Cornish X's = Nastiest birds EVER

[199787]

They are like ducklings in a small space.. nasty as all get out.. Okay, ducklings are far worse... 

Agreed, ducklings are so messy! So cute though

 

[pipemum]

I agree. I brooded mine in a hoop coop in early March, so still freezing temps at night. They did fine and then just grew out in the same coop, free ranging from it. Here's a pic of my outside brooder for CX:

oh, I like that setup. My 8 CX, about a week old, are in a brooder box inside, and I just don't like chicks (any chicks) inside my small house. I'm in the southwest, and my temps won't go down to freezing at night till they are about ready to process. I want them outside, but they still need heat at night (in the high 50s now) and I'm paranoid about extension cord and heat lamp fire. Maybe out for the day, and in the garage at night. I'll have to "sneak" them in the garage, since the garage is my husband's man-cave and he hates chickens. hmm, how hard is it to stash a box of chicks and a heat lamp in a tiny one car garage that is visited several times a night by said chicken-hater (beer fridge is in the man-cave)??

 

[Beekissed]

I think that will be pretty tough. One of our OTs on here broods his chicks in a wagon in the off season (winter) and uses it for utility purposes the rest of the time. Wonderful repurposing of an item to make it even more versatile. If you have an old truck sitting with an empty bed, a wagon, etc. they make pretty good and secure brooders when you place wire over the top. It also keeps the heat lamp away from houses and other solid construction.

 

[pipemum]

haha, as long as I keep access to the beer clear, he'll have to live with a small chick brooder for a couple of weeks! No more chicks inside past a week old. I'm going to hope for a broody hen next time around. She can do all of the hard work and I'll reap the benefits later. sounds great.

 

[JenifferHartman]

The brooder box was my problem then. I have never put any of my chicks outside before 4-6 weeks until they have feathered out. They were not in "deplorable" conditions. . As I said, that thing was cleaned out QUITE frequently. My chickens are spoiled rotten and very well taken care of. They were also brought up with 5 other chicks in the same brooder. 2 Australorps and 3 barred rocks. I hadn't been regulating their feed because the other chicks were in there with them and they were competing for food which was obviously another mistake.. it is astounding how much waste those chubby little things produce. So yeahhh, they kind of do smell worse than any other chickens we have raised.

I am not familiar with fermenting feed. They will be culled at the end of the month so would it be beneficial to start that now or would it be moot at this point?

They have been out in the coop for over a week now and are feathering out nicely. Happy healthy and active. I have even been brave enough to let them free range, weather permitting. . It is just the funniest thing watching them run/waddle around! They are now being fed only twice a day rather than always having food readily available..

This has definitely been a learning experience and I know what we will need to do differently if we decide to raise more of them. I was against getting meat birds from the start because I get too attached to my chickens and I won't be the one to kill them.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[Owingsia]

The brooder box was my problem then. I have never put any of my chicks outside before 4-6 weeks until they have feathered out. They were not in "deplorable" conditions. . As I said, that thing was cleaned out QUITE frequently. My chickens are spoiled rotten and very well taken care of. They were also brought up with 5 other chicks in the same brooder. 2 Australorps and 3 barred rocks. I hadn't been regulating their feed because the other chicks were in there with them and they were competing for food which was obviously another mistake.. it is astounding how much waste those chubby little things produce. So yeahhh, they kind of do smell worse than any other chickens we have raised.

I am not familiar with fermenting feed. They will be culled at the end of the month so would it be beneficial to start that now or would it be moot at this point?

They have been out in the coop for over a week now and are feathering out nicely. Happy healthy and active. I have even been brave enough to let them free range, weather permitting. . It is just the funniest thing watching them run/waddle around! They are now being fed only twice a day rather than always having food readily available..

This has definitely been a learning experience and I know what we will need to do differently if we decide to raise more of them. I was against getting meat birds from the start because I get too attached to my chickens and I won't be the one to kill them.

Thank you for the advice.

Oh I agree we had to learn the hard way in a few cases with ours. We assumed they were like every other chicken we had raised... wrong. Great birds and I agree I love to watch them waddle around. I had a friend say "Look at that poor bird it cant move" I told him to stick around for feeding time and see how fast he can move. He was shocked especially when this bird got the goat out of his way.

 

[JenifferHartman]

Lesson learned!

Here they are!

 

[chicken pickin]

Lesson learned!

Here they are!

They look wonderful!!! Looks like your doing a good job. A lot of space, free ranging, and regulating the feed will do wonders.

 

[Bossroo]

It is great that you learned from this experience ! Always remember the old Scottish saying for any and all animal ventures ... " The eye of the master fattens the cattle".

 

[pipemum]

I'm finding I'm having problems too with the CX smell. I only have 8, and they're 1.5 weeks old today. They are stinky! I said in another thread that I think all chicks start stinking past the 1 week mark, no matter how often I clean the brooder, but since these guys poop more, they stink more. Way more. Using fermented feed (from day 1) hasn't made a difference. Or, if it has, I wouldn't want to know how bad they might really stink. It's warm enough that as of yesterday, they can spend all day outside, and nights in the garage. For another week, max. Then they'll be outside for good. I couldn't imagine having them in a brooder for 4-6 weeks. It'd be nasty. I guess that's one benefit of living in the desert--getting chicks outside early on!

I had been planning on raising CX throughout the winter (too hot here in the summer), but after this batch is ready, days will be in the 40s-50s, which is too cold for chicks...and these things can't be in my tiny house after a week. I guess I'll just have to move somewhere with a barn! I'll at least have to wait till March for my next small batch of meaties.