Best priced Cornish chicks

[cmobley]

Sorry to hear that! This heat wave is intense. Shipping in the heat wave is worse than shipping in normal weather, I'd expect. I was going to order some eggers mid-July, but cancelled my order, partially due to the heat chicks would see during shipment.

Might see if you could buy them through TSC or another feed store. More might live through shipment that way, maybe?

These were ordered through tsc

 

[FunClucks]

These were ordered through tsc

Ah, I must've forgot or read that wrong. Sorry that happened to you! That really sucks!!!

 

[cmobley]

Ah, I must've forgot or read that wrong. Sorry that happened to you! That really sucks!!!

I’ll use Meyer like I always have I looked at valley here in Alabama but they want 4.00 a meat bird chick.

 

[FunClucks]

I’ll use Meyer like I always have I looked at valley here in Alabama but they want 4.00 a meat bird chick.

There's folks in my area selling spent hens for $5 amount. Not great quality, but still. $4 is too much IMO for a meat bird chick, especially if you're trying to make money off of selling finished birds.

If you have space for a 25 chick minimum order, I do recommend trying Welp. Can't beat their price, and mine were awesomely healthy chicks.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

There's folks in my area selling spent hens for $5 amount. Not great quality, but still. $4 is too much IMO for a meat bird chick, especially if you're trying to make money off of selling finished birds.

If you have space for a 25 chick minimum order, I do recommend trying Welp. Can't beat their price, and mine were awesomely healthy chicks.

I looked them up..they seem reasonable and not a huge hatchery compared to the biggies in the mid-west. Do you know if they purchase cross eggs or produce their own? (I guess I could call them just as easy as asking you-lol)

 

[FunClucks]

I looked them up..they seem reasonable and not a huge hatchery compared to the biggies in the mid-west. Do you know if they purchase cross eggs or produce their own? (I guess I could call them just as easy as asking you-lol)

Good question, I don't know. If you find out, please post. Now I'm curious.

 

[Mountain Roost]

Bummer that your order came in with so many dead.

When I buy meat birds I like to choose a hatchery that is close to my location. Also there are different lineages of CornishX and some do better in the heat and some do better in the cold. You can call around to hatcheries and find out what they offer. I am in the NE and currently raising Ross 308 from https://www.myerspoultry.com. Next year I want to try something else out of curiosity. And IMO buying all males is worth the upfront cost because they get big faster than the females, better feed conversion.


ROSS 308 AVIAGEN

best 6 week feed conversion
poor feed conversion after 6 weeks
short stocky
cold tolerant
not heat tolerant
often requires early slaughter

ROSS 708

Superior to 308 in all parameters


COBB 500 VANTRESS

slower feed conversion before 6 weeks
best feed conversion after 6 weeks
best overall feed conversion
best uniformity
tall stance
not cold tolerant
heat tolerant
Massive breast

ARBOR ACRES AVIAGEN

medium stance
solid feed conversion until 6 weeks
moderate feed conversion after 6 weeks
higher fat than cobb or ross


MARSHALL

tallest
moderate feed conversion long into 12th week
considerably slower growth than cobb by week 6
lower feed conversion than cobb
higher fat than cobb or ross
more productive and profitable than ARBOR or HUBBARD

HUBBARD CLASSIC

Strong initial growth
good feed conversion
high total yield
good animal welfare
lowest mortality

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Bummer that your order came in with so many dead.

When I buy meat birds I like to choose a hatchery that is close to my location. Also there are different lineages of CornishX and some do better in the heat and some do better in the cold. You can call around to hatcheries and find out what they offer. I am in the NE and currently raising Ross 308 from https://www.myerspoultry.com. Next year I want to try something else out of curiosity. And IMO buying all males is worth the upfront cost because they get big faster than the females, better feed conversion.


ROSS 308 AVIAGEN

best 6 week feed conversion
poor feed conversion after 6 weeks
short stocky
cold tolerant
not heat tolerant
often requires early slaughter

ROSS 708

Superior to 308 in all parameters


COBB 500 VANTRESS

slower feed conversion before 6 weeks
best feed conversion after 6 weeks
best overall feed conversion
best uniformity
tall stance
not cold tolerant
heat tolerant
Massive breast

ARBOR ACRES AVIAGEN

medium stance
solid feed conversion until 6 weeks
moderate feed conversion after 6 weeks
higher fat than cobb or ross


MARSHALL

tallest
moderate feed conversion long into 12th week
considerably slower growth than cobb by week 6
lower feed conversion than cobb
higher fat than cobb or ross
more productive and profitable than ARBOR or HUBBARD

HUBBARD CLASSIC

Strong initial growth
good feed conversion
high total yield
good animal welfare
lowest mortality

I likely have Cobb 500 from Meyers Hatchery in Ohio. Lots of leg issues and they are only 3.5 wks old. Lost 4 in the first 48 hrs- shipping stress in heat.
I will be looking to other hatcheries but shipping is always 3 days for my area.

 

[Mountain Roost]

I think three days is a lot on the birds. I happened to get them in two days and this year I had zero die in transit.

After three weeks of filling chick feeders twice a day they go into pasture coops. There they are fed a crop full twice a day. I like to go back and check on them shortly after feeding and see how full, or not, the crops are; then I can up or decrease the ration for the next feeding. I am on week 10 (we go to 10 pounds live weight) and have lost one to leg splay, one to impacted crop (my fault for not mowing the daisys), and now we have one isolated that is too tiny to be in with the big boys. We feed by putting the wet mash on the fresh ground and pulling the pasture coop over top. We run four of these coops for 100 birds. We use a nipple waterer system.

 

[cmobley]

I likely have Cobb 500 from Meyers Hatchery in Ohio. Lots of leg issues and they are only 3.5 wks old. Lost 4 in the first 48 hrs- shipping stress in heat.
I will be looking to other hatcheries but shipping is always 3 days for my area.

I’m not sure what Meyer had last year but that’s the ones I raised last year. Out of 25 birds I watched one have a heart attack at week 7 and processed him so couldn’t count that as a loss lol. They did really good birds seemed really energetic and able to stay up and move. I raised these on 18% feed for 8 weeks processed weight all averaged 4 to 5 lbs. I’m raising the ones I have now on 27% feed it’s 15.00 for 50lbs at my co op where as tsc wants 27.00 a bag for meat bird purina brand. The 30 chicks that survived the shipment are doing great so far I did notice one yesterday with a curled toe/ foot issue I may have to cull out.