Cornish X Questions...

[rjohns39]

Thanks rjohns I will call our feed store to find out if they are able to order. When I have an idea on when we will be starting this I will PM you to find out where to buy feed if that's okay. Both our organic layer and organic starter that we buy at Costco and Tractor Supply are $20 for 40 lbs and I think that would be more like $100.

I'm thinking maybe 150 pounds might get you there if you harvest early. Math says 180, that's why I suggested 200... If you have trouble finding it, pm me and I can give you steps to get you some.

 

[Parront]

I'll try it! The shelters seem easy enough to build, think I can use plastic netting instead of the more expensive hardware cloth? I probably have enough scrap lumber to build the rest of it. My garden is done for the Summer but I'll be planting again in a couple of weeks for a Winter garden (the one upside to living in CA I guess?). I do have a slope of fruit trees in the back of the yard and I wonder if I can rig something up to allow them up there to buy me a few extra days to allow everything to grow back.

I don't know how big I'd like them, but what is more important to me is the length of grow out time. I'd rather only go 6 weeks and have a slightly smaller bird than go 10 weeks for a fuller size. Mainly because of the neighbors...

8 weeks is big -- bigger bird than in the store. They will still be too young to make much noise. If you have enough room to do that -- great!

 

[peterlund]

Thanks rjohns and Parront So even if the roosters never get to crowing age, will the pullets make noise like my hens do? Sometimes I think my hens are a little loud, but I think that is probably because they are laying. I only raise chicks once a year and I keep them with my older hens so I really just can't remember how noisy 6-week old birds are. I'd love it if my neighbors never even knew... since I am legally only allowed 10 birds lol...

I guess I don't even need to worry about roosting then. rjohns, do you think I'd even need a pen if I kept them in a roughly 8x15 foot shady (and weedy) side yard? Maybe 20 of them?

Thet girls wont do an egg song, and that saidmthe boys wont get old enough to crow. These breeds grow so big so fast you will be amazed. As said before butcher at 42 to 48 days as they will be so big and so messy it will get your neighbors attention due to poop production.
I once let my meaties get up to 55 days as a few friends wanted to "learn" the process but kept canceling on me.... a few were so big i could not get them into my restraining cones... and the cones are XL.

 

[Parront]

Thet girls wont do an egg song, and that saidmthe boys wont get old enough to crow. These breeds grow so big so fast you will be amazed. As said before butcher at 42 to 48 days as they will be so big and so messy it will get your neighbors attention due to poop production.
I once let my meaties get up to 55 days as a few friends wanted to "learn" the process but kept canceling on me.... a few were so big i could not get them into my restraining cones... and the cones are XL.

I had 4 once that got to 12 weeks, they were over 10 pounds dressed out. Still yellow chick down when plucked, never crowed or clucked!
But, messy and eating machines! 6 weeks and done!!

 

[Parront]

I don't know it you have seen this, but notice that the birds are sitting a lot. These are slaughter weight Cornish-X

 

[tk10]

I really wish I had read this thread first. I didn't realize my layers would pick on the Cornish x. They killed half of my meat birds today, 8/16. They have a week to go until processing, I've got them separated now. I feel so bad for them. They were meant for early death, but not to die in such a horrific way.

 

[Parront]

So sorry you lost your birds. They can not move like the other chicks they are so fat, they need their own coop like the expert here was saying. Before I get any again I am making one like he's using! I had to keep them apart and didn't have a cage so they layed around the back porch pooping! Doing my homework first this next time.

 

[jennifer0224]

Wow that's terrible I'm sorry, that really sucks to lose 8 birds one week before you were going to process them.

I did order my Cornish X, but the feed store isn't sending the order out until 10/04 so it'll probably be a week after that we get them. It may start raining by then though so I'll have to figure that out I suppose. Last year it rained like crazy from October until April but usually it hardly rains at all. Guess I should be prepared though.