First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[duluthralphie]

I have a question for all you record/stats keepers...

Which do you think has the better feed conversion rate Hens or Roosters, I am looking at ordering my CX's and am thinking I might try all girls.

Thoughts?

 

[holm25]

I think the hens do a lot more foraging for their food than the roos. I know during the day mostly roos were at the feeder

 

[LindaB220]

Rooster behavior is always hard to understand. Bert outweighs my other roosters by 15lbs. Yet he runs from them all.

I have decided I need CX's now!!

I will be ordering them today or going to TSC and buys some. I need to make them an indoor brooder in one of my sheds today.

The Little CL is alive and Princess Diana is doing great. My wife has taken over their care. She will not allow me to help them while they are in the ICU. I will get pictures when she allows me to take some...BTW this is the woman that tells everyone she does not like the birds and they are his!!!

Perfect way to get DW interested in chickens. These two will always be her favorites.

 

[duluthralphie]

Perfect way to get DW interested in chickens. These two will always be her favorites.

Funny you mentioned that Linda...

I sold 6 of the chicks this morning. I have one of them going at noon.

I am only keeping 3 from this batch. Princess Diana, the Creamette and a striped EE. I told my DW I could go out and try to slip them under the broody and she would probably take them and we would not have to raise them..

Her response was "NO! these two are mine". (speaking of Princess Di and the creamette.)

 

[LindaB220]

Funny you mentioned that Linda...

I sold 6 of the chicks this morning. I have one of them going at noon.

I am only keeping 3 from this batch. Princess Diana, the Creamette and a striped EE. I told my DW I could go out and try to slip them under the broody and she would probably take them and we would not have to raise them..

Her response was "NO! these two are mine". (speaking of Princess Di and the creamette.)

Aha!!!!! And so a chicken lover is born. Be joyful and don't tease her about it.

 

[Dandelioness]

I have a question for all you record/stats keepers...

Which do you think has the better feed conversion rate Hens or Roosters, I am looking at ordering my CX's and am thinking I might try all girls.

Thoughts?

My males reach market weight before the females consistently. I have not noticed either gender foraging more or hanging at the feeder more, but I don't feed free choice, either. They all come running after anyone with a bucket with equal interest.

Now I will have to watch more closely to see if the females lose interest first. Just by memory, it seems like they all stay until the feed is gone. Some of them tapping the empty trough sadly...

I think it's sweet your wife is taking care of those chicks. Maybe she will trade you those chicks for an iPhone rental...Just ask if you can play Angry Birds or something.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Hi everyone! We're doing our first run of CX this year, just 5 pullets for now. I'm actually hoping to keep them alive long enough to breed to my Langshan cock. However, if their health starts suffering I'll butcher them out.

Currently they are 2 weeks old and are being raised with a variety of breeds of other pullets. We moved them out into the coop with the adult flock earlier this week and they are very happy at all the extra space to scratch and fly. Our adults are very, very easy-going and have never offered to bother any chicks in the past. They're completely ignoring the new batch of chicks.

We keep the food nearby, but let them run out completely between AM and PM feedings. Waterers are scattered all over the coop and they have to walk to get to any of them. They're on a 20% chick starter, then will move onto a 19% all-purpose with soaked alfalfa pellets, and finally onto a 15% layer ration with soaked alfalfa pellets. They'll also be encouraged to free-range with the rest of the flock, get kitchen and garden scraps, and clean up grain spilled by our larger livestock.



They remind me of big dogs that think they're lapdogs.

Welcome to the thread, fellow Oregonian!! It sounds like you are off to a super start with your CX. It is funny how fast they grow in comparison with your other chicks, isnt' it?

 

[mountain mom]

Everyone has adorable babies!! Man, I sure missed a lot.

Thursday, while it was snowing like crazy, I drove to the post office to pick up my very own JJ and Ethel (and whomever else) eggs from Ralphie!! Thanks to his bomb proof packaging, every egg arrived perfectly intact and happy.
I let them warm up a bit by the fire and took them out to my broody Clyde. I lifted her off the nest and encouraged her to go peck around for a minute. I quickly removed her decoy eggs and placed the turkey eggs in the nest.
I stepped aside and watched from a slight distance to be sure she would be a nice mommy.
After being growled at, like a mean growl, she went in her nest and pushed the eggs around a bit, making mild growls. Then she sat on her nest, away from the eggs.
I wasn't sure if I should interfere or not, luckily, she eventually nestled a couple eggs under herself. I shoved the others under her, and hoped for the best.
Yesterday, she abandoned the nest. Sigh.

My turkey eggs are now inside in the incubator. FINGERS CROSSED!!!!

Welcome to all the newcomers!

Ralph- you have the CX in your hands yet? I think your wife likes diamonds... a princess and a creamette! All it took to get her to "love" the chickens was something sparkly Any luck with the others?!
Jessica- Good thing you are back. Ralph was going to try and break the lock off the booze cabinet. I might have assisted if necessary.
Linda- So glad you are home! Hope your knee heals quickly.
Holm- How are your eggs doing? Easter hatch as planned?

 

[duluthralphie]

MM You should post the pictures of Clyde and the eggs. The look on her face is priceless....

I would never break the lock, I would just go to the store room and get a new bottle..


I had a heater hose pop a leak yesterday on my bobcat. I spend the day replacing it. If you have ever worked on a bobcat you will know there is no room for hands or tools and the new pieces.. I said "golly gee" and fiddlesticks twice it was so bad..

JJ had to stay right next to me during most of the time I was working on it. I went into a shed to gets some tools and my ICU baby (white EE) from last year was in the shed. I have no idea when she went in there, must have been a couple days ago as I had not opened the doors since Wednesday. I am guessing there are eggs hidden in there somewhere. When I came out of the shed, chasing the EE ahead of me, JJ was gone. I crawled back into the mess and heard a racket, Ernie and Ed were having a dispute. Ernie was chasing him all over the yard.

I ignored this as it goes on all the time. I finished up my work and was putting my tools back and I saw JJ and Ernie having a disagreement. I have no idea what they have to disagree about.

I went to break it up and I thought I better record this and none of you will believe me on this. I assume Ernie started it, he seemed to have a chip on his hackle today.

I labeled this the worlds dumbest Rooster meets the worlds dumbest Turkey.

 

[duluthralphie]

Happy Easter...

I gave my diamond encrusted chick a bath to try and fluff her out. I am amazed she is still alive. My DW gets the credit, I had written her off. BTW DW was not happy to hear I gave her chick a bath....

Here are pictures;








I think she is a girl because of the lack of a spot on her head. I am not sure though, after she fluffs I should be better able to tell.