First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[duluthralphie]

 

[GramaCindy]

Sounds great! I do have one major concern. I am predator heaven and don't know how to secure them for the nighttime. I am actually considering wheeling it into the detached garage at night. Any thoughts on this?

 

[duluthralphie]

Sounds great! I do have one major concern. I am predator heaven and don't know how to secure them for the nighttime. I am actually considering wheeling it into the detached garage at night. Any thoughts on this?

What kind of predators?

I assume you are near Superior, so you lots of fur bearing critter. Wheeling 25 CX's into the garage every night will be a pain,

I suggest, if you have the room set their brooder in the garage and feed them every night at bedtime in the garage, they will run in there.

 

[GramaCindy]

Predators....you name it! Bears, bobcats, fishers, weasels, raccoons, hawks, owls, wolves, coyotes. I was concerned about wheeling it all the way in there. Setting up the garage for a permanent brooder? free ranging all day? How about opening the tractor around dusk and bribing them with food into the garage? (after holding back for a few hours)

 

[duluthralphie]

Predators....you name it! Bears, bobcats, fishers, weasels, raccoons, hawks, owls, wolves, coyotes. I was concerned about wheeling it all the way in there. Setting up the garage for a permanent brooder? free ranging all day? How about opening the tractor around dusk and bribing them with food into the garage? (after holding back for a few hours)

Well, If you can do that just feed twice a day and let them have morning feed in the tractor and evening feed in the garage. If you can free range some during the day you will get, IMHO better birds and have the fun of watching CX's play. peck and so on. It is lots of fun. If you do free range at all and need to get them back in the garage or tractor as long as you use the same bucket to carry the feed in they will come running for a cup of food!


Remember giving CX;s feed al day longs makes sick dying birds.

 

[holm25]

Well my hatch is over seven babies out of twelve eggs. Only eight made it to lock down and one died. So I didn't do to bad I guess. Have 6 more eggs under a broody that should hatch this pm to. I finally got my BrahmaxWelsummer that I'm super excited about. Out of all the chicks I have hatched that is the biggest. Big chick out of big egg.

 

[duluthralphie]

Holm that is a good hatch to me. I still have one more day on my hatch. I have a turkey that is hatching, I hope and another Creamette is pipped.

 

[mountain mom]

Here is an update first thank you for your responses last night I went out to give the fresh water and there was 5 more dead I noticed on 3 of them it looked like blood was coming out of the butt or something red assuming it was blood I put them in the tractor at 4 weeks and yes I limit there food only feed once a day but I am starting to think I'm feeding to much because there feeders are never empty and they don't rush me when I come in with the feed. No I havnt cut any open yet and not sure how much they weigh just thought I give the new info if I need to butcher now I need to get ahold of my butcher ASAP please let me know if it still sounds like heart disease and if it is heart disease they are still good to eat correct ? Thanks again this is not how I thought my first experience with CX would go

Well, I am a bit confused as to how you are limiting their food if the feeder is never empty. I let them eat as much as they can the first week, then they only get fed 2x a day. Last batch I fed 3 or 4 times a day, but it was colder and there were not many bugs for foraging (it was late in the fall). My meatballs are about 2 1/2 weeks right now, they are only being fed twice a day. They free range the rest of the day (in their fenced in area). I give them about as much as they can eat in 15 minutes.

Sadly, I think your meaties are growing too fast and are having heart attacks. I would butcher. You can still eat them.

Sorry your first experience is not so great. You still have plenty of time to raise another batch, if you choose. I know a few of us here have also raised other birds for meat that take longer to grow. Maybe they are the birds for you. I did Red Rangers (I believe Holm is doing them this spring) last summer. I enjoyed the meat, but I do prefer the CX.

Last fall, I willy nilly ordered CX from the feed store. Then I freaked out. I realized I wanted nothing to do with frankenbirds. It was the whole reason I went with Red Rangers the first time, but I didn't have as long for them to grow since it was later in the fall. Then I found this thread! I read through the whole thing in an afternoon (there were only 90 some odd pages back then, I think). I LEARNED SO MUCH! I was, and am incredibly thankful for this forum! The main lesson I learned before they arrived- Just because they can be grown so quickly they can be butchered at 6-8, does not mean it is the way to go. You get sick birds. You get frankenbirds. Slow, slow, slow.
I am not trying to be hard on you, it is all a learning curve and nobody has the perfect answer, but in my opinion, you fed them too much. I do hope you try another batch of them though, they are great meat birds!

 

[holm25]

...

Holm that is a good hatch to me.   I still have one more day on my hatch.  I have a turkey that is hatching, I hope and another Creamette  is  pipped.
[/quote
Sweet! I hope they hatch!!

 

[mountain mom]

I am so jealous of the hatching! Today is the "due date" for the turkeys. I will give them until tomorrow. There are no pips. If none hatch, I will follow Ralphs very scientific eggtopsy methods and see what the heck happened.... not that I don't already blame someone....