First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Double Kindness]

Hey all! Well I was able to have my roosters out yesterday. But I still can't seem to upload pictures again today. Gah!!

I'm getting 3 turkey poults in a couple weeks or next week idk.. there's a chicken swap Saturday down the street.

I have too many chickens if I'm to hatch more eggs.

Yesterday one of my pied chocolate muscovy ducks was going broody and I already have 2 ducks on eggs. I had thought to put 18 bresse eggs under her and even got as far as looking fora marker or something and was thinking about the logistics and decided.. to break the broody duck.

She bit and fought me the entire time from the time I picked her out of the nesting box to the time she was in the cool clean water of the duck pond cement mixer bin until she was like.. oohhh water. I'm going to splash the heck out of you for not letting me go broody.

Maybe after the other ducks hatch their eggs I'll let the other 2 have their chance at hatching eggs.

 

[mountain mom]

I don't know if some one on here could help me but this is the first time I'm raising cx and they did great in the brooder no loses then but them outside in the tractor and they did great the first week now there 5 1/2 weeks and every day for the last 4 days I've lost one don't know what I'm doin wrong they eat good and look healthy then there just dead the only thing I changed is I took the heat lamp out of the tractor but there fully feathered and it's 40 to 45 at night I'm thinkin I need to put the lamp back in any suggestions? Thank you

Have you cut any of the dead ones open and checked them out? If not, I suggest doing it.
My guess is ascites. If there is a bunch of fluid when you open them up, that is the cause. It means their hearts were weak.
I don't think with them being fully feathered 40's would be a problem at night... and if it was, I think you would have lost a lot the first night, not one each day.

Sorry you are seeing loss in your CX!

 

[JessicaThistle]

Well, it is done. We laid my mom to rest yesterday and now life must press on. Of course, I still worked every day since her accident because I had no choice. So...

Anyway, the plan is still to move hens on Saturday and I am soooo ready.

Welcome to the new people on the thread and Yay, for hatching babies!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jr1022

I don't know if some one on here could help me but this is the first time I'm raising cx and they did great in the brooder no loses then but them outside in the tractor and they did great the first week now there 5 1/2 weeks and every day for the last 4 days I've lost one don't know what I'm doin wrong they eat good and look healthy then there just dead the only thing I changed is I took the heat lamp out of the tractor but there fully feathered and it's 40 to 45 at night I'm thinkin I need to put the lamp back in any suggestions? Thank you
You don't need the heat lamp. That temp is not hurting them. How old were they when you moved them out of the brooder to the tractor? Are you feeding 24/7 or limiting them?

 

[duluthralphie]

I don't know if some one on here could help me but this is the first time I'm raising cx and they did great in the brooder no loses then but them outside in the tractor and they did great the first week now there 5 1/2 weeks and every day for the last 4 days I've lost one don't know what I'm doin wrong they eat good and look healthy then there just dead the only thing I changed is I took the heat lamp out of the tractor but there fully feathered and it's 40 to 45 at night I'm thinkin I need to put the lamp back in any suggestions? Thank you

Have you opened any of the dead ones up?

I am guessing you will find fluid in the gut. That is a sign of heart disease. How much do they weigh? (guess). You may have to process now or lose them all.


The first thing that caught my eye was "they eat good" CX's always eat good. Too good, which is why I always harp on limiting feed and protein. I had your exact problem with my first batch. I fed them too much. you have to even limit the scratch for them or throw it out over a large area so they can get lots of exercise. Even little things like water and feed placement make a big difference.


That is just my guess. The other thing that seems to go wrong is leg and feet issues. But those are slow killers unlike heart attacks that are fast and without warning.






WB Jessica,,

Sorry Jessica and MM, The post we answered was on the other page and I never saw yours before writing mine, I did not mean to copy you two.....

 

[mountain mom]

Suuuuure you didn't. Copy Cat.

I just spent a couple of hours watching the fatsos outside... it is so calming and entertaining watching them. Chicken tv is the best.

Jessica- Hooray for Saturday!!! Good luck!

 

[Double Kindness]

That muscovy is broody again. So I gave her a bunch of blue and white eggs to sit on so I can easily tell if any new eggs are laid.

Boy is Becky mad at me!! I may move her into the barn in a tote or?? Help?

 

[raisinemright]

I was wondering if anyone has bred a cross that grows large quick? Maybe not as fast as CornX but close!
Or has anyone actually bred the CornX cross breed?? That would be awesome to achieve.

 

[JessicaThistle]

No problem Ralph. We are a team here.

I came home from being gone one day to find two and a possible third broody!! My daughter forgot to collect the eggs in the main coop. There was only 8 eggs in there. Is that seriously enough to kick hens into broody status? This is so stinking irritating. These girls have a job to do and hatching chicks is NOT one of them. Two of them are now in the broody pen. It is not big enough for the possible third. Hopefully one breaks quickly.

So, I have a random question. My sweet rooster gets what I feel to be overly frisky in the evening the hour or so before bed. He goes after the girls the most then. My poor silkies will be screaming and running away from him every 5 minutes. Is this normal behavior for a rooster and if so, why?

 

[jr1022]

Here is an update first thank you for your responses last night I went out to give the fresh water and there was 5 more dead I noticed on 3 of them it looked like blood was coming out of the butt or something red assuming it was blood I put them in the tractor at 4 weeks and yes I limit there food only feed once a day but I am starting to think I'm feeding to much because there feeders are never empty and they don't rush me when I come in with the feed. No I havnt cut any open yet and not sure how much they weigh just thought I give the new info if I need to butcher now I need to get ahold of my butcher ASAP please let me know if it still sounds like heart disease and if it is heart disease they are still good to eat correct ? Thanks again this is not how I thought my first experience with CX would go

 

[duluthralphie]

Dang, I had this all done and went to scroll up and hit the "clear the editor" command on the bottom, I never even knew that was there, Darn touch screens!thel


I have been trying to crossbred a CX rooster to Dixie rainbows, Which I why I worked so hard to keep Bert alive and well. I am not sure he will ever be able to do the job anymore. I might have to ask the vet to give him some Viagra. Jessica and MM have CX hens that have laid eggs, though as I recall Jessicas has went into retirement.

Jessica consider yourself lucky it is only an hour at night. Ole chases the girls all day long! The good thing is Ed and Ernie knock the crap out of him when they see him catch a girl. Ole has no tail feathers left from them pulling him off girls with the feathers. I want chicks with Ole's blue egg gene, but I do not want any more sex offenders like him, it is a tough call.

I have besides the two Ethel and JJ babies a halfway unzipped creamette egg! Fingers crossed.