Cornish cross chicks arriving next week

[Ridgerunner]

All you can do is the best you can. Good luck!

 

[wolfwalker]

Well, I tried to get a weight today as I was swamped yesterday. But the freakin sugar hyped up so and so's broke the scale. yep they broke it.

they cheeped "Shiney" and tried to play king of the mountain and "Ohhh, it blinks', and pecked the controls until it won't weigh anything. Sigh, tomorrow I'll empty the 5 gallon bucket and use the hanging scales.

 

[wolfwalker]

Due to selling my house in 5 days of being listed and trying to find a new place, then packing up the house, we move in 2 weeks to the new farm, I've been behind in tracking the Delawares.

I did weigh them this morning, and boy was that fun [sarcasm intended]. they had trouble fitting into the bucket.

Today they are 11 weeks old and they average 5.5 pounds each. Unfortunately, I've not been able to keep up with tracking feed eaten beyond filling the feeder which holds 7 pounds of feed daily.

I will do a lot better on my spring order of the Delaware enhanced as I plan to order more as I only ended up with 2 pullets out of ten. which means the 2 largest will be kept back for breeding and the rest processed once I move. That will put them around 14 weeks or so and I am interested in seeing how they compare to Cornish X after processing and I will keep one back for an immediate taste test. McMurray states that the Delaware Enhanced, breeds true, which is good for a sustainable flock.

The Roosters have been crowing for about a week now and they are the same size as my cinnamon queen's. My breeding plan is to tag them all during the move and weigh them once released into the new pen. I will keep the 2 largest, heaviest with broad chest out of the group as future roosters and the rest will be processed

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We have never raised meat chickens, but have talked about it as a possibility one day. I look forward to seeing how yours do.

 

[wolfwalker]

As promised. the five have been chosen, banded, (and wasn't that fun and a half) and weighed. and I include the chart for your to see.

 

[wolfwalker]

just as a side note. they have consumed 1.75 pounds of feed and 2 quarts of water in 24 hours that averages out to 1.1 ounces per chick. which is a third of an ounce more than the chart provided by welp. The chart states in the first 7 days they would consume on average 5.36 ounces each for the total of those 7 days. If they continue at the rate they are now, that would be 7.7 ounces consumed each for those same 7 days.

 

[wolfwalker]

Are you including any wasted feed in the equation?

It might just be poorer feed conversion than advertised too

So far, they have not wasted any feed. I found no feed around the bowls. That might be because they are wide enough that they are in the feed and eating, not from the outside. I'm sure this will change. Until I weigh them on day 7, I won't know the feed conversion. I just thought it was interesting that they had gone through so much feed in 24 hours. the true story will be when I weigh them on day 7 and do the conversions

 

[wolfwalker]

I've raised chickens for 25+ years. It was bound to catch up to me at some point LOL

 

[wolfwalker]

Day 28. Moved all the cornish up to the greenhouse last Friday. And let me tell you, trying to carry and load into the back of the jeep at 04:30, 25 2 lb birds was a chore and a half. then trying to get them down teh hill into the greenhouse in the dark was an experience.
I am filling the feeder once a day and when it runs out, well they are out until the next morning when I get back up to the farm since I can not be up there at dark to remove feed for the night. Though from trail cam footage that I have been looking at, it seems when it gets dark they curl up together for the night and sleep, so if this weeks cam footage shows teh same I will no longer estimate the feed needed for a day and just fill the troughs full.

I am continuing the Vitamin mineral supplement in water, (Nutri-drench) on each Tuesday and I see no signs of any weakness or problems with being active. The little buggers like to jump around and play tag, at least that is what it looks like as the trail cam activates from their antics.

I'm guesstimating a 2:1 feed conversion so far

 

[wolfwalker]

I remembered to take some pictures today while up at the farm. For reference that half cinder block is 8 inches tall. And you can barely see it. So forget I mentioned it.