First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Fyremelody]

I found this very early picture of Bert. You can see from the start he was special:




Cute isn't he?

Laugh!

He is a beauty! How big is he now, Ralph? And if you don't mind a short recap, what problems did you have with your first batch?

All things considered, my first batch went pretty well, I think. We had 52 and 8 committed mass fratricide when they managed to go swimming in their chick waterer and then dog-piled under the heat lamp the second night. Around a month old, one chick turned up with an infected joint and didn't make it, one ended up snake breakfast, and then we had one other die, randomly, several weeks later. Otherwise, as far as growing them for butchering, those birds didn't have any issues and thankfully I didn't have breakdowns once they were closer to The Day.

I felt so terrible when Lilly broke down. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her (mind you, I know, technically, he's a him) take a misstep off the ramp out of the coop. That was all she wrote. No breaks, but she torqued something pretty serious, and within 24 hours of cage rest, that wore out her other leg. But Lilly was soooo beautiful and super friendly. I've since lengthened that coop walk-out to decrease the pitch, even though it's only eight inches off the ground.

I don't have the ability to free range anyone here, unfortunately. We're heavily surrounded by coyotes and the darned beasts are actually brave enough to go into my barns we actively use for horses.If it's not them, I have a hawk pair that make daily flyovers and stalk the chickens. Between the two, I don't dare let anyone free range. While the hawks are a pain, and while I adore the chooks, I also enjoy those hawks and though it's been suggested I "discourage" them with a .22, that's simply not going to happen. As for the coyotes, my sons are thoroughly enjoying my new rule that every male resident and visitor to the farm must water the lawn two foot out from the chicken yard on a daily basis. I'm quite certain that my boys can mark territory better. LOL

Linda - thanks for bringing me up to speed! That's what I thought, but wanted to be certain I had remembered the right person's posts.

Jessica, I think the cut feed here has helped a lot too. These girls didn't really grow fast, imho. They did bulk up though, going into fall. In the 10 days or so they've been on reduced feed, they are more active, and actually look a little slimmer. I took a gamble with the common belief that layer feed will give too much calcium to young birds, and kept them on it for that reason -- I wanted stronger bones. Whether it worked or not, I guess we'll never know. But other than Lilly tripping over her own feet, I can say I didn't see leg issues.

 

[duluthralphie]

FRYEMELODY,

I have no idea how much Bert weighs right now. If you look in the picture you will see his body mass is about the same as the turkey. I think he would be in the 15-16 pound range. He is not fond of being picked up. There is one hen that is larger than him. I kept the smaller birds from my last CXs.





I had all the problems most people have with CX's. They seemed lazy.

They sat at the feeder and ate and pooped, even worse they sat at the waterer and pooped.

They laid as close to the feeder as they could and pooped. They were not luvable birds!

I had 2 die for what I thought was no reason, when I opened them up I found Ascites, an indicator of heart problems. When I processed them I found a few more with Ascites.

I had one that had leg problems and could not walk. When they were about 4 weeks old I gave them access to free ranging. Few of them if any took advantage of it, the preferred to sit eat, drink and poop.

I did have a couple that took advantage of the outdoors and I thought “ these could be real chickens!”

I watched one jump for a leaf on a small bush a couple times and fall over with congestive heart failure.


I raised them like the “directions” from the hatchery said too. I had to slaughter them at 40 days to prevent losing more to heart problems. I got a nice size fryer/broiler but it was not what I wanted. They were not spectacular. They were just like the birds Golden Plump or Tyson would raise. They tasted the same.

I wanted to try and make them better. I started a thread on here very similar to this thread detailing my every step. Jessica started this thread about the same time, we all just gravitated to here and discussed our experiments. We were a bunch of like minded people thinking CX's were getting the short end of the stick because of the way people raise them.

The batch Bert was a part of were fantastic birds, they were fun, luvable and acted like real chickens. They would actually stop eating when they were full. The first batch never stopped eating.

I think it is like raising kids, genetics will dictate a lot, but environment will mediate it and even change it is some cases.

My CX's are a flock unto themselves. They are with the other birds but always apart. They have their own coop. Yesterday, my brother was visiting here and wanted to see my “mutant” chickens. We went out to the shed they like to hang in, no birds! We went to their igloo, no birds. I actually started worrying something had gotten my birds. I started looking for them and found them on the south side of a different shed climbing over the snow drifts!

They are great birds, fun, cute and luvable. Contrary to opinion of some here, I think they will raise a new generation of CX's this spring. If not I know I will get frogs for sure.

 

[mountain mom]

WOW So judgmental!

If you think Miller lite is bearish flavored water, What do you think of my Michelob Ultra light?

On heavy days I go for Corona....

Beer snob?! Yes. I live in Colorado.

Michelob Ultra Light- water. Very good for hydrating on a hot summer day after drinking real beer.
In the light Mexican beer category, I prefer Pacifico or Modelo. But be careful, they may assault your sensitive taste buds with too much flavor

After having Bloody Mary's up North, where you all pack in a veritable meal, I am now a snob there too. I like all the snacks. Aaaaand, they are always served with a beer back. You Northerners know how to serve a drink! Not to mention you can play bar games like shake a day.

All that said, my husbands favorite, everyday drinking beer, PBR. He is much less of a beer snob than myself.

 

[Morrigan]

Great post Ralphie! They can be such great chickens.

Fyremelody, I posted this awhile back, but I can't free range mine either. I have the same problems as you with numerous coyotes and hawks and, even worse, our english cocker spaniel has proven to be a chicken chaser and killer (but we love him anyway). So we built a very large chicken yard, put an electric fence around it, and strung netting over the top. Pretty much a giant run. It was a big investment in time, but we are very glad we have it.

I still have free-range envy, for those you have your chickens roaming around your yard and visiting you on the porch. When I first thought of our farm, that's what I envisioned. But, I'm unwilling to either do shock-collar training with my spaniel ( which is what it would take with him), or see the active wild animal population, which includes bears, bobcats and mountain lions where I live, decimate the flock.

 

[mountain mom]

Great post Ralphie! They can be such great chickens.

Fyremelody, I posted this awhile back, but I can't free range mine either. I have the same problems as you with numerous coyotes and hawks and, even worse, our english cocker spaniel has proven to be a chicken chaser and killer (but we love him anyway). So we built a very large chicken yard, put an electric fence around it, and strung netting over the top. Pretty much a giant run. It was a big investment in time, but we are very glad we have it.

I still have free-range envy, for those you have your chickens roaming around your yard and visiting you on the porch. When I first thought of our farm, that's what I envisioned. But, I'm unwilling to either do shock-collar training with my spaniel ( which is what it would take with him), or see the active wild animal population, which includes bears, bobcats and mountain lions where I live, decimate the flock.

It is still a beautiful space you have for them!

Chickens greeting you on the porch is really nice... and a huge mess of poop.

 

[Fyremelody]

Ralph -- Yes, those were the horror stories I read about. Prior to my ordering chicks, I had to do some research on who processed in my area. I managed to find a neighbor (country miles), who does some for locals. The first thing she said was, "Do you mind if I tell you how to raise these birds?" So I followed her instructions as identically as possible. I think I followed them too well, as the carcass weight was average four pounds after 3.5 months. The size is pretty ideal for my family but certainly not what I was expecting to end up with from what I'd read.

Do you mind sharing where your second batch came from? We got ours from Cackle this year, and they certainly weren't lazy. We had a huge huge population of grasshoppers and they ran their pen back and forth and back and forth all day trying to catch those buggers. On the few occasions the run door got left unlatched and the chicks/youngsters got out, those birds didn't slow down. They chased grasshoppers and other bugs like they were going out of fashion. I came home one afternoon -- several hours they'd been loose unbeknownst to me -- and I don't think there was a single hopper on that side of the yard. Their crops were hugely fully and the birds were still hunting like cats. I could see that they would have made great foragers had they been allowed to range the whole time. They were super friendly and people oriented from day one. The remaining three are pretty active for their environment during good weather -- they are outside and walking the run about as much as the growing layers on the other half of the coop. It's whatever might be going on internally that I worry about, and hopefully they are reaching an age where everything evens out and the body has caught up.

And like you, I refuse to believe that it's "not possible" to raise these birds. I really think that a slightly "tougher" bird on top of the CornishX, one with a slightly slower growth rate and better "Hold-up-ability" would produce a self-sustaining flock. I'm dismayed this may not work with the Buckeyes as intended. I went through a lot of research finding a Buckeye breeder who was close and was committed to furthering the breed. The roos I was given were off in color, not form, and they are simply beautiful, stout, large birds. I'm of the mindset that CornishX on CornishX risks too many recessive traits and compounds lurking genetic issues. Sort of a crap-shoot what you're going to get. At least by using a breed I can somewhat guarantee is SOP, I feel like I decrease those changes 50%. I may be wrong, but sometimes, when breeding, you have to go with what you feel is best too

It's nice to connect with others who share similar thoughts and don't immediately say "Those birds won't make it".

MORRIGAN -- oh my gosh that's beautiful! What are the dimensions on that yard? And what did you cover it with? (If there's a thread, and you'd rather link, I'll go read) I toyed with the idea of making the whole side yard where the birds are one big run, but got mired in the question of how to keep which birds out of what coop and how to keep roos separated. So we have runs attached to each coop. I am, however, inheriting a 30 foot long Chicken barn this coming year, and once I get it re-erected, this may be a great possibility. I have a fairly large corner of yard that might serve a large run set-up well. It's targeted for meaties and turkeys eventually as Blackhead isn't really an issue around here.

It's really nice to "meet" all of you -- thanks for making me feel welcome!

PS. Val's my name

 

[duluthralphie]

VAL Here is the link to my thread which tells more of what I did:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/913478/my-cornish-x-experiment


Basically I fed them 10-12 hours a day for a few days then cut back to two feedings a day of 15 minutes. I never fed them high protein feed. I used 16-18 percent grower the whole time, non medicated.



I have a Dixie rainbow or pioneer rooster. I kept him as a possible cross with the cxs. I am going to try CX over CX and see what happens. I am hoping some recessive genes will not make it impossible. Even if I lose a 1/4-1/2 with problems, by selecting the 3rd generation carefully I should lower some problems then.

I like my CX's I do not want wholesale changes just tweeks. I am not after a faster growing bird. I want a similar body type that is slower growing, maybe more dark meat but not the Dixie rainbow bodies either, they are not perfect to me.

Time will tell.


Just skim my thread no sense reading it too thoroughly it will give you an idea of what I did.

 

[Morrigan]

Fyremelody -- I need to double check with my husband who is out this morning, but I believe the yard is 100 feet x 100 feet, divided into 2 halves. The idea we had was to rotate the chickens between the two sides so we could plant some forage on the other. Of course, last summer we were in a drought and not much grew, so we let the chickens have run of the whole thing, until October, when we got the meaties. Then then put the meaties on one side, old-timers on the other.

I can't remember what the netting was called, but it was something my husband found on line (I'll ask him). It came in big rolls and they were light enough that he was able to string them over the area all by himself. The only catch is that if you get snow where you live, the netting is not porous enough to allow snow to fall freely thru it. Thus, you have to manually shake the snow off every inch or so, or it will start to tear and collapse under the weight (learned that one the hard way). It snows maybe an inch or two, only once or twice a year where I live, so it's not a big deal, but I would hate to deal with it more than that.

Other people here have suggested just running some string (parachute cord would be a good choice) in an umbrella or zig-zag pattern. That is what I would do if I lived in a snowier area. I think the idea is that you just don't want to give the hawk a clear flight path down.

It sounds like you have some nice space to work with, though, so good luck.

 

[Morrigan]

I'm heartbroken this morning. I went up to feed and check on the chickens and one of my very favorite hens, "Ms. Broody" was lying dead in the roost area. She was a sweet, gentle chicken and very valuable, too, as she was only one of two broody hens we have, and was a great mother. She was only 18 months old.

I have no idea what could have happened. There isn't a mark on her. When my husband gets home he's going to help me do a chicken autopsy, to see if she was egg bound or anything looks strange. She seemed fine yesterday, but everyone was more or less hunkered down in the coop because of the awful storm we had. The only thing I can think of is that we had violent gusts of wind yesterday -- strong enough to blow my teak patio furniture across the yard. I'm wondering if she went out in the yard at the wrong time, got swept up and slammed into something and suffered some kind of internal injury. My other fear is that the CX brought some disease with them, which didn't affect them in particular, but has now infected my flock. I really, really hope that's not the case. Everyone else seem healthy, but I'm keeping a close eye out.

I feel really bad about not keeping of the CX hens now as, it turns out, we did have an extra spot.

 

[mountain mom]

I'm heartbroken this morning. I went up to feed and check on the chickens and one of my very favorite hens, "Ms. Broody" was lying dead in the roost area. She was a sweet, gentle chicken and very valuable, too, as she was only one of two broody hens we have, and was a great mother. She was only 18 months old.

I have no idea what could have happened. There isn't a mark on her. When my husband gets home he's going to help me do a chicken autopsy, to see if she was egg bound or anything looks strange. She seemed fine yesterday, but everyone was more or less hunkered down in the coop because of the awful storm we had. The only thing I can think of is that we had violent gusts of wind yesterday -- strong enough to blow my teak patio furniture across the yard. I'm wondering if she went out in the yard at the wrong time, got swept up and slammed into something and suffered some kind of internal injury. My other fear is that the CX brought some disease with them, which didn't affect them in particular, but has now infected my flock. I really, really hope that's not the case. Everyone else seem healthy, but I'm keeping a close eye out.

I feel really bad about not keeping of the CX hens now as, it turns out, we did have an extra spot.

Morrigan, I am so sorry! Those feathered little creatures sure have a way of winning prime real estate in our hearts!
Hopefully the autopsy will be insightful. I would imagine if there was a disease brought by the CX, you would have noticed signs earlier. Pale combs, change in behavior, demeanor, poop, etc. Just my two cents.
Again, sorry for your loss today