The way it grows is the way it grows and, knowing that is the way it grows doesn't change the bird being alive here on the Earth. But, knowing the way it grows, one can manage that growth differently so that they don't sit by the feeder(if there is no feed in that feeder they will not sit by it)and sleep(if they are out having to grub for their supper like a real chicken they don't have time to sleep) and are not prone to heart attacks. What we are dealing with is a bird with excess hunger and one that builds muscle in the breast and thighs very quickly and, by knowing that, we can manage that growth with only a few changes in how we do things.
These changes aren't hard to do, they don't inconvenience anyone and they actually save money on feed when raising these birds. I view raising this breed as an opportunity to come out from the pack and do something differently to give them a better life and yield a better meat for the table. The answer isn't to spend more money on a different breed but to change the cheaper breed into what you want it to be.
I'm only on my second batch of these CX, so I'm certainly no expert on their management, but from a nursing standpoint and from someone who has raised DP breeds for some long time now, I find these birds to be remarkably hardy, resilient and a big payoff for the time spent. I could never raise enough meat to equal what they yield in a DP bird on the same money and still process while they are young enough to be tender.
I feed them once or twice a day, depending on their needs, and I feed regular feeds like layer mash and whole grains. I ferment their feeds and it has really saved on the intake, has provided them with the probiotics that help balance their digestive tracts and allows them to better absorb and utilize the nutrients in their feed. As a result, I have less smell in the coop, less feces to manage, and less water to carry. These 50 birds go through about a gallon of water a week. I thought I was giving them around 2 gal. until I realized how much I throw out by changing it to fresh water....nearly all is water I discard. The water they actually drink is minimal and would equal the same amount of birds in a DP flock. I place UP/ACV in their water as an electrolyte and probio booster as well.
What I have are extremely healthy CX that are fulfilling their natural growth pattern without having to give them high pro feeds...they are right on time and their muscle tissue is developing slowly enough that they aren't stressed by the weight or get heat exhaustion from being dehydrated. That excess thirst you see in this breed? It is indicative of animals that are dehydrated and dehydrated animals have electrolyte imbalances that can affect their hearts, causing the problems everyone seems to have. Change the dehydration and you change the bird. Change the growth pattern and you change the bird. Change their space in which to live and you change the bird.
These changes are so easy to make and end up saving me money, so why not implement them? Give these birds a different life and they will be a different kind of bird. I don't find it a bit unfair to raise them...they are a delight to raise and I wish I could breed my own to keep here. They have great personalities, they are the best foragers I've ever seen in all my years of free ranging chickens, they are so healthy that nothing phases them...not injury, not heat, not cold, not rain...they just shake it off and go on with their lives, they are so friendly and calm but still do the whole fighting for dominance thing and chasing each other for worms~I love watching these chickens as much as I love my DP breeds.
I'm not the only one raising these CX this way on this forum and we all are enjoying their good health and seeing a vastly different picture of the breed that everyone else is seeing.
