CX dying like flies

[duluthralphie]

One of the issues I have with low calcium and low protein feed is that it's hard to get both, from my supplier the only low protein feeds are egg laying feeds. I do wish someone other than Dumor would make a 15% protein feed without calcium in it... if I shop around I might find it.

We have a local milling company that makes it here.. and it’s cheaper than TSC.


Have you thought about cutting the high protein low calcium stuff with a scratch of some kind... as I recall they are around 9% protein and cheaper.. I would not recommend that with birds that will be around for years, but CX have a couple months is all.

 

[Compost King]

We have a local milling company that makes it here.. and it’s cheaper than TSC

I suspect we do too and I need to look a little harder.

 

[duluthralphie]

I suspect we do too and I need to look a little harder.

I added to the post.. may want to read it

 

[Compost King]

I would consider it but any CX I do low protein feed with is for breeding purposes. In Minnesota you have your toads, in NC we need something similar but far more heat tolerant. I dare to attempt to make something similar but with a giant single comb and a naked neck. But sadly my CX who was healthy and foraging died when the temps hit 95 at age 15 weeks. She was healthy and running around and climbing all over my compost pile.
Next time I do what you did and get a bunch of them and choose the survivor that ventured furthest away from the coop to forage.

 

[duluthralphie]

Do you think it is possible to get a comb large enough to take the heat away from the huge bodies fast?


What do you plan to cross them with?

You may have to give up some breast size to make them sustainable.

BTW. I read one of the hatcheries propaganda sheets on CX. It said not to try to breed them as it would not work...

We are pushing 100 degrees the next few days. I hope I have some toads left. Heat is so hard on them.

 

[R2elk]

As I recall reading the increase calcium can actually be harmful to young birds.

I am willing to bet @R2elk would know the answer to this.

Excessive calcium in young birds (pre POL) and males can cause kidney damage. This is the reason that starters, growers and all flock feeds typically only have approximately 1.2% calcium.

Personally, I never had any problem raising CX on free choice feed (always available) but mine were essentially free range once they were out of the brooder. I was done processing most of mine by the time they were 6 weeks old except for the few cockerels I let live until they were old enough to dress out at 10 lbs.

 

[duluthralphie]

Excessive calcium in young birds (pre POL) and males can cause kidney damage. This is the reason that starters, growers and all flock feeds typically only have approximately 1.2% calcium.

Personally, I never had any problem raising CX on free choice feed (always available) but mine were essentially free range once they were out of the brooder. I was done processing most of mine by the time they were 6 weeks old except for the few cockerels I let live until they were old enough to dress out at 10 lbs.

Thanks.


I let mine free range and still had deaths from heart and kidney failure.

When I went to feeding once a day it ended.

However, I like my birds larger than most people, so I would process them between 12-15 weeks.

I know these are old picture, but some may not have seen it. A turkey and a chicken after processing. The turkey on the left, chicken on the right.

We like the big juicy chickens. Please note the turkey is heritage and not BB..

We fixed these for a large family gathering. The chicken went first and was what everyone raved about.

I have thought about ordering some CX raise them to this size, process and fill the freezer and sell the excess.

The draw back is people do not want to pay more than the 3 bucks they pay for a little chicken in the store. Size and quality be damned...


Here is a toad next to a 20 pound propane cylinder.

 

[Morrigan]

The largest CX I've raised and processed was an 12+ week old rooster, who ended up being 11 lbs, dressed. Not quite as big as @duluthralphie's birds, but bordering on turkey-sized. I usually let my last group of meaties go to 12 or 13 weeks, as we like to make our own chicken sausages and it is so much easier to butcher and de-bone a few large birds, rather than many small ones.

Interesting discussion on the percent of protein. I've always used a 20% protein flock raiser, but I cut it with about 25% whole grains (mixture of oats, wheat and barley) and ferment the lot together before feeding. At feeding time, I also put down several chunks of sprouted grains. With the yard weeds/veggies, I'm thinking overall protein intake is around 17 percent. My main reason for supplanting with whole grains was to cut costs, plus it turn out that the chickens really loved the sprouts. Honestly, I never thought that much about the protein angle. But, for whatever reason (and putting aside a few, days old chicks lost to shipping stress, etc.) I've never had a CX drop dead on me. I've had to butcher a few earlier than planned, at 6 weeks or so, who start walking slow and generally don't seem to be faring as well as the other.

 

[Compost King]

Do you think it is possible to get a comb large enough to take the heat away from the huge bodies fast?


What do you plan to cross them with?

You may have to give up some breast size to make them sustainable.

BTW. I read one of the hatcheries propaganda sheets on CX. It said not to try to breed them as it would not work...

We are pushing 100 degrees the next few days. I hope I have some toads left. Heat is so hard on them.

When I finally get around to keeping a CX alive long enough to breed.. I will breed a female with my white Naked Neck rooster who has a large frame. He is a full naked neck too, no bowtie.

Currently he is in a pen with some of his daughters that I crossed with Red Rangers. If the next generation from that has a white full naked neck male then that will be the patriarch... In this pen although she is not laying yet is a Slow white broiler. to make it a simplistic math equation this is my current (to be changed as I learn more) plan:
(Naked Neck x Slow White Broiler) x (Naked Neck x Cornish X)

Take the best full naked neck male from that and repeat process with new slow white broiler and new CX. I am sure something along the way will screw it all up which is why I have multiple meat bird projects going on, one will work out. Right now my Red Ranger Dorking project is working out great. Dorking's have some problems if you breed them but those problems go away when you cross breed them.

 

[bbond]

Forgive the ignorance. But what is a toad?