First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[JRNash]

Ralph and Linda are the resident experts IMO. I tried reducing calories to limit growth. It didn't work. CX will eat Anything that is in front of them.

 

[SidChick]

Ralph and Linda are the resident experts IMO. I tried reducing calories to limit growth. It didn't work. CX will eat Anything that is in front of them.

All my chicks eat like crazy. Less protein perhaps?

 

[JRNash]

I would NOT be the one to answer that question adequately.

 

[JRNash]

Limiting the protein WON'T WORK. You will have to limit the AMOUNT.

 

[SidChick]

Limiting the protein WON'T WORK. You will have to limit the AMOUNT.

Thank you. A friend of mine used to have them and he simply says you can't fight genetics. Some of his couldn't walk by a year old. How sad.

 

[JRNash]

You can fight genetics.go to "Toad Raising" to see what Ralph has accomplished.

 

[JRNash]

You can't free feed them. As long as food is available,they will eat non stop. The key is to NOT allow this behavior.

 

[SidChick]

Do you think I have a male and a female? Or too young?

 

[Birdinhand]

from what I've seen raising three batches now, cornish cross begin a pretty steep downward health slope after about 6-7 weeks. when I harvest them it's kind of putting them out of their misery, and that is with restraining their food and keeping them moving. I know there are folks who have gotten them to grow out more but I'd kind of have to agree that you are working against a strong genetic predisposition to keep them as "forever birds". you might be setting your daughter up for a sad road. I have put mine on the typical 12hr on 12hr off regime and it's hard to imagine restraining their food even more, they basically sit there and beg and then climb all over each other once I put the food back in. if left unfed long enough they start eating dirt, anything to fill the void.
as for sexing them, it's possible in the first couple of days based on their wing feathers but after that it's a hard call till they are older, but only by a few weeks. by week 5 or 6 or so it gets pretty obvious. If I had to throw out a guess, I'd say the one in the foreground is a rooster and the one in the background is a hen, based on subtle differences in their combs. the hens combs are slighter pretty early on. expect them to have something like 10X the normal growth rate of other breeds, it's kind of mind boggling... they live fast and die young. they are essentially made for one purpose.

 

[kingchickies]

My hubby and i have considered getting some meat birds for the freezer, I grew up raising cattle and we always had a steer we were feeding for the freezer, but he went to the butcher. My family never hunted, my hubby never hunted. In other words neither of us have killed an animal. I would love to get some good meat in the fridge but I am very hesitant about butchering. Do you have to butcher yourself or will butcher's do chickens? My other concern about doing it ourselves is attracting predators we only have half an acre so it be done in fairly close proximity to our chicken coop for eggs.