First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[mountain mom]

Double Kindness- the feed store I used was Northern Colorado Feeder Supply (970) 482-7303 If you come up for chicks, be aware they have moved locations and the address on the website is not accurate. Juat ask what the new one is. They get chicks in on Friday mornings. Call and see if they are doing any more meat birds, they will add how many you want to their order. They were $2 a chick, for where I live and the impossible tiny post office with odd hours of operation, the extra cost is worth the peace of mind!

I think with the rate which they grow, it is not too late in the season yet. Cutting it close maybe, since you may be processing in snow but since your dp meaties are not ready yet, what the heck!

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

Holm----What a beautiful lady! Great job with growing her and her being so healthy at 12 weeks!
Jessica----love the new babies! I'm glad your neighbor rescued them and you adopted them. So cute!

I know I'm behind on all the posts, but I thought I'd chime in.. 75% of my CX chicks are all white, but I've got about 5 of them that have black or brown tips to most of their feathers. They look polkadotted and I love it. I got my chicks from Moyers in downstate PA, but I've got Meyers picked out for my spring batch.

Welcome to the new peeps on this thread!

 

[Double Kindness]

Ralphie- dp= dual purpose breed of chicken. Mine are silver laced wyandotte, barred rock and probably white leghorn that are in my meatie run/coop.

I will call the feed store you used mountain mom, and look up meyer hatchery too. The more I think about it, I got these chicks 4-5 weeks ago, and it still looks like I'm another 8 weeks out to harvest them, given that perspective, it doesn't do any harm in getting 10-25, however is the minimum to order, since I have to go to the post office to pick up chicks in a day or 2 anyways. One trip right?

Now medicated 18% protein chick starter or regular organic soy free 23% protein chick starter? I have both.

How many 50 lb bags of feed per 25 cx have everyone been going through to get them to 8 weeks?

 

[duluthralphie]

That is a hard question, the feed one.
I would start them on the higher protein for a week, but I would limit it to what they can eat in two sessions ( morning and night) of 15-30 minutes each.

After that I would go to the lower protein, (it is cheaper to buy) give them longer access to the food, if your goal is 8 weeks, I would limit the food to 8-10 hours a day.

I kept mine at 2-15 minute sessions for 5 weeks, BUT I free ranged them at 2 weeks old. Now I am feeding about 10 hours a day. BUT they have developed good eating habits and actually do not eat steady like my first ones did..

I have thought about pulling 4 of mine out, to use as breeding stock for next spring, and seat kind of little frogs I get. Those 4 ill get severely limited food again.

 

[holm25]

Holm----What a beautiful lady! Great job with growing her and her being so healthy at 12 weeks!

Thanks she is a great bird and now she has become a pet!! Also she is 16 weeks.

 

[Brookshire11]

Quick question!

How big are everyone's scalding pots?

 

[duluthralphie]

Quick question!

How big are everyone's scalding pots?

Mine is about so big,,by so deep... and fits one chicken easy...

Not much help, I know, I use a big canning kettle.

 

[holm25]

Mine is about so big,,by so deep... and fits one chicken easy...

Not much help, I know, I use a big canning kettle.

X2

 

[JessicaThistle]

I'm not going to say what we use because last time I did reveal that secret people jumped my hind end about how I would die from cancer from it. Being that I fully researched the matter, I know I am okay and they are not necessarily correct. I am so tired of the arguments lately, so mums the word.

 

[Double Kindness]

It looks like I am going to ft collins soon to pick up cx chicks. If my bf will drive me, which is kinda iffy atm... but I thawed out steaks and made home made vanilla bean ice cream for dinner tonight. Wish me luck on that. The sucking up to my bf part to drive me to go buy more chickens that is.

The guy at the feed store said they're a week old, how to tell boys from girls at that age, I'd prefer all boys. $1.95 each, they have 50 left. I can do 10-15, as there may be some losses no matter how careful one is with chickens I have found.

Unless I can find someone to go get them and bring them to me in exchange for organic grass fed angus beef? As there's a whole freezer full here, I also make killer desserts!

I have a bunch of cheap huge stock pots my bf bought at harbor freight for cheap. I wouldn't cook anything in these, but for scalding, they should work fine on our camp stove.

How many are hand plucking, or how is everyone plucking?