Cornish Chicks Overeating

[hooligan]

Most rescues that deal alot with Cornish Xs recommend the layer feed bc of the high calcium, it help the bones develop better and lessens the leg problems they have.
I know mine (except the small one) do quite well on it and Bob is a mammoth, but he can run around and is pretty active.

But if she is not planning on keeping them as pets and is going to let them go to slaughter then I would stick with the high protein stuff.

 

[Jolly_Rancher]

Thank you hooligan.. I knew I read someone around here was a cornish nut

Glad you found this thread and helps answer.

Should I spread the 1/4 cup of food throughout the day? or should we have feeding time.. or hunt & peck for your food in the litter?

I like the seed bell Idea too.

 

[hooligan]

You can do it either way whatever works best for you. I only do scattering for thinks like scratch since the pellets break down so easy. I do put it away from their house tho so they have to get out and get it and their water is and the far end of the 'bachelor pad'.
You can also add extras that aren't too high in fat, like greens and such so they can get some good stuff besides the pellets. Mine love pecking around with clover or collards. Not sure how much they eat vs. how much they just peck to shreds, but its stimulation for them

 

[snewman]

I don't have anything to add, but this does bring up a question that has been confusing me. I read that the actual Cornish breed is quite hardy, active and healthy. I've read the same about the Plymouth rocks. So my question is, is the Cornish X Rock a simple cross between those two breeds, or between two very selectively bred and specialized versions of those two breeds? Can a person like me (new to chickens) get some cornish and some white rocks and just breed my own cornish X chicks? Would this even be desirable?

 

[germanbini]

Quote:
There's an extensive answer to this question right in this same forum at: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=17252

We're raising some from TSC for now and may look into making our own someday. I know what the original poster means about them eating a lot, what did you ever decide to do, do you take the food out still? Ours are only about two weeks old.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Here is a review of the different feed restrictions methods and their impact on the bird:
http://www.poulvet.com/poultry/articles/calory_protein_restriction.php

 

[Frosty]

What color heat lamp are you using? White tends to keep them awake, they can sleep with a red lamp.

 

[dlhunicorn]

and here is a nice simple overview of that:
http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~mdarre/poultrypages/light_inset.html