Feed & Finishing

19sarah90

Songster
10 Years
Jun 8, 2009
375
0
119
Sodus, Michigan
I'm a newbie to the site and an egg-layers only for nearly ten years now. (yes, since I was nine years old). Anyway, I'm in 4-H and have decided to raise some cornish crosses for my siblings and I to enter in the county fair. I'm not quite understanding the start/grow/finish principles and am wondering if they can start/grow on the turkey grower that's available at my supply store (they don't have anything else with high enough protein) and simply mix it with corn or some grain for finishing. I also have questions concerning fleas/mites and bathing because they have to be perfectly clean for the fair.
 
The way it was explained to me was starter for a bag or two (we get 15 to 20 birds at a time), then grower for a few bags, and a week or two before you send to the processor give them finisher. This batch I am sending to the processor on Monday had starter for one bag, grower the rest of the time, and I added a little corn in this week with their feed. Just make sure they have a lot of water available. As for bathing, you are on your own with that one. You could put the ones you plan to take to the show in a movable coop (AKA Tractor) and move it everyday to minimize the filth they seem to collect. But I think a video of your efforts to give them a bath would be good for us all!!
 
For 4-H start them on a Turkey starter for three weeks then go with a 22% broiler feed that has stuff for good yellow pigment, judges like that. we leave the lights on 24/7 and never have lost more then 10% of ours, a judge said that the lights on is a must.
For a bath we like Quic Silver horse shampoo, it works great gets them very white. TSC or a feed store should have this. http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=1&mscssid=H25J1PHFQU638N6117WASTA429TQ39BF&pf_id=12082&cmkw=quic%20AND%20silver

Good
luck, we have shown for four years and am going to take some to the state fair this year. need any more help PM me.

A very good read is http://gallus.tamu.edu/Extension%20publications/ps-5141.pdf

this
is good also, with bathing video http://4hpoultry.osu.edu/Showing tips.htm
 
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I had heard about the yellow skin... merigold petals or some other yellow flower provides that, right? LOL, I should put video on youtube of washing them, unless of course they are so lazy that they'd rather drown in a bucket than struggle to not get washed. I'll look into that Quic Silver horse shampoo. Thanks for all the references, buckeye!
 
as far as the bathin for cornish x i keep puttind hard wood ashes in there litter and where they dust, no mites lice etc.(no worry about dangerous pesticides/insectides) and when your ready to show em give them a real bath in water, if you start bathin them when there feathered out and young u wont stress them as bad when there older
 

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