Cornish X behind on gains

[WIchickens]

So this is my first run at Cornish Cross. They are 5 weeks old and about 2.5 pounds average. I have 22 of them. We are feeding them fermented feed at 21% protein. They are also outside in a chicken tractor but don't have a ton of interest in eating the grass.

According to what I have read, they should be more like 3.5 pounds by now. I feed them about 8-9 galloons of fermented feed a day. They get breaks from feed when I am at work all day and at night. by the end of the day, they act like they are stuffed.

If I was on schedule, I have read at 6 weeks I should switch to 18% finisher ration. My 2 questions are this....how can I increase gains without putting them in cardiac failure, and should I go ahead and switch to 18% even though they are behind, or should I wait until they put on more weight?

I was hoping to process at 8 weeks, but that doesn't seem realistic right now. I can go another week or 2, but I just got my next round of chicks (freedom rangers) that will need to be in that tractor by the end of the month!

What do you all think?

 

[schipmom]

How much are you feeding? 8-9 gallons doesn't sound right. Do you mean pounds of feed. I have 22 7 week Olds that get 3 gallons of fermented feed or approximately 25-30 lbs of feed daily. What hatchery did you get them from? Mine are currently in the 5-7 lb range.

 

[WIchickens]

Well, i dont measure out the feed before i ferment it, so i am not sure on lbs they are getting. I mix it in 2 gallon buckets, so thats why i say 8-9 gallons of feed. I'd say the bucket is about half full before i add water.

I got the chicks from Sunnyside hatchery via the local feed mill.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

First question, your sure they are CX right?

Seems like a dumb question but they should be triple that size. I just processed a group that was 7 weeks and some of the males dressed 5.5lbs which puts them close to 8lbs live weight, they got feed twice a day in the tractors and fairly active. I had to chase them around to get them in the crates.

First thing I would do is double their food, better yet put them on dry food all they can eat and see what happens.

Can you post a pic of your birds?

 

[keesmom]

I agree with the above poster. Are you sure they are Cornish X and not white Rocks? They should be much larger by now.

 

[WIchickens]

Yes, they are conish x, not a dumb question! They definitely look like and act like them at least!

When I fed them this morning they looked bigger. my husband is the one that weighed them, not me, so maybe that was part of problem .

I have thought about putting dry feed in while I am at work and see what happens, but I haven't yet. I just really wanted the FF to work! They are so healthy from it (at least I think they are!). I haven't lost one since day 1.

I will try and post a picture tonight after work. stay tuned!

 

[eviemethugh]

hmmmm our 5 week old Rangers weigh about 2.5lbs each. I would say you need to do some math like this: if their feed conversion is 2:1 and you want them to weigh 7lbs each at the end. 7x22x2=308 they will live for 56 days. So in that amount of time they should consume at least 308lbs of dry feed. I would offer at least as much fermented feed (pre soak weight) since not enough is known about how much it "decreases" consumption.
Really, grass isn't their favorite thing to eat. Clover is always a big hit, things that go to seed like flax are good. Anything that will attract bugs for them to find is good. Grass is an amazing way to control their poop, moving them daily is easier than dealing with bedding and makes it easier for everyone to breathe since there isnt fecal dust everywhere. So yeah, we don't see ours eat much grass either (they will literally decimate weeds and clover)

 

[WIchickens]

So here they are having breakfast. I weighed two of them this morning...both 3 pounds. Most disappointing. They are 6 weeks today. Maybe this ff idea wasnt so good after all.

After their bucket of ff this morning, i just filled the trough with dry feed before i left for work instead of giving them a second bucket of ff. I guess i will try that for a week and see what happens. Any other suggestions? I want them butchered before it gets too hot here!

 

[mollybuck]

i just butchered 6 this past weekend. at 8 weeks only they dressed between 6 and 7 lbs. At 5 weeks, i was wondering if they would be big enough by 8 weeks! i didnt weigh them then but they sure werent as big as one i previously had. I am chaulking the difference up to these guys being outside and moving around. the previous batches, were confined inside and didnt get to move or excersize much. I am ok wit hit though, since even though they might have been 1lb lighter at butcher, they had very little if any fat on them.

 

[meowsandy]

I wouldn't worry too much about being on schedule. Growing them slightly slower will give you much healthier birds in the long run. We grew ours slow and processed our CornishX at 9 weeks this year, and they were our best yet. I like to alternate fermented feed with organic Broiler grower. As a previous poster mentioned, they don't eat much grass, but will browse a little on clover and a few other tender weeds.