First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[JessicaThistle]

Holm - I love all the pics of your chicks and I second how brave you are!

Linda - Thank you for the encouragement!

Redmini - It's possible that this one got cold but he was big and I would just assume he was tougher than that. My itty bitty girl survived the day outside. To be honest, I really don't know what the temp outside was. All I know was that it was bright and sunny and I was sweating!

Their little bodies are so hot to touch and with 30 of them to snuggle, it's hard to imagine them being too cold, but I know that anything is possible.

I am also struggling to nail down some hard facts on what the temps should be for the Meaties. There are bundles of brooder threads regarding the other chicks but not really much on brooder temps for CX. I know these guys are different than my other chickens and most likely don't need the same temps as they do. I am shutting off the heat lamp during the day to start hardening them off. They are spread throughout the whole brooder and aren't piling underneath the lamp when it is on.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Week 2 pics! I can't believe these guys are so big at 2 weeks old. They have put on an average of 8.5 ounces this week. The largest was 13.5 ounces and the smallest was 10.4. I think the 10.4 is a little girl. Just a thought. I can tell her apart because she is the only one with a big black spot on her head. She gets right in there and eats though!

Two weeks old - 13.5 oz.



Two Week Old Female at 10.4 oz



A fun pic from today. I heard the chicks all yelling at me. I must be starving them you know. Lol! When I got to the brooder, this is what I found. Planning an escape maybe?



These guys crack me up!

 

[LeeBrad]

The chick stage is cute. I have to keep in mind though, that they are food and to not get attached. Will you be butchering them or someone else?

 

[JessicaThistle]

The chick stage is cute. I have to keep in mind though, that they are food and to not get attached. Will you be butchering them or someone else?

I have to keep that in mind as well. I won't name them and luckily I can't tell any of them apart anyway, with the exception of the one with the black spot. I assume that will go away when she feathers.

My husband and I will be butchering them ourselves. Not excited about that part but it's part of the process.

 

[LindaB220]

Week 2 pics! I can't believe these guys are so big at 2 weeks old. They have put on an average of 8.5 ounces this week. The largest was 13.5 ounces and the smallest was 10.4. I think the 10.4 is a little girl. Just a thought. I can tell her apart because she is the only one with a big black spot on her head. She gets right in there and eats though!

Two weeks old - 13.5 oz.



Two Week Old Female at 10.4 oz



A fun pic from today. I heard the chicks all yelling at me. I must be starving them you know. Lol! When I got to the brooder, this is what I found. Planning an escape maybe?



These guys crack me up!

I think you caught that one in the nick of time. If he'd made it, they all would be gone.

 

[LeeBrad]

True. After the first few, it gets easier. It's much easier to kill something that is sick to put it out of its misery. As you said though, it's part of the process.

 

[JessicaThistle]

I got brave and let the chicks free range for a bit. So fun!

It went great until something spooked them and they ran for cover under the bamboo that's to the right in the video. A couple squeezed through the fence but the bamboo on my neighbor's side stopped them. I just had to get them back through the fence. I have a nasty bamboo rash now but all chicks were safe and sound! Lol!

 

[LindaB220]

I got brave and let the chicks free range for a bit. So fun!

It went great until something spooked them and they ran for cover under the bamboo that's to the right in the video. A couple squeezed through the fence but the bamboo on my neighbor's side stopped them. I just had to get them back through the fence. I have a nasty bamboo rash now but all chicks were safe and sound! Lol!

Jessica, lovely video. Calm and peaceful. Happy. Really like your tractor. Is it hard to move?

 

[JessicaThistle]

Jessica, lovely video. Calm and peaceful. Happy. Really like your tractor. Is it hard to move?

Thank you! They were great! I really enjoyed letting them out, until the bamboo burn.

I need to get my poultry netting all around the fence though because the wire fence separating us from our neighbors was built with horses in mind, not chickens. The holes in the wire must be 5-6 inches wide and even my 15 week old chickens can shimmy through.

My tractor is actually quite easy to move. There are wheels on one end. I can push or pull it. Pulling is easier. I am only 5 ft tall too. My 11 year old who weighs probably 80 pounds can move it too, albeit a tad more difficult for her.

 

[JessicaThistle]

I moved the chicks to the tractor today. They were outgrowing the brooder and keeping them clean was becoming a problem with 29 little stinkers. The feeders I was using were becoming too small as well. It was just time. It is supposed to get to 55 degrees tonight. I admit I did add an extra tarp to the open back side and the heat lamp is up high but will take the chill off.

I'm a little nervous and sure I will venture out with the flashlight a time or two. Someone tell me they will be okay.

On a bright note, they loved the little free range session I gave them today. These chicks are way more interested in chasing and eating bugs then my LF chicks were even up until just a few weeks ago. They are braver and have gone further away from the tractor. They are not afraid of our dogs (who aren't aggressive towards them) and they seem to like to follow me around some. Hmmm.. I wonder why?

And a SUPER bright note: My husband made a loud sound that spooked the chicks and they ran straight for the chicken tractor instead of the bamboo this time! That is definitely where I want them to go for safety and I avoided an additional bamboo burn.