First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[PlaidBattleAxe]

Great! And the vultures keep the hawks away. Win-win.

That's awesome! I love hawks, but not around my birds!!

I've been super busy gearing up for my busiest time of year. How are things going Plaid? Giving them space does allow them to act like chickens. Mine love it too.

Barred Rocks are awesome chickens! I have two BR hens. One was my first to lay and the other was my last one to lay. They have super personalities, in my opinion, and are highest on the pecking order. My late bloomer is surprisingly the biggest hen I have and the crabbiest. I had two little roos that she had absolutely no interest in their shenanigans and she whooped their rears regularly. I rehomed the boys just today. She is also protective of the other hens. I almost thought she was a roo herself until she laid an egg. I don't know about raising them for meat as these girls will not ever wind up in the crockpot. They are good layers and a beautiful addition to the yard. I see you have BOs. My BRs are way more sassy than the BOs but in a good way.

My CX are happily running around like crazy every day. I finally figured out the huge birds that have been circling our area for the past several months are turkey vultures and as long as my birds are alive, I don't have to worry so much about them. I thought they were hawks. Not the brightest moment for me of course. Since my revelation I have been letting my chicks out for most of the day. They are spreading far and wide hunting around for goodies. My hubby brought home dropped apples from a customer that they are devouring and loving it. Unfortunately our weather had been cooling off and around 80s which the chicks loves, but today it spiked back up to high 90s. None of us were happy until the big tree gave us some shade and the sun started going down. This batch seems spunkier and like they are travelling further away from the tractor. Four of them even chased me into the garage yesterday which is the farthest any of them have gone. I think I am feeling more comfortable and giving them more freedom, so they are also more comfortable. I can't believe they are almost 5 weeks old!

I've been busy with starting the school year (home school) and work... and yesterday I came home worried (it had been 90+ degrees and muggy all day) about the chicks, esp w DH not always refilling the h20 and food. I was pleasantly surprised to find that DH had fed and watered them all day, AND introduced them to the great outdoors. See--- I live on a highway, and I don't free range my birds due to TONS of day time predators and the highway, instead I have extra large runs for them. Well, I was used to handling the feathered beasties mobbing me for food (and I love it lol), but DH was not. He decided to "go big or go home" and free range them. He opened the pen and let them all out like chubby popcorn pieces all over my yard. They did great! I let them out today too, and they picked and ran and layed in the grass oh so contented. It almost brought me to tears to see them so at peace and happy. My enclosure was constantly turning into a giant poo-wallow, no matter how often I put in shavings. It riddled me with guilt every time I smelled the poop. Now they are only pooping in there part of the time, not all of the time. I leave their enclosure open and offer food, but they are free to come and go as they please, but they still return to the pen when they see me coming with the feed bucket. They go through a 5 gallon bucket of fermented feed every day. Its madness. But I think they'll be happier and healthier running around my property vs confined. I will also start free ranging at 3 weeks the next time around, if not sooner. But better now than never, I guess!

I love my buff orpingtons I only technically have them because that is what the person who gave them to me breeds (a very good friend and co-worker). I wanted a mix of breeds, but that will come in the spring. I love sassy chickens!! My buff orps were grown when I got them, so they are all very stand-offish except for one, my Red Hawk. She loves to be held and comes running up to me to be picked up and pet. It sounds nuts, but I had a hen go broody and that hen attacked me while I was trying to (naively) collect eggs---Red came flying into the coop and lit into the broody, pecking and beating her up with her wings. I think I will keep the CX as meat birds, and the heritage/etc as eggs/lawn entertainment I'm really loving this breed. They are not at ALL the
"creepy meat" birds like I've read about. They are curious and feisty, albeit very VERY poopy.

This spring my chickens to add are: Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock, Swedish Flower Hen, Rhode Island Red, and Easter Eggers. Poor DH got suckered in under the "its for 4H and school" card------turns out, he is actually starting to like having chickens and will even admit it outloud now

I love that you free range your brood to that extent. I was so cowardly about it (over-thinking risk vs benefit), but I should have followed suit. I just pictured road-kill chickens. I was wrong, as they never stray too far from the run/food. This is a definately learn-as-you-go experience for me. I will do so many things different the next time around, but I also feel good about doing better by the ones I've got now. I think I'll go to 8 weeks with them vs the 7 I had planned, and let them thrive with the free ranging/food as needed approach.

I started adding chick-grit into their feed. Do you give them a bowl of it? I mix it into their fermented feed, and they down it.

 

[duluthralphie]

I do not add chick grit once they are outside as I live on sand with lots of little rocks for them to eat....

I do give them chick grit in the brooder though.

 

[Betsy57]

So my 15 meat birds will be here in about two weeks. How much feed can I expect to go through until I butcher?

 

[Double Kindness]

I love and covet swedish flower hens too and french bcm. My little barred rocks are very sweet and curious, one jumped on my head this morning when I went out to feed them.

I'm living vicariously through you guys with cornish x. My dp straight run chicks are growing fast, but no where nearly like your beautiful meaties, it's giving me a lot of perspective.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Plaid: I'm so glad your husband is hopping on board! That is always helpful. My husband has admitted he loves the chickens too. Of course, he really likes eggs for breakfast and just yesterday said, these are like gourmet eggs. Pretty bad that gourmet is now raise the chickens yourself. I am also extremely glad he let those buggers out! They need to run and forage. Besides they know where "home" is and generally stay in the vicinity.

I had the same fears and kept my first batch in more than this batch. I wish I hadn't but I was just so new that I worried sick. I still worry really. Last night we had a race and didn't get home until close to midnight. I hadn't locked in my hens and silkies before I left. My husband assured me that withe the dogs out in the yard they would be fine. The CX were locked in their tractor. I couldn't stomach leaving them out too until that late. Anyway, I worried all evening. When we got home, everyone was all tucked in and all I had to do was shut the pop doors. Phew!

I think in the spring I want to add some silver laced wyandottes and certainly some more easter eggers. I'd like some polish but I need to do some more research on them to be sure they are compatible with my flock. I will DEFINITELY have several batches of CX as I plan to do some beef and pork trades and I want a full freezer! I am loving my chicken! It is delicious!

As for grit, I start my tractor close to the house near the driveway where there are a tons of small pebbles. I let the chicks out there and they go to town munching down on those pebbles. Once they are far out in the pasture, I may add some to their food if I have given them alot of fruit but only the first week or two that they are out there.

Betsy: That depends on how you are planning to feed them, ie 24/7, measured amounts, adding free ranging? My first batch of 30 ate 380 pounds of food over the course of 9 weeks. I fed measured amounts that they could eat in 10-15 minutes four times per day and free ranged.

Double Kindness: You should definitely try a batch of cx given the opportunity. They are super fun and delicious!

 

[Betsy57]

Plaid: I'm so glad your husband is hopping on board! That is always helpful. My husband has admitted he loves the chickens too. Of course, he really likes eggs for breakfast and just yesterday said, these are like gourmet eggs. Pretty bad that gourmet is now raise the chickens yourself. I am also extremely glad he let those buggers out! They need to run and forage. Besides they know where "home" is and generally stay in the vicinity.

I had the same fears and kept my first batch in more than this batch. I wish I hadn't but I was just so new that I worried sick. I still worry really. Last night we had a race and didn't get home until close to midnight. I hadn't locked in my hens and silkies before I left. My husband assured me that withe the dogs out in the yard they would be fine. The CX were locked in their tractor. I couldn't stomach leaving them out too until that late. Anyway, I worried all evening. When we got home, everyone was all tucked in and all I had to do was shut the pop doors. Phew!

I think in the spring I want to add some silver laced wyandottes and certainly some more easter eggers. I'd like some polish but I need to do some more research on them to be sure they are compatible with my flock. I will DEFINITELY have several batches of CX as I plan to do some beef and pork trades and I want a full freezer! I am loving my chicken! It is delicious!

As for grit, I start my tractor close to the house near the driveway where there are a tons of small pebbles. I let the chicks out there and they go to town munching down on those pebbles. Once they are far out in the pasture, I may add some to their food if I have given them alot of fruit but only the first week or two that they are out there.

Betsy: That depends on how you are planning to feed them, ie 24/7, measured amounts, adding free ranging? My first batch of 30 ate 380 pounds of food over the course of 9 weeks. I fed measured amounts that they could eat in 10-15 minutes four times per day and free ranged.

Double Kindness: You should definitely try a batch of cx given the opportunity. They are super fun and delicious!

Okay. I was going to let them range some. So 15 birds should use up no more than 4-50 lb bags of feed. I am ordering from Countryside Organics. I will keep good records (hopefully) so I will know the cost and such. I hope for a good experience with these first birds and will do more next year.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Okay. I was going to let them range some. So 15 birds should use up no more than 4-50 lb bags of feed. I am ordering from Countryside Organics. I will keep good records (hopefully) so I will know the cost and such. I hope for a good experience with these first birds and will do more next year.

That's probably a good amount to start with. I've read some people have gone through 600-800 pounds of food too. I would say those are 24/7 feeders. When my chicks are in the brooder, I used a 2 cup scoop. When they are new, I found 1 scoop seemed to do it. As they grow I would add two scoops. Once they are in the tractor, I graduate to a 2 quart pitcher and fill it to 1 quart or (1 1/2 quarts in the morning because it could have been 10-12 hours since the last feeding. I do this 3-4 times per day depending on the amount of free range time I give them. I am raising twice as many as you will be so these numbers wouldn't fit with your batch.

Some may read these amounts and think that I am underfeeding them but after the results of my last batch, I am not worried as I hardly had any birds under 5 pounds dressed weight with no giblets. The breasts are so big it is hard to eat a whole one.

Keeping good records is imperative! It really helps you to know what you spend and if someone happens to want to buy chicken from you it gives you an amount to sell them for.

 

[KCMOLisa]

Do you guys restrict their feed even when they're little? I have 25 five-day-old meaties. I really don't want to overfeed them and get the health problems, but everything I have read says to give them 24/7 food for the first two weeks. I already can't believe how much bigger they are than Day 1! Their crops were huge tonight when I tucked them in, so I know they are definitely chowing down.

 

[duluthralphie]

I fed this bunch a measured amount of food during the day to start with.

I Took the food away at around 6pm and gave it back around 8am.

After a week, as I recall, I gave them food for 20-30 minutes morning and night.

I had them in the tractor at a week and through scratch on the ground, I would again feed them a little in the morning and night, but I basically made them work for it.

Right now I am feeding them about 20 minutes morning and night, otherwise they are hunting for food or digging up scratch. I think this is the nicest bunch of birds I have ever seen. They are active, gaining slowly but gaining. No leg problem and no ascites, so I am happy!

I fed the first bunch I had like the hatchery said, I had ascites, leg problems and based on water consumption I think diabetes. The birds barely waddled , These little guys run, jump, climb and try to fly!

 

[JessicaThistle]

Do you guys restrict their feed even when they're little? I have 25 five-day-old meaties. I really don't want to overfeed them and get the health problems, but everything I have read says to give them 24/7 food for the first two weeks. I already can't believe how much bigger they are than Day 1! Their crops were huge tonight when I tucked them in, so I know they are definitely chowing down.

I measured their food from day one! I can't say that I restricted feed but I didn't fill a never ending feeder ever. For my first batch I used a muffin tin and filled all of the cups. It took about 2-3 cups of food per feeding. I think I did that four or five times per day. After they got bigger I added a 6 muffin tin to the mix and it took 4-5 cups to fill both. After I move them to the tractor I still feed a measured amount 4 times per day at 8 am, noon, 4 pm and 8 pm. I am sometimes only feeding 3 times per day with my current batch as I am free ranging them way more than the previous batch. When I tuck all my chickens in at night around 8 pm, that is the last feeding. The next feeding is between 8 and 9 am. They are hungry in the morning but they are always excited to eat.

Technically, I don't know how one feeds for 24 hours unless they get up in the middle of the night to refill the feeder or put a huge amount in the feeder. I am not going to do that. I sleep cruddy enough as it is. I have this idea that if I feed just enough at a feeding that they have ample time to process the feed into meat and excrete less. I really believe that by doing smaller meals, I am not experiencing the huge amount of poop that many report and I know that my chickens are producing a ton of meat to their bodies. I also found with my current batch when they were in the brooder that if I didn't keep their feeder full all of the time it encouraged foraging. They scratched and dug into the chips way more than the last group almost tunneling under their waterer and causing a collapse.

If you plan on free ranging at all absolutely encourage those foraging instincts now! It is awesome to look out into your yard and see all of those adorable white chickens scratching and pecking around!