Cornish X. What do I need to know???

[WestoftheRest]

A buddy and I are looking into getting a batch of Cornish Xs for the freezer, but have a ton of questions.
How many?
What to feed?
How to house?
Slow vs fast growers?
How long do they stay on feed?
How many square feet do they need in their house?
Etc etc.
Any tips or secrets are greatly appreciated.
TIA

 

[JDN]

A buddy and I are looking into getting a batch of Cornish Xs for the freezer, but have a ton of questions.
How many?

How many birds do you want in the freezer (assuming you don't plan to sell them.)

What to feed?

You probably should feed them meat bird feed starter until 6 weeks and move them to a broiler finisher. Mine, I fed a generic chick food til 8 weeks when I processed them.

How to house?

Start in a brooder, then its pretty easy...Just make sure they don't get too hot. They don't need much vertical space. A lot of people like hoop style tractors.

Slow vs fast growers?

Ridiculously fast. If you're into science, ag, etc, they will amaze you.

How long do they stay on feed?

???

How many square feet do they need in their house?

Two is probably sufficient, but more is nicer and will stink less

Etc etc.
Any tips or secrets are greatly appreciated.
TIA

I loved raising mine. That said, they eat a lot and correspondingly will poop a lot. So, although they don't "need" a ton of space, you might want to either move them regularly in a tractor or give them more space. They love to eat. Look at Joel Salatins youtube video for some thoughts on housing them.

 

[WestoftheRest]

I have seen a couple hatcheries that offer slow growing Cornish x and fast growing Cornish x. That is what I was asking about. Apparently you don’t have to regulate feed for the slow growers but they take longer to feed out. Did you have problems with them over eating and having leg problems?

 

[ArianaRose]

Justin Rhodes has a video (

) where he and his wife tally up how much it cost them to raise their Cornish Cross meat chickens. (The part actually talking about the Cornish Cross starts at 12:26.) He has many other videos also talking about his meat birds, including one from a couple of weeks ago (

) where they butchered their first Cornish Cross of the year.
I hope this helps you!

 

[cassie]

A buddy and I are looking into getting a batch of Cornish Xs for the freezer, but have a ton of questions.
How many?
What to feed?
How to house?
Slow vs fast growers?
How long do they stay on feed?
How many square feet do they need in their house?
Etc etc.
Any tips or secrets are greatly appreciated.
TIA

I will tell you how I raised mine. I got a cardboard circle from MurrayMcMurray (sp) to start them out with. I hung a heat lamp over it and I made the circle large enough so that they could get away from it if they wanted. These cardboard circles are expandable so as the chicks grow you can enlarge it. I was fortunate enough to have a large box stall in the barn. If memory serves it was about 12' X 12', more than large enough for a batch of 25. It was also well ventilated but not drafty. I bedded with shavings and I added shavings as necessary to keep the bedding dry. I didn't clean the stall out until after the chickens were gone. I hung the feeders and waterers on a chain from the ceiling with a snap on the end so they could be raised as necessary. I hung them low enough so the chickens could reach them easily but tall enough that they had to stand to eat or drink. I had the feeder on one side of the stall and the water on the other so they had to walk from one to the other. With this setup I could care for the chickens with minimal time and labor.

I got something from McMurray called Broiler Booster. You put it in the water. It has extra vitamins etc. and it seems to really help prevent leg and other problems the Cornish X are prone to. I fed mine broiler feed when I could get it and turkey feed when I couldn't. I started them out with broiler (or turkey) starter, changed to broiler grower, and at the last fed them finisher. I took the feed away about four in the afternoon and put it back by about seven in the morning. Since I like big roasters, I butchered mine later than most people do. I wanted them to dress out between eleven and twelve pounds.

When I did chores, I carefully looked them all over. Any chicken that was moving slowly or had a purplish comb got processed then and there. One other thing. I did not attempt to raise meat chickens in the summer. They do not tolerate heat. I would either get chickens in the fall after the hot weather had passed or I got them in the early spring so they would be in the freezer before the hot weather hit.

This method worked for me. I hope you find it helpful.

 

[WestoftheRest]

I will tell you how I raised mine. I got a cardboard circle from MurrayMcMurray (sp) to start them out with. I hung a heat lamp over it and I made the circle large enough so that they could get away from it if they wanted. These cardboard circles are expandable so as the chicks grow you can enlarge it. I was fortunate enough to have a large box stall in the barn. If memory serves it was about 12' X 12', more than large enough for a batch of 25. It was also well ventilated but not drafty. I bedded with shavings and I added shavings as necessary to keep the bedding dry. I didn't clean the stall out until after the chickens were gone. I hung the feeders and waterers on a chain from the ceiling with a snap on the end so they could be raised as necessary. I hung them low enough so the chickens could reach them easily but tall enough that they had to stand to eat or drink. I had the feeder on one side of the stall and the water on the other so they had to walk from one to the other. With this setup I could care for the chickens with minimal time and labor.

I got something from McMurray called Broiler Booster. You put it in the water. It has extra vitamins etc. and it seems to really help prevent leg and other problems the Cornish X are prone to. I fed mine broiler feed when I could get it and turkey feed when I couldn't. I started them out with broiler (or turkey) starter, changed to broiler grower, and at the last fed them finisher. I took the feed away about four in the afternoon and put it back by about seven in the morning. Since I like big roasters, I butchered mine later than most people do. I wanted them to dress out between eleven and twelve pounds.

When I did chores, I carefully looked them all over. Any chicken that was moving slowly or had a purplish comb got processed then and there. One other thing. I did not attempt to raise meat chickens in the summer. They do not tolerate heat. I would either get chickens in the fall after the hot weather had passed or I got them in the early spring so they would be in the freezer before the hot weather hit.

This method worked for me. I hope you find it helpful.

Thanks a bunch. That is a lot of useful information. I really like to here what worked for individuals not what someone put in a book!

 

[snow5164]

I have seen a couple hatcheries that offer slow growing Cornish x and fast growing Cornish x. That is what I was asking about. Apparently you don’t have to regulate feed for the slow growers but they take longer to feed out. Did you have problems with them over eating and having leg problems?

I’ve only raised a grazer which is a slow growing cross . They grow slower but their death rate is also slower, more humane in my opinion. We didn’t take food away every and we lost a large rooster out of 15.

I’d highly recommend these as Cornish are just so wrong , their skin can tear,they flip and die because they’re so obese. They can hardly walk they’re so fat. Grazers are like normal birds with really stinky poop ,

Look into both and decide
Good luck

 

[WestoftheRest]

I’ve only raised a grazer which is a slow growing cross . They grow slower but their death rate is also slower, more humane in my opinion. We didn’t take food away every and we lost a large rooster out of 15.

I’d highly recommend these as Cornish are just so wrong , their skin can tear,they flip and die because they’re so obese. They can hardly walk they’re so fat. Grazers are like normal birds with really stinky poop ,

Look into both and decide
Good luck

Thanks for the response. Never raised either kind. I have read horror stories and wanna know what I am up against.

 

[RUNuts]

Treat them like chickens. If you feed high protein, expect them to be fat and lethargic. I raised mine on 18% all flock & free feeding and had good movement and minimal fat at processing. Didn't weight them, but had roasters. Bigger than grocery store birds.

From what I've read so no first hand experience, the high protein gives the heart and leg troubles because of the growth rate and fat. Then the rules are to limit feed. In my mind, it is easier to feed a lower protein. Pick and plan and try it.

Genetics or the breeder you get them from will make a difference also.

Planning on more in the fall. Just have to schedule around vacation plans and the summer heat.

How many? - how will you house them? Tractors, horse stall or pen? Don't overcrowd.
What to feed? -I like all flock 18%. I processed at 8 weeks.
How to house? -I like chicken tractors, but opened it to let them wander around the garden area last spring.
Slow vs fast growers? -personal preference. For the cheapest per pound of meat, CX.
How long do they stay on feed? -until the day before you process.
How many square feet do they need in their house? 2 square feet per bird. More is better, less is possible with proper management.

Figure out how to process or who will process before you get birds. If you do it yourself, make sure you can and have the tools. Plucking is hard work. Don't overextend yourself by doing 25 the first day alone. Get help and the right tools.

Start small. Get experience. grow to your limits.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

A buddy and I are looking into getting a batch of Cornish Xs for the freezer, but have a ton of questions.
How many?
What to feed?
How to house?
Slow vs fast growers?
How long do they stay on feed?
How many square feet do they need in their house?
Etc etc.
Any tips or secrets are greatly appreciated.
TIA

How many?

Start small; get 20-25 of them. Then, if you like the results of the first batch, get a larger second batch.

What to feed?

I fed mine a medicated 18% broiler starter for the first 3 weeks. Then a 17% broiler grower/finisher from weeks 4-10.

How to house?

Research chicken tractors on here and youtube. I use a 12'x20' tarp truck shelter (shelterlogic) that I convert to a chicken coop in the summer and storage in the winter. The chickens freely move between the coop and a poultry fenced area measuring 30' x 50'

Slow vs fast growers?

Really depends on your schedule. I have fast growers. They are starting week #9 and are about 7 pounds.

How long do they stay on feed?

They will always need feed each day. For the first 3 weeks give them 24 hour access to feed. From weeks 4 to 10 I do a 12 hour on, 12 hour off schedule. So they can eat from 7 am to 7 pm.

How many square feet do they need in their house?

Minimum is 2 square feet. You will need to add new bedding regularly if using a permanent coop like I am. It helps keep them clean and there is barely any smell.

Any tips or secrets are greatly appreciated.

Make sure they have access to lots of waterers especially in hot temps. Change their water everyday. Get poultry vitamins for them. Do not go with a high % protein feed. The horror stories you read about (frankenbirds, heart attacks, slobs, lethargic) are from people who give a high protein feed and 24 hour access through the birds lifespan. Mine are on a restricted feed schedule and can still manage to fly over a 2 foot high partition wall. They run, they scratch in the dirt, they dust bathe; everything an egg layer does. Ventilation is also important; keep the air moving in the coop. I went with all cockerels because I wanted the biggest birds, in the shortest time.