- May 16, 2012
- 6
- 0
- 7
So I decided to get some chickens this year. My brother-in-law is a grass-fed beef farmer, and he just got 25 Barred Rocks and 25 Brown Leghorns to help with grass management. I figured it would be overkill if I got layers, so I decided to try my hand at some meat chickens. I went out and picked up fifteen Cornish Rock Crosses from Tractor Supply (my first mistake). The birds were from mount healthy, which was good, but I'm thinking now, seven weeks later, that the staff may have messed up.
At first, he seemed a bit unsure about the breed of chicken he was getting, but then he said, "yeah, these are definitely the cornish rock cross."
So I brought them home and they grew, but they didn't grow nearly as fast as I thought they should (with the way everyone talks about them). Because of my lack of experience, I didn't really have anything to compare them to. So, I just figured they would grow when I got them outside.
Well, I had been planning to get a second batch of twenty birds when these others were six weeks, but I ordered them through a local feed and seed. They came in a couple of weeks early, when these others were four weeks.
After about two days, I realized that these new chicks were REALLY cornish rocks. They feel like little rocks when you pick them up, they're stout.
Anyway, here I am three weeks later, and my first batch is seven weeks old tomorrow. This is a picture from about a week ago:
http://instagr.am/p/KQokueCC7b/
As you can see, they're not very big.
Here is a picture from today with one of my older chickens and a few of the younger ones.
The older batch is seven weeks old. The younger batch is three.
Am I just crazy, or does it seem like the older batch are really small for being cornish rocks?
http://instagr.am/p/KsWSSxCCyg/
I guess I am just a little worried that they accidently gave me white leghorns or white rocks...
At first, he seemed a bit unsure about the breed of chicken he was getting, but then he said, "yeah, these are definitely the cornish rock cross."
So I brought them home and they grew, but they didn't grow nearly as fast as I thought they should (with the way everyone talks about them). Because of my lack of experience, I didn't really have anything to compare them to. So, I just figured they would grow when I got them outside.
Well, I had been planning to get a second batch of twenty birds when these others were six weeks, but I ordered them through a local feed and seed. They came in a couple of weeks early, when these others were four weeks.
After about two days, I realized that these new chicks were REALLY cornish rocks. They feel like little rocks when you pick them up, they're stout.
Anyway, here I am three weeks later, and my first batch is seven weeks old tomorrow. This is a picture from about a week ago:
http://instagr.am/p/KQokueCC7b/
As you can see, they're not very big.
Here is a picture from today with one of my older chickens and a few of the younger ones.
The older batch is seven weeks old. The younger batch is three.
Am I just crazy, or does it seem like the older batch are really small for being cornish rocks?
http://instagr.am/p/KsWSSxCCyg/
I guess I am just a little worried that they accidently gave me white leghorns or white rocks...