about 4 1/2 months old) and today I found an egg with a real soft shell in the spot the one cornish rock hen likes to sit. It had a rubbery shell and must have broke when it came out of her and landed on the thing she likes sitting on.

My cornish rocks have been doing well so far. Their weight did not get bad until week 8 then they exploded in fatness. I feed them store bought chicken feed, grass, clovers, the fruit we have growing around here and other weeds and scraps.

The one cornish rock rooster 1st began crowing at 11 weeks old.

Cornish rocks must do things like crowing and laying eggs before other chicken breeds do. Maybe that is because they are made to grow to adulthood so fast??

I dunno.

Do yall have troubles with your cornish rocks having poopy messy butts and bellies probably because they are to fat to clean there?

I tried giving them a bath one time and it made them freak out and I was afraid it might make their heart give out and kill them since cornish rocks are said to have weak hearts.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Yep, both my CR girls started laying earlier than any of my regular layers, which really surprised me. The CRs had two brothers that started crowing very young too... the boys had to be re-homed though because they were LOUD. And to answer the dirty rear end question... YES, mine are always filthy on their undersides... but I think it is because they are too big to roost on anything and sleep on the ground instead.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Sad update this morning... our Ethel has died.

I went outside to feed them and found her lying down dead. I noticed what looked like blood stringing from her vent yesterday as she went in the nest box to lay, so I guess I'm not really surprised by this.

Now though, I don't know what to do with her lonely sister. Do I put her in with my other chickens??? Do I leave her all alone in her run??? Or would it be more humane to let my uncle have her to do with as he pleases??? I hate that she is alone in her run but I don't want her to be harassed by my other chickens either. HELP!

This is the last picture I took of Ethel, on 9/6.

RIP sweet Ethel, 3/17/09 - 9/21/09

 

[BJ_BOBBI_JO]

Im so sorry about Ethel dying. I know how our pets are like family, it is heart breaking when they die. I found my young rhoad island red hen dead a few days ago and burried her, my heart is still sad about it.

You could always try putting Ethel's sister in with the others just to see how it goes and then take her out if ya need to.

I wonder how it would work if ya put just 1 other chicken in with her for company? It might be worth a try anyways.

 

[raroo]

Awww, poor Ethel!! She was very pretty, looks a lot like my Greta.
What I would do, is put maybe two other girls, the friendliest ones, into Maude's run with her. That way, if she dies, the other two girls still have each other and can integrate back in with the regular flock.
On the other hand, integrating only one girl with Maude would probably mean that they would bond easier, and that Maude wouldn't be left out or ganged up on.

I definitely understand your dilemma, I'm worried all the time about what to do if one of my cornish X girls dies. For me, I don't feel that they would do well living with the regular flock. For one thing, the feeding schedule would just not be possible to maintain, so she would have the same access to food as the regular chickens would, and then she would become overweight and die soon from that. The girls you would integrate could follow the same feeding schedule as Maude, or you could put their feed high up where Maude can't reach.
It would also be less stressful for Maude to have just one or two new girls in with her, than having to deal with the whole flock by herself, at the bottom of the pecking order and already having the disadvantage of not being as spry and quick as the others. She would also be lonely at night as she can't roost with everyone else. You can put in low roosts for her and the new girls. I have a low, wide roost for George and Greta that they can just step up onto, or walk up the little ramp attached to it.

I'm so sorry you lost Ethel.

Post and let us know what you decide to do and how it's going.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

DUH!!!!! I have the solution to this problem already... I'll put Maude in the chicken tractor that is inside the other chickens' run! Why didn't I think of that earlier instead of stressing over this? Maude will be protected from, but surrounded by, other chickens. Plus, there is a big dog house already in it for protection from the elements.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Maude is all moved in. So far, so good. And boy, has she been the center of attention.

 

[raroo]

That's great!

 

[maplesky7]

aw... I'm glad you found a solution.

 

[luvarabhorses]

Sorry for the loss of Ethel.
I didn't read all of the posts but do you find it interesting that your feelings towards Maude and Ethel changed so much? (Initially you wanted to give them away),
I have 2 corn x hens named Miike and Cicely Tyson. They always hang together. One has a dirty underside (Miike) while Cicely stays a lovely white, that's the only way I could tell them apart. Mine make out great in the big group but I don't have constant access to food. I sort of enjoy them, and they sure aren't hard to catch,