Dirty Cornish

[mcjweb]

I have my one week old cornish chicks, have kept them in ac and small area. I clean the pen every two days and put clean shavings. As you all know they are eating drinking pooping machines and growing fast but they are getting caked on bottom(breast and back end area) with poop, how do you clean or do you? They are being shown in september.
charlie

 

[Tracydr]

You probably need more shavings more often. It's hard when they're little, since too much bedding and it will fill up the food and water. Too little and they're stinky dirty.

 

[geebs]

cull em and buy some KFC... smells better and less dirty

 

[mcjweb]

They give you funny looks when you are showing in a KFC box.....

 

[Beekissed]

 

[Beekissed]

I'd free range or at least place them in a bigger area, thicker bedding and rotate your feeding sites. They tend to congregate around the feeders...and poop there as well.

I free ranged and only fed once a day, no high pro feeds and this seemed to keep a clean and healthy bird. Nothing like cool, green grass to keep a chicken clean of fecal matter.

 

[al6517]

If they are dirty after just a week more frequent cleaning of their brooders is needed. Everybody knows they can get dirty as they lat around allot, but if their areas are clean they will in turn be clean. Most people just clean their areas as they would their foo-foo birds and more care is needed for the X's.

 

[mcjweb]

Thanks every one for your help. I am cleaning them and expanding their wing bands at the same time. I didn't realize that those babies could cuss like that.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Their a week old. Do you really free range your week old chicks?

 

[Gotta Love the Drake]

Another alternative is to keep them on wire so the droppings fall through. Seen it done.