First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[duluthralphie]

I would never be able to dust the chickens, because of a severe asthma (results of an industrial accident). I am thinking if I told DW she had to dust my birds, there would be a minor explosion.

I hope I never get lice!

Bert made a major trip yesterday. He came up to the house and then to his old coop. He followed me around for about an hour. I sold a bunch of eggs for hatching yesterday, so I had people that like to look at chickens here. Bert was in the yard when one woman came. The woman started crying when I told her " that's Bert, he wants to say hi"...

She said she had a pet chicken once named Bert, then went on and one about how beautiful Bert is. She was amazed when I told her Bert is a CX. She said she did not think they lived long enough to get that mature. I have never considered Bert "beautiful" because of his naked butt and lack of feathers on his underside.


Bert did lose another tail feather yesterday, Bert was with me as I was collecting turkey eggs, and I heard a squawk. The dang guinea was chasing Bert and had him by the tail feather. I ended up saving Bert. I ran the guineas off. They need to be locked up soon, they are so mean.

 

[mountain mom]

Hello Mountain Mom!
Turkeys generally do NOT nest in trees but in a secluded hidden nest on the ground. At least this old former zoo bird curator never heard of an exception. Even so I refrain from saying never about the behavior of any animule. They will double cross you every time! Also they are federally protected under various state and federal auspices. Hubby had better not get caught possessing a wild bird egg of any kind, save house sparrows, starlings and the so-called pigeon (rock dove). The penalties can be severe. I get a big kick out of your blogs (essays).Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman

Hello Neal!

I am chuckling so hard! True, animals will amaze and double cross you! I should have been more clear... There is a grove of trees in a slight ravine, with a seasonal creek (spring time) and a bunch of brush. I didn't expect the turkeys would nest in the tree branches, but rather in the grove and in the brush.
It also appears I have broken the law. As a kid I tried to save some robin eggs that fell to the ground and the nest was destroyed. I had no idea how to hatch an egg back then... needless to say, I was not successful.
Hopefully I will be more successful with the turkey eggs from Ralphie!

 

[1zooman12]

Hi Mountain Mom,
I know of a way to incorporate wild turkeys into a flock without ever touching a feather and whats more the turkeys do it for their own purposes and you are straight with the law In fact, I saw an example of it just last weekend. What you do is the live out in the country on a property with at least one grove of trees on it. Then loose a brace of turkeys (domestic) on it. Ralphie's birds would be perfect. In the case I'm citing the property owners simply let their flock grow to about 30 and sure enough a wild hen moved in, mated with a domestic tom who did not complain and then she moved into the nesting house, selected a nest box, laid her eggs in it (some 30 in all) and is now incubating the clutch. One tames these babies by hand feeding them and lo and behold allow the wild toms access to these youngsters next year and so on. I think I'd remove all the toms, hybrid and domestic, to either sell of pen-up, so as to encourage incursions of wild toms each year. In about 4 generations you'll be unable to tell the difference between your altered stock and the wild birds. Just be sure to make a film archive of each of your steps so as to stay away from legal troubles with the Fish and Game folks. Besides it's something to do as a warm weather project and a challenging one at that since there is no guarantee this will be successfully achieved.
Sincerely,
Neal

 

[nj2wv]

Here is a recent pic of some of my CX. Born 1/27/15. Started with 27 still have 25. Regular chick feed now on regular chicken mix I make up. Mash. Creep. Cracked corn. Scratch. Chick feed. They free range all day.

 

[1zooman12]

Hi Mountain Mom,
I must be loosing my bearings. No body knows for sure how many eggs are in the wild turkey hen's box as all stay away from counting or handling the eggs lest the hen be spooked away killing the project. One thing you can bet is that there is no great likelihood that there are 30 hen fruit in her box! I have no idea where that idiot insight came from!
My best to you and all who survive reading my cockamamie swill,
Neal

 

[duluthralphie]

Here is a recent pic of some of my CX. Born 1/27/15. Started with 27 still have 25. Regular chick feed now on regular chicken mix I make up. Mash. Creep. Cracked corn. Scratch. Chick feed. They free range all day.

They look great!!!

What size are they? (guess)..

How long do you plan to keep them?

 

[Chad Cool]

Hello, I would like to know around about guess on what meat chickens eat on the average day. I plan on raising 100 at one time in a chicken tractor. if anyone could help please make recommendations. I also plan on feeding fermented feed to them.

 

[KCMOLisa]

Chad - It obviously depends on how old they are. I don't have any experience with fermented feed, but mine were eating about 11 pounds of food a day at the very end (7 weeks old). I had 25. So 100 would be eating close to 50 pounds a day at that age, and that is restricting feed. Supposedly, Cornish Cross put on weight 2:1 to food, so for every 2 pounds of food, they will gain a pound. I found it to be more like 2.5 or 3:1, but mine were extremely active and probably burned quite a few calories. You could use that as a guide to figure out how much food you will need based on how big you want them to get.

 

[duluthralphie]

Hello, I would like to know around about guess on what meat chickens eat on the average day. I plan on raising 100 at one time in a chicken tractor. if anyone could help please make recommendations. I also plan on feeding fermented feed to them.

For 100 your going to need one BIG tractor.

We all raise our CX's (meatball's) a little differently. We severely limit the food in our own ways. I feed mine only twice a day for 15-20 minutes. I let them eat all they can in that time. I give them all the water they can drink.

I will feed mine some low value scratch to keep them busy but I do not feed them much. (oats is my choice at about a week of age). I raise them on dirt or give them grit right away. (day 2).

By about 10 days I have them outside in a brooder/tractor and by 3 weeks if not before, I have them free ranging. I still only feed them twice a day. I keep the feed and the water along ways apart forcing them to walk. I have never messed with fermented feed I am just too lazy to learn and do it.

 

[Chad Cool]

What do you feed them? Oats?