First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[JessicaThistle]

Linda: Glad you are doing well. Want me to come slap your SIL for you? How rude! I have been sent to PT a time or two over the years. I HATE pt. First of all, it hurts like heck and secondly, they send you home with exercise sheets that if you actually did those things it would take you an hour per day and thirdly, why not just send me home with the sheets that are free and leave the PT expense out of it. Yeah, I'm cynical when it comes to medical care after working in the field for 10 years. So much stupid!

MM: I can't believe that you lost your chicks. I'm so sorry! Can you get more in your area? Also, maybe a good idea to come home with 10 to have wiggle room.

When we ordered our chicks we meant to have a group of 200. We really thought about it and thought we'd better order 250 so that in the end we could actually have 200 hens. Well we decided for more wiggle room and ordered the 300+12 packing peanuts. Since only losing 5 and hoping for continued good health, it is going to be an even better plan. We will split them and have two tractors with 150, rather than the 200 planned in the first place.

A lady emailed about my rooster for adoption last night. Hopefully it works out that she takes him home!

UPDATE:
I only have about 20 more pullets to pick up from the farm. Phase 1 nearly complete!

We have two hens in the chicken hospital unfortunately. One has what seems to be pasty butt, but I'm pretty sure is egg bound and the other just has super runny butt. Does anyone here have any tricks for helping with this? I will probably have to go peruse the health section here but there are so many ideas that it is hard to pin any fabulous info down sometimes.

 

[Brookshire11]

FINALLY got my first Cornish X last week. Lost 5 in the shipment, sold most, and was left with 2. Sooo..I picked up 5, 2 weeks olds yesterday and have 10 more coming through the feed store in April.

They are...clumsy and loud and I'm not sure if I'll miss them (which
I guess is good?)

Anyway..I had kept up with this thread when it started, but now I need a refresher!

 

[lazy gardener]

We have two hens in the chicken hospital unfortunately. One has what seems to be pasty butt, but I'm pretty sure is egg bound and the other just has super runny butt. Does anyone here have any tricks for helping with this? I will probably have to go peruse the health section here but there are so many ideas that it is hard to pin any fabulous info down sometimes.

Have you ever used fermented feed? I wonder if your runny butt chicken has vent gleet. Basically a yeast infection. FF would help. I've heard of someone using part of a vaginal suppository (for yeast infections. ? if it was nystatin) and dividing it into small doses and giving it orally. They did this daily for a few days to treat sour crop, which is often also associated with yeast. Cured the issue. I'm not advocating, or recommending, just telling you what I've read.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Have you ever used fermented feed? I wonder if your runny butt chicken has vent gleet. Basically a yeast infection. FF would help. I've heard of someone using part of a vaginal suppository (for yeast infections. ? if it was nystatin) and dividing it into small doses and giving it orally. They did this daily for a few days to treat sour crop, which is often also associated with yeast. Cured the issue. I'm not advocating, or recommending, just telling you what I've read.

Yes, I do believe after some research that it is vent gleet. I don't think ff is realistic for us right now as we have over 500 layer hens and 300 chicks right now and they are in different locations.

However, all of the hens and chicks here at home have ACV in their water. The hens at the other location have autowaterers currently and I am struggling with how to serve it up to them since the water cups are small. But I could do the suppository pieces to the others with the problem at the other location as well as the ones here in my chicken hospital.

I'm not sure if you know but I am buying an egg business with existing hens that some are in rescue status. Therefore, I am cleaning up a mess. The base of the biz is awesome but the hens needed way better care

The unfortunate part for one of the hens is that I have a feeling that her gleet has caused her vent tissue to become necrotic. All the soaking, oiling and gentle tugging hasn't budged what appeared to be dried poo. I have a sneaking suspicion that it isn't actually dried poo but dead tissue. She has been so patient with us too but I am giving her another day or two to improve before I have to make the call.

 

[mountain mom]

Jessica- So sorry to hear about your hens! I have no idea what to do for either. This may be tmi or gross or whatever, but I have read about women using garlic to cure a yeast infection. Google it. Maybe just feeding your hen garlic will help. About the dead tissue, I am clueless. Will it regenerate on its own?
I can't believe you only have a few pullets left to smuggle! I was really looking forward to a chicken drive on the news...

On the chick front... I totally should have brought more home! I just wanted to minimize the upset factor from the hubbs. He is not very good at chicken math. Something about being really good at actual math, I guess. I can still get more, and the feed store has a 24 hour guarantee. So, I can go back. I just have to get to town.

Ralph- How is your yucky spring weather? Summer was here for a few days, now it is back to spring. Clyde is showing signs of going broody!! I am boiling 5 Dixie eggs now to sneak into her nest. Dixie lays a small turkey sized egg. They don't even fit in egg cartons.
Pearl really doesn't like being touched either. It is highly offensive if you try. But she loves to be by you and chat.
How are your set eggs doing?

Linda- So glad to hear you are doing well! I really don't like having to depend on anyone else for anything, especially when I really need it... sorry your SIL is a butt! And keep working hard at PT. It sucks, but not having full use of your knee will be worse in the long run.

Brookshire- Congrats on your first CX!! So you have 5 now? How many more will you get in April? The little meatballs will grow on you... they did me! And most of the people here.
How do you plan to grow them out? Controlled feed? Let them grow longer and slower? Fermented feed?

 

[holm25]

I left for 4 days to be with family this past week and had some other family take care of the birds. When I came back guess what I found... 4 broodys!! 2 orps and 2 Cochin bantys. One has Olive egger and who knows what other cross eggs under her and am give 2 more some eggs today. I had eggs in the bator so they wont have to sit as long now. Also my CornishX followed me into the breeder pen yesterday and my Welsummer roo was breeding her... alot. Hoping to get some of her eggs now I saw her lay agian the other day so we'll see what happens there.

How are your Legbars doing Ralph r they laying again or still on strike??

I myself am going to get 20 CornishX cross raise them and then sell them. We put 50 on craigslist last year for $8 a piece ready to butcher and they were sold the next day. 5 people wanted them but they didnt want to pay that much but we still sold them for more than we wanted.

 

[lazy gardener]

Way to go Holm, on all fronts!

 

[Dandelioness]

I typically only raise meat birds for people who pre-order & give me an upfront deposit.

But I charge more than $8 per bird, just because of the cost of feed & processing.

How much is a bag of chick feed in your area, Holmes?

How many did you sell like that, just on Craigslist? Did you sell them live?

How do you other small commercial raisers do it?

 

[JessicaThistle]

Warning: A bit of yucky talk.

Thanks MM. Another trip to the grocery store 15 miles away to get garlic now. No, just kidding. So far I am doing ACV in the water, daily soaks in Epsom salts and slathering of bag balm on hiney. Yogurt in the food and today some doses of yeast infection cream.
Oh and no worries, you still have the opportunity to see the chicken drive on the news. We still have the 175 1 1/2 yr old and the 220 2 1/2 year olds to bring home. The pullets were the smallest group and in our opinion, the group we had the most chance of turning their health around and giving the best laying life to. That's one reason we got them home first. They also seem absolutely happy and more are starting to lay everyday!

Thistle Hospital Update:
I have discovered that the Patient #1 that I thought was egg bound and pasty is actually just impacted and pasty. I don't think she is laying due to the stress. So after my soaks and attempt to soften everything I don't think her skin is necrotic just yet. It is close though but I think that I may be tackling it in time. I have to get the stuck yuck off of there. I was able to remove some today but I tried to not do too much and cause her to bleed or too much pain. I felt something in her vent which I initially thought was an egg but after her soak, she pooed quite a bit and I think I determine it was an impaction. Oh and I admit that I used a pediatric glycerin suppository on her to try to loosen stuff up. I never thought I would get so "intimate" with a hen but I guess after years of being a caregiver for humans, it wasn't that big of a deal. All of these things seemed to help and she seemed to be at an improved state this evening and actually ate rather ravenously. She needs to as she feels kind of thin to me.
Patient #2 got her tushy cleaned and yeast infection treatment as she is a definite gleet patient. Everything is normal with her besides that. She is keeping the other hen from being lonely, which is nice.

Phase #1 is complete! All pullets are at home and well!
Phase #2 is to complete chicken tractor and get the oldest girls home!
Phase #3 is to build 2nd chicken tractor and get the middle aged group home!
Phase #4 is to build 3rd chicken tractor for the current pullets.
Phase #5 is to build 4th chicken tractor for 1/2 of the current chicks in the brooder.
Phase #6 is to either move other 1/2 of current chicks to chicken house on pasture that the pullets are in currently in or build 5th chicken tractor for them.

That looks like alot of work to me, but phase 1 is done! Yay!

 

[duluthralphie]

I have read it and am alive. my memory is too short to comment on it all.

Jessica, I think a 330 geriatric chickens would make an interesting drive. I understand you are reluctant to use ponies, would you feel better using cats?

Dandelioness, I found selling the CX's was met with limited success. I could find no one willing to process their own. They all wanted to pay 5 bucks a bird as long as I had cleaned it. I did sell 20ish birds at $2.50 a pound. I cannot even get someone to buy my worthless turkey jakes. I think I live in a cheap area.


Holm I have 5 eggs so far, they are very small eggs compared to my others. But the birds themselves are small and dainty. 3 of the eggs are in the incubator. I Think I am going to St Cloud today I may pick up another incubator. I want a turner to just store the "raw" eggs on and an incubator I can use as a hatcher. It would simplify my life.


MM There are no turkey eggs yet, but it must be getting close to time. The birds are acting crazy. JJ is busy protecting me from all of them when I go out there. JJ is a tad touchy now too, He is busy running the roosters off the chicken too I think JJ thinks he is super Tom. I wish I had all day to just sit out there and watch them. Every time I look out the window, I see action. I saw JJ chasing Ed, they went around and around some barrels then JJ chased him down the drive way.

Did I tell you Ray ( the golden egg laying breed rooster) escaped the other day. I went out to check them and he was outside his run. I have no idea how he got there, I found no holes in the run anywhere. I grabbed a net and tried to run him down before an Eagle ate my rooster. He can run a lot faster than me and he cheats! He ran into the woods under brush and trees and my valuable stuff.

JJ saw I was chasing Ray and thought he should get in on the fun. JJ ran into the pen and refused to let me corner him. JJ was right on his butt. Finally JJ cornered him and Ray hid under a old handrail I keep in the pen for them to use as cover. I was able to reach in and grab him. He has not escaped since.