First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[KCMOLisa]

Thanks for the info, Morrigan. I think Jessica has had at least two batches from there and was happy with them. I think you're on to something with the temperature being a factor. I did mine in the fall and it was almost always 70s or below during the last three or four weeks. I specifically remember one day it got to about 85 during Week 6, and my usually wild and crazy marathon-running chickens did not want to get up at all. The next day it cooled off and they were back to their crazy selves. I was thinking about doing a batch this summer, but I think I am going to wait until the fall again. The timing is perfect then because it's warm while they are little and need the warmth and then it gets cooler as they turn into little meat furnaces. Processing is much nicer when it's cool outside also! It sounds like you're doing everything right and know what you're doing, so don't beat yourself up. I know it stinks to have to process early though!

 

[Double Kindness]

Hmm. I had thought I was clear that it was a 2nd cx meatie the other day that was just standing around with blue tinged skin that was the critter that died by the time I went outside to send it off to freezer camp.

But since it was dead when I went outside.. I decided to necropsy it and it had a lot of fluid. It was the smallest of all my cx meaties though!!!

I now have only 8 cx meaties. I don't know if I want to do this breed again for meat.

I give ff from day 1. I with held foid except 3 times a day when they were 3 weeks old and they get no food at night for 14 hours.

They are outside in a protected pen to play/exersize with other same age chickens ( banty chocolate orpington, appenzeller spithauben, wcb polish, and my 2nd hatch of chicks) to learn to play and be as chicken like as possible.

I thought I did everything the right way to minimize loss before they got to the size I wanted to eat.

 

[duluthralphie]

It sounds like you did DK.

The fluid is the result of ascites. It is akin to a person with a weak heart having fluid build up in their legs.

Ascites does not affect the meat in my opinion. It simply lets you know you had a bird with a weak heart.

If none of the other birds are showing it, I would just consider in congenital to that bird. If others are then you have a problem of some kind.

I am thinking the protein level of the FF might be too high. I have never fed FF and I do not want to enter the fray about if it is good or not. I think it would be great in most birds, and for game birds and turkeys I think it would be super.

My experience which is very limited and worth the amount you paid for it, nothing and gut tells me by fermenting the feed you raised the protein level too much. Do you have any idea what the percentage of protein in in your FF?

I know a lot of people think I starve my CX's for protein, but other than the first few days I feed them 14-16%. My worry is I am going to get the protein so low they will get some protein deficiency disease.

I cut the protein level even further with my scratch which is oats with hulls and bird seed.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Morrigan: Both of my batches of cx from Jenks were raised when our weather was quite hot. We were having week or two stretches of 90+ degree weather. The day we processed half of the first group it was 98 degrees. It was miserable. I worried like crazy about them because of the weather. I do raise my birds on pasture in an open air chicken tractor with a UV tarp for shade and rain protection. I don't know if the constant fresh air made a difference for them. I don't know what your setup is and I certainly can't pin point anything that would make me identify a problem. I lost several birds each batch too for various unknown reasons as well. I fed a 22% feed the whole time as well as an excess of dropped apples, plums, zucchinis. I'm not completely convinced feeding a way lower protein feed is the answer. I think that not overfeeding the grain is the answer. Many of them will survive to butcher and some will fail to thrive. I think it is just the reality of raising meat birds.

I read but can't recall to respond on other things. I will most likely be off and on here for the next week or two. My mom passed away in a car accident on Thursday and my family is trying to make sense of this and take care of arrangements. We are behind on moving forward with the egg biz and everything else really but family needs to come first right now. Please don't feel that you need to post condolences here. Please just continue the chicken talk so I have something to take my mind off reality when I sit down at my computer each evening.

 

[Morrigan]

Jessica, you are in my thoughts today. ((hugs))

I'll get back to chicken talk soon.

 

[duluthralphie]

Jessica, my thoughts and prayers to you and your family.

 

[nj2wv]

I'm praying for you

 

[holm25]

X2

 

[Double Kindness]

Chicken talk. I can do chicken talk

Ralphie- you may remember that I have celiac disease and had to get my chicken feed custom milled for me locally, so I have only 23% protein non gmo organic gluten-free chick starter, that I feed all my flocks fermented or at least wetted. I go through a 5 gallon bucket of ff a day between 8 adult ducks, 15 laying pullets and 2 roosters, 8 cx meaties and 30 chicks.

I can't seem to upload pictures here again atm. Agh.

I was going to show ya'lls my chick/meatie set up, inverted kiddie pool shade shelter and all.

It just started pouring down rain here. Oh no. And the way I have things set up is the chicks and cx meaties get the big enclosed bed for a pen because the 4 muscovy ducks and 3 white bresse pullets pick on the chicks, so they stay in the supermax enclosed pen. With the rain though, maybe I should keep them inside the coop and make the ducks and bresse be in the rain and mud? IDK..

 

[JessicaThistle]

Thank you all but CHICKEN TALK and lots of it please!!

Thank you DK!