CornishX chicks at 10 days old- do they look normal to you?

[AbbyDog]

Hi, i am raising meat chickens for the first time. Got my new Cornish cross chicks a little more than a week ago. The chicks were a little stressed as they had been part of a demonstration before I took them home, but seemed to recover nicely...however, I was immediately disgusted by the vast amount of watery poop, their voracious appetite etc. I discovered the thread on feeding fermented food and decided to try it. They are getting organic chick starter that has been fermenting with braggs apple cider vinegar. They love it! I think that it has made a difference in their poos....Although they are still on a lamp 24 hrs a day I am not leaving feed out for them overnight, so in the morning they are quite hungry.They seem to be happy, active creatures. However, I am still a little taken aback by these chicks' appearance, and I don't know if the missing feathers, bulging abdomens and crops, etc are just part of this breed, or whether they have something wrong with them. They just look so strange compared to other "normal" chicks. Can someone who is familiar with CornishX please tell me what you think? Much thanks in advance.!!

 

[gabrielle1976]

They look a little bald to me but I dont know anything about meat chickens. If no one on this thread answers you should try the meat chicken thread and see if they ahve any info for you .

 

[mmktdox]

They look completely normal for CX chicks! They grow very quickly and the feathers can't keep up. Mine have always feathered in by the time they're ready for processing, but others have said that they keep some bald spots right through!

Keep on doing what you're doing, they look great!

 

[AbbyDog]

Thanks...I am still a bit worried about how swollen their abdomens seem...but maybe since they are lacking a bit in the feather department, maybe it is just that much more obvious.

 

[dainerra]

they aren't swollen. cornish crosses are eating birds, selectively bred to have a lot of breast meat and to fatten up quickly. I wouldn't worry about the missing feathers either, same reasons that others have said.

I do know that they will eat themselves to death, a problem that other breeds don't have. So don't be disturbed by their voracious appetites. Just don't fall down in the coop

 

[mmktdox]

They do appear swollen but it's just the full crop and the fact that they're missing some plumage!

Dainerra is right though, they will eat themselves to death. I've started limiting feed. I take the feeders out of the brooder around 10pm and put them back in at 6am. Ideally I'm working towards twelve hours on feed and twelve hours off. There's lots of good information on this website about limiting feed or if you're adventurous, some people ferment the feed too. But they look great, really!