Cornish Rock Meat Bird Breeding Project

[trescloudy]

I was watching youtube this morning and ran across a video where the people had accidentally severely stunted their CX. They have a baby with a ton of alergies so they are trying to reduce the number of alergens fed to the animals that the baby will be eating. They had a feed mill make them a chicken feed without corn, soy, or wheat and the CX stayed very small, I believe the one they were showing was 14 weeks and still wasn't ready to harvest.

That may be a rabbit hole that someone interested in keeping them a little smaller to be able to breed could use. Maybe let them get close to maturity and then cut the protein mostly out of the diet? Apparently those 3 ingredients are the main protein source in the chicken feed and they have to have at least 1 of them in the feed to make the chickens grow well.

I wonder if feeding mostly straight oats with maybe a tiny bit of actual chicken feed would keep them feeling full but stunt them without damaging their health.

I think the trick is to start out with 20% instead of 24% and limit the feed after 3 weeks like someone stated that the industrial breeders use. Basically limited feed every other day. I'm going to find that video I saw on youtube. This lady basically feeds her broilers like egg birds and free ranges them. They still get quite large but they are fit. They even fly up and roost. It takes a little longer to get them to butchering size and they wont ever be the big fat lard ass birds you get by using 24% all day every day. But I'm willing to bet her birds would have little problem mating. I'm about to try feeding 20% from start and limit feeding to see if I get better results. I have 10 birds on a diet right now and it seems to be working. They have nice sized runs and I do toss a little scratch feed in there to give them some exercise.

Here is a link to that video:

 

[speedy2020]

I think the trick is to start out with 20% instead of 24% and limit the feed after 3 weeks like someone stated that the industrial breeders use. Basically limited feed every other day. I'm going to find that video I saw on youtube. This lady basically feeds her broilers like egg birds and free ranges them. They still get quite large but they are fit. They even fly up and roost. It takes a little longer to get them to butchering size and they wont ever be the big fat lard ass birds you get by using 24% all day every day. But I'm willing to bet her birds would have little problem mating. I'm about to try feeding 20% from start and limit feeding to see if I get better results. I have 10 birds on a diet right now and it seems to be working. They have nice sized runs and I do toss a little scratch feed in there to give them some exercise.

Here is a link to that video:

If you treat them like normal chicken and only feed them during the day, they will not growth as fast.

 

[nicalandia]

If you treat them like normal chicken and only feed them during the day, they will not growth as fast.

True, but the protein must be maintained lowered than 20% and 16% would be best, basically Layer feed fed on the days(10 hour feeding)

 

[Compost King]

I am only feeding my CX breeders the last hour of day light, make them scratch through a compost pile if they are motivated by hunger to do so. I have been feeding them 18% which is 3% more than I like but I have to use what I have available. When they start laying it goes down to 16%.

 

[JadeFarms]

I feed my Cornish X normal chick starter until laying. Then go to normal laying pellets. I feed only a certain amount. I do a bucket of food for 20 chickens. She’s free ranged all day and usually finds bugs and stuff for extra food. My last one lived 2 1/2 years but her eggs never hatched sadly. Mine is almost 8 months now so I’m hoping when she lays I can hatch some Cornish X and use them for meat.

 

[duluthralphie]

I am following, but not commenting a lot.

I find it interesting some of you are doing the same things I did, and found to work and not work.

I think the feeding oats idea is a great one. Oats has lots of fiber/filler but is also high in protein.

I never had a problem hatching their eggs. 2 1/2 to 3 years is pretty normal for a toad Hen.

If I was doing this now I would house/feed the boys and girls separately. The girls live longer than the boys, the boys get so large I think their hearts give out.

Maybe try a creep feeder that keeps the boys out and let’s the girls in.

Just my thoughts, keep it up.

 

[nicalandia]

I feed my Cornish X normal chick starter until laying. Then go to normal laying pellets. I feed only a certain amount. I do a bucket of food for 20 chickens. She’s free ranged all day and usually finds bugs and stuff for extra food. My last one lived 2 1/2 years but her eggs never hatched sadly. Mine is almost 8 months now so I’m hoping when she lays I can hatch some Cornish X and use them for meat.

If she is 8 months old and have not laid, she will not lay at all, these birds are starved and start laying at 22 weeks of age(to prevent them from laying at 16)

 

[JadeFarms]

My last one didn’t start laying till later either though. She is getting a larger comb so she is getting closer to laying.

 

[nicalandia]

My last one didn’t start laying till later either though. She is getting a larger comb so she is getting closer to laying.

Waiting 8-10 months for a CornishX to start laying is really not a sound plan, specially if you are intending to make this process a sustainable as possible. But if it just some backyard birds that you are not invested on, then that's okay I guess

 

[JadeFarms]

My main goal is to hatch and raise my own meat birds. I don’t really care about how late she or her babies lay.