First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[PlaidBattleAxe]

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.

He was 5 weeks old yesterday. I fed them all they wanted for the first 2 weeks, then I put them on a schedule with feedings 4 times a day. They have been outside since 3 weeks of age, but free range for 1 week. I had them in a giant hoop coop with run prior. DH didn't see any object during the butchering. I wasn't sure if that meant it was too small, but there was so much blood that it was hard to discern. No fluid in the body cavity. He dressed out beautifully.. all of his organs looked healthy too. Just couldn't find that object.. I honestly hadn't considered heart attack, but it would make sense with him going from red to cyanotic and the gasping. They still get fed 3, occasionally 4 times a day, but they all of them will refuse the food if they aren't hungry. They act like normal chickens with the exception of first feeding in the am. Then they mob the feeder and fight over it. I should've started free ranging sooner, but next time I will. These guys love ranging, and like I said, once I started free ranging, they began refusing feed when not hungry.

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.


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!

Couldn't find anything in his throat, it was hard to tell with the blood. I love these guys too.. its hard for me because I'm new at it, and I want to make sure I'm doing right by them. Enjoy your little fluffs! They grow sooooo fast And I am already planning my spring batch of CX and all of the changes I am going to implement lol.

 

[JessicaThistle]

I'm sorry Plaid. I agree that even though we are raising them for food, it is hard when they die prematurely. I'm so glad you are free ranging them though. I sure see how much happier mine are by allowing it.

I didn't say this on here, but during the week when my chicks were 3 weeks, I had two of them get injured. One of them got a damaged neck because of the injury and the other had an injured leg. I wasn't sure at the time what happened exactly but I have found a few issues with the wire on my chicken tractor that I plan on changing over the winter. Anyway, after several days in my chicken hospital, I had to cull them, MYSELF. My husband went to work and I new I had to do it. Remember, these are 3 week old chicks that I have been trying to nurse back to health for several days!

It took me 20 minutes while holding chick #1 to be able to pull it off. The second one wasn't as hard. I hated doing it, but I knew they weren't going to pull through and be able to go back out with the rest. I still have occasional flashbacks.

It really taught me to respect what my husband is going through as he culls all of them. He is a gentle soul, not a hunter or fisher, he loves animals and it affects him a little. It's a good thing he really likes chicken.

 

[duluthralphie]

Plaid, I butchered all of mine a day or two after the bush incident.

They were just over 6 weeks but I did not want to lose another, and in reality they were ready. I got huge chickens in the freezer.

The breast are so large my wife and I share a half a breast at a meal. Whereas with store bought chickens we each eat a half.

I do wish the legs were a little bigger, but I figure I cannot have everything the first time.


This next bunch should be better...


I did not say it, but I agree with the no naming of food animals.

 

[Double Kindness]

I agree not to name food animals, and am disappointed my bf has named 4 of my dp meatie chickens. Agh! We were just referring to them as the itty bitty peep peeps or meat meats... now he's saying things like "Where's Brazen at? Barrack Obama, there you are! Hey there Rocky! Oh lookit one hopped on my shoulder babe!"

Nooo!!! These are eating chickens... ugh. And now he's building a chicken tractor for the FRONT yard to let "select" chickens free range in the front yard. He has lost his mind.

I'm still trying NOT to go buy 30 cornish x chicks via a hatchery by living vicariously through you guys.. but I keep looking every day and trying not to just say well what the hay, 100 total chickens isn't a super insane thing for me to manage right now.. right?

 

[duluthralphie]

I agree not to name food animals, and am disappointed my bf has named 4 of my dp meatie chickens. Agh! We were just referring to them as the itty bitty peep peeps or meat meats... now he's saying things like "Where's Brazen at? Barrack Obama, there you are! Hey there Rocky! Oh lookit one hopped on my shoulder babe!"

Nooo!!! These are eating chickens... ugh. And now he's building a chicken tractor for the FRONT yard to let "select" chickens free range in the front yard. He has lost his mind.

I'm still trying NOT to go buy 30 cornish x chicks via a hatchery by living vicariously through you guys.. but I keep looking every day and trying not to just say well what the hay, 100 total chickens isn't a super insane thing for me to manage right now.. right?

ROFLMBO!!!

Wanna ask my wife?

I started with JJ and two unnamed hen turkeys in Early April. Soon they became JJ, Ethel and Myrtle......... Then Myrtle was broody so I bought her 4 chicks and Ethel stole them.... So I bought Myrtle 4 more chicks ( we call them turkens, chickens raised by turkeys).... and Ethel stole them, shortly after this Myrtle died of a broken heart. I had 11 birds for a short time then 10.....

One cannot raise just 8 chickens, So I bought 85 brown egg layers and 25 CX's to eat.........

And the chickens all hung together and I needed another hen turkey for JJ,,,,,so I bought 8 more....

I then saw an add for guinea hens on Craigslist,,,, and called to buy 10 of them...... The little girl was a 4h kid and had 6 geese for sale and I like helping young kids that are trying to accomplish something so I bought the geese.....

Some of the guinea hens died, so I needed to replace them, so I bought 10 more......

And the first batch of CX's taste so good, I bought another 25.......


Are you counting how many birds I have today?

I gave up on it, but I think my wife knows.... I just love em all, even the ones I eat!

 

[Double Kindness]

Oh no!! Well my laying flock has names, but I'm trying to keep the meaties the meaties even though they are dp breeds. Don't egg me on to add more chickens! I have 42 right now, and expecting 18 more in 2 weeks. Which brings it to 60. Hmm... if I keep it under 100 chickens??

No. No. No. Buuutttt... I am planning on eating them and if they're cornish x 6-9 weeks isn't a super long time..

 

[duluthralphie]

Oh no!! Well my laying flock has names, but I'm trying to keep the meaties the meaties even though they are dp breeds. Don't egg me on to add more chickens! I have 42 right now, and expecting 18 more in 2 weeks. Which brings it to 60. Hmm... if I keep it under 100 chickens??

No. No. No. Buuutttt... I am planning on eating them and if they're cornish x 6-9 weeks isn't a super long time..

If I was as close to 100 as you are with 60, I would just go for it...

 

[Double Kindness]

Shhh, it's between cornish x or quail atm.. agh

 

[duluthralphie]

Shhh, it's between cornish x or quail atm.. agh

Why pick between them,,,go for both.. and I am the proud owner of 5 new turkeys...See September hatch-along for pictures and official announcement!!

 

[LindaB220]

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.

Get some Nutri Drench . I buy the swine but they have poultry. It will give them a big dose of vitamins and electrolytes and will save overheated birds. The formula is almost identical and people have great luck with it. Feed store has it. One drop in his beak and do it again later.