First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[duluthralphie]

Morrigan, I am guessing there is a genetic problem with your chicks as you surmised. 3.5 to 4 lbs is about perfect for 6 week old birds. They will start to gain faster now as they get more bugs and greens.

If that guys weight is pretty average I think you are doing great.

 

[holm25]

I agree with Ralph. Ours could eat as much and whenever they wanted and we never had problems...

 

[KCMOLisa]

Morrigan - You might have said and I missed it, but could you let us know where you got your current batch?

 

[Turkeytruff]

TT the little chick is doing great now... I gave it electralites and it acts like a normal chick!!!

thats terrific news! So glad to hear it .
I've gone to Vancouver for a conference all weekend. Panicking that my hatcher will cook the next eggs. My DDH ( deserves an extra dear) is looking after all the assorted ages of birds. Good job he loves them as much as I do...
I think he'll be down at the bar and grill by Sunday night...

 

[holm25]

NEVER talk to someone and candle at the same time. That chick was moving and I started talking and it fell out of my hands!! It would have hatched in 8 days!!

 

[duluthralphie]

NEVER talk to someone and candle at the same time. That chick was moving and I started talking and it fell out of my hands!! It would have hatched in 8 days!!

What a bummer...

And it reminds me, that egg I used wax and finger nail hardener on.. Developed to near full term and died when my other three did, Which I think was from my cheapy incubator.




That egg may be beyond superglue help...

 

[nj2wv]

Try repairing with tape or wax and check if it's still alive every day. You never know. I've heard other have success with repaired eggs.

 

[duluthralphie]

Dear Abby:

I am truly blessed today, I assume it is because I live an honest forthright lifestyle. Which leads me to my problem. I actually have few questions for you.


Today I gathered eggs, I have 3 turkey hens and I got 3 turkey eggs, I have never eaten a turkey egg as I consider them a blessing. I got a double jumbo turkey egg today, I assume it is a double yolk, I think it would be wrong to try and hatch it.

I have 2 Cream legbar hens that lay diamond encrusted eggs worth around $1500 a piece, truly a miracle, I m blessed.

Even more blessed is my beloved Guinea Hens. They have "dug" a nest in the sand and wood chips under the nest box, I got 5 guinea hen eggs out of it today, I have always prayed to know if I have 4 or 5 guinea hens out of my 9. Now I know. Surely this shows how blessed I am.

This afternoon miraculously while my DW was at work a new incubator showed up in our dining room. It looks just like my old one that has disappeared somehow, except this one has a fan and egg turner in it. When I first saw it there I put 2 thermometer in it to see if it works, and behold it works! and holds the temperature very tight between 99.7 and 99. on each end of the incubator.

And if this is not enough, It appears it is time to take Berts dressing off his foot as he is trying to walk and the dressing is hindering him, I may even move him outside tomorrow...

Now I find all these things to be signs of my good and humble lifestyle. The problem is my wife. She does not believe in miracles as much as I do....

So here are my questions:

Should I tell her about the new incubator that just showed up, chances are she will not notice it at least for a few days, at which time I can say, it has always been here?

If you think I should tell her, is it better to wait until Monday so I might have a more blessed weekend?

Should I offer her the double yolk turkey egg and tell her how much we would enjoy it if she made me an omelet out of it?


Thanks you:
signed

Vice President of Chickens Anonymous Central Minnesota chapter.

 

[holm25]

...

Dear Abby:

I am truly blessed today, I assume it is because I live an honest forthright lifestyle. Which leads me to my problem. I actually have few  questions for you.


Today I gathered eggs, I have 3 turkey hens and I got 3 turkey eggs, I have never eaten a turkey egg as I consider them a blessing. I got a double jumbo turkey egg today, I assume it is a double yolk, I think it would be wrong to try and hatch it.

I have 2 Cream legbar hens that lay diamond encrusted eggs worth around $1500 a piece, truly a miracle, I m blessed.

Even more blessed is my beloved Guinea Hens. They have "dug" a nest in the sand and wood chips under the nest box, I got 5 guinea hen eggs out of it today, I have always prayed to know if I have 4 or 5 guinea hens out of my 9. Now I know.  Surely this shows how blessed I am.

This afternoon miraculously while my DW was at work a new incubator showed up in our dining room. It looks just like my old one that has disappeared somehow, except this one has a fan and egg turner in it.  When I first saw it there I put 2 thermometer in it to see if it works, and behold  it works!  and holds the temperature very tight between 99.7 and 99. on each end of the incubator.

And if this is not enough, It appears it is time to take Berts dressing off his foot as he is trying to walk and the dressing is hindering him, I may even move him outside tomorrow...

Now I find all these things to be signs of my good and humble lifestyle. The problem is my wife. She does not believe in miracles as much as I do....

So here are my questions:

Should I tell her about the new incubator that just showed up, chances are she will not notice it at least for a few days, at which time I can say, it has always been here?

If you think I should tell her, is it better to wait until Monday  so I might have a more blessed weekend?

Should I offer her the double yolk turkey egg and tell her how much we would enjoy it if she made me an omelet out of it?


Thanks you:
signed

Vice President of  Chickens Anonymous Central Minnesota chapter. 
[/quote

LOL!!!

 

[Morrigan]

Ralphie -- Yay for Bert! And for all your other chicken eggs blessings too. I don't know how to answer your questions. My husband has an eagle eye, so I couldn't get away with something new like that for one minute without telling him.

Holm -- So glad your chick is thriving, but bummer about the dropped egg.

Lisa -- I got my chickens from Jenks Hatchery in Oregon. They are super friendly people, the way they packaged and shipped their chicks was excellent, and I know Jessica has used them in the past with great success. So, I hate to point my finger there. I don't know whether I got unlucky with a particularly weak set, or if the unusually hot temperatures we have had in California (several 80+ days) made a difference.

They other thing that I wondered was that perhaps because of the horribly bad shipping on the CX last year, all the inherently weak birds were "weeded out" for me during the shipping, so that the 19 survivors (out of 26 sent) were the very most hale and strong birds, and thus gave me a skewed view of the hardiness of that stock. With this group, 27 of 27 survived until week 5, so maybe I'm just seeing the natural attrition of weaker birds and should count myself lucky that they got big enough to butcher. I really don't know. I do know that I'm feeding them less, and on lower protein, that last year's batch. They get plenty of fresh air and exercise. Today, my remaining birds seem fine and are moving around the yard.