First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[JessicaThistle]

Really sorry about that. Might be a premature case of a condition called, Failure to Thrive which generally develops over a much longer period of time. With respect to our genetic makeup, no matter how defined and refined I am opined that chickens like all creatures great and small are subject to a number of genes of inferiority. Many of us (vertebrates) carry a genetic load of what are known as lethal genes which are often recessive to their counterparts at the locus involved. It is when these pair up that the trouble becomes apparent; too apparent! Let's hear it for heterosis!
Stay well,
Neal, the Zooman

? Were you trying to post this in a different thread?

 

[KCMOLisa]

Quote:
I was wondering the same thing.

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

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!

I wish I would've free ranged earlier, but I'm so happy that we are now. I also feed mine 3-4 times a day. I have a gutter that DH turned into a trough style feeder for me. I fill it to capacity (it's about 3 1/2 to 4 feet long) first thing in the am when I turn them loose in the lawn, once at noon, once at dinner, and then another after dinner if they act super hungry, but that last time isn't to capacity, just a snack amount lol. But I agree with what you are saying. Mine are growing slower, but healthier. Other than the initial loss I had they've been doing well, knock on wood!! They pick up my flower beds, but are really going to town on all the bugs and weeds.

I agree "Open up that tractor, Mr. Gorbachav!!!" said in my best Ronald Reagan voice...


What I did when I started Free ranging my CX's was put 2x4's under the corners so the chicks could get out and back again, if they felt threatened. It also allowed me to feed the chicks and not let the chickens into the food.


I should mention if I did not, I do not feed them in a pan or feeder, I throw the feed on the ground so they have to scratch for it... I know I waste some, but it is not as much as you would think.

Let them go free and you will love the way they act, they are so cute....


I also feed 18% protein instead of the higher stuff Tyson and Golden plum feed theirs, I want mine to grow slower..

I feed a lower protein too. If I didn't do FF I would throw their food down. That's what I did with them before I started FF and they loved going to town scratching and pecking on their treasure hunt for lunch Mine have always seemed pretty active, and I'm doing what I can to keep them that way! They will refuse feed if they aren't hungry, so I guess that's a pretty good sign.

 

[LindaB220]

Really sorry about that. Might be a premature case of a condition called, Failure to Thrive which generally develops over a much longer period of time. With respect to our genetic makeup, no matter how defined and refined I am opined that chickens like all creatures great and small are subject to a number of genes of inferiority. Many of us (vertebrates) carry a genetic load of what are known as lethal genes which are often recessive to their counterparts at the locus involved. It is when these pair up that the trouble becomes apparent; too apparent! Let's hear it for heterosis!
Stay well,
Neal, the Zooman

Hey Neal, good to see ya! I don't think that the CX's carry a lethol gene. I think it's all in the way they are raised.

@JessicaThistle , why don't you put up one of your videos to show how they can enjoy life with freedom and measured feed.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Oh my gosh Linda, I should have recorded them last night! It was starting to get dark and I headed out to tuck them in for the night. Their tractor is a about 1/3 of the way out in the pasture but they saw or heard me when I got to the door. All 26 of them started to run for me before I even opened the door! They nearly made it to the porch before I got out the door. I wish I'd had the video camera rather than a bucket of water in my hand. It was amazing!

Plaid: I love your reference to them be chubby popcorn. Mine are the pasture popcorn now.

 

[JessicaThistle]

 

[KCMOLisa]

I can't believe mine are going to be that big in 4 weeks! Yikes!

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

Love the video
I'm building a fence across the front end of our property I think so that I'll have peace of mind about the front of house/highway becaaaaause------I've decided to free range my big ladies. One is a fence hopper and always gets out anyway, but I worry about days when I'm at work and no one else is home.

So yesterday sucked for me and the chicken world. I was hanging out with the CX babies, before I had to get ready to leave for a night class and I noticed one of the chicks had his beak open and was panting. I went over, picked him up (which they haaaaate being picked up, but love to be close to my feet and legs). He didn't fight and I could hear him gasping. I tried massaging his crop, thinking something was stuck and obstructing his throat, I hung him upside down and tried to vomit him, but he couldn't clear it. I did everything I would as an RN on a human--shy of CPR. He suffocated in my arms while DH and I tried to save him. It was awful. AWFUL. I know these guys are for meat, that is why I didn't name them. But I want a humane death for them, not one of suffering. He must have gotten into something in the lawn he shouldn't have. I kept thinking about your bike tire incident, but I couldn't get out whatever was blocking his airway. We weren't going to waste the meat so DH processed him and he dressed out at about 1 1/2lbs. Need to reinforce daily that these are for food...it is hard.

 

[duluthralphie]

Love the video
I'm building a fence across the front end of our property I think so that I'll have peace of mind about the front of house/highway becaaaaause------I've decided to free range my big ladies. One is a fence hopper and always gets out anyway, but I worry about days when I'm at work and no one else is home.

So yesterday sucked for me and the chicken world. I was hanging out with the CX babies, before I had to get ready to leave for a night class and I noticed one of the chicks had his beak open and was panting. I went over, picked him up (which they haaaaate being picked up, but love to be close to my feet and legs). He didn't fight and I could hear him gasping. I tried massaging his crop, thinking something was stuck and obstructing his throat, I hung him upside down and tried to vomit him, but he couldn't clear it. I did everything I would as an RN on a human--shy of CPR. He suffocated in my arms while DH and I tried to save him. It was awful. AWFUL. I know these guys are for meat, that is why I didn't name them. But I want a humane death for them, not one of suffering. He must have gotten into something in the lawn he shouldn't have. I kept thinking about your bike tire incident, but I couldn't get out whatever was blocking his airway. We weren't going to waste the meat so DH processed him and he dressed out at about 1 1/2lbs. Need to reinforce daily that these are for food...it is hard.

I have a couple questions, How did you raise him? Free range or like the hatcheries say?

How old was he?

Was there any water in the body cavity?

Did you find an object in the birds throat?

I was watching my CX's ( last batch, which I allowed to eat as much as they wanted) They were fast growing chubby fellows.

I allowed them to go outside, but they were not what I would call free range or forced to scratch for a living....One of the chicks was jumping up at a leaf in a little bush, when it fell over and appeared to have a heart attack. It was gasping and appeared to be choking, but I figured it was a heart attack because of what I learned on this site.

Instead of trying to save the bird, which I could not have done, I (sorry for the graphics) wrung his next and cleaned him. He had a large amount of water, maybe a cup or so in the body cavity. I had one die the day before this of unexplained reasons, I assume it was a heart attack too.


This is why I now limit feed and force them to Free range.

 

[KCMOLisa]

That stinks, Plaid! Did you check his throat afterwards to see if there was anything in there? Like Duluth said, it could have been a heart attack, I guess.

Quote:
I need to tell myself this too. Everyone says don't get attached, but I'm finding out that's kind of impossible. Mine are a week old today and I have only lost one the first day, but it was still hard. Processing day is going to be emotional for sure!

The upside is that after you process this batch, you have room for more cute, fuzzy little fluffballs!