First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Morrigan]

Ha ha, Jessica, you definitely understand an exponential growth curve as a part of chicken math! I'm always glad for Sunny updates too. How do you restrict her food, or has she figured that out on here own?

We've finished up the processing, and I'm relaxing now with a cup of coffee. I was stunned by how big the birds were. Jenks hatchery must raise a faster growing strain of CX than the hatchery I got my last batch from. The birds were 8 weeks and 4 days old and they weighed in at 4.5, 5.25, 6, 6.25, 6..25, 6.5 and 7 lbs. To compare, last year, the final batch we did was at 10 weeks, and the largest was 5 3/4 lbs, with the average being around 4.75 lbs. As I mentioned, we had planned to make breakfast sausage out of some this year, so its good that we will have plenty of meat.

It was funny though, I had selected out the larger of the chickens (mainly roos) for today, and they were in the holding pen when one started to crow. My husband said softly, "oh, I liked the crowing." So I bundled that roo back up to the coop and swapped him out for another roo. I wish I had the space for a breeding program, because I'd like to keep him. He really does have a wonderfully melodic crow.

 

[JessicaThistle]

I just have a very small (chick) feeder in the silkies and Sunny's house that I fill about half full each evening at bedtime to restrict Sunny's feed. The silkies sneak into the main coop and eat from the auto feeder during the day. Sunny does too sometimes despite our attempts to block her from going in there.

Sunny is huge anyway though, so I'm not sure how well I am doing. I guess it's all an experiment since I can't really find any other source of info on raising CX to adults.

Morrigan, those weights are in line with what mine were as well. They were the perfect for us as we really did want average 5 pounders. I wasn't pleased with the low 4 pounders really. My second batch was smaller than the first, which was a bit of a disappointment to me. I free ranged the second batch way longer during the day though so I don't know if that contributed or not.

 

[Morrigan]

I am happy with anything over 4 lbs. We tend to eat a lot of our chicken in the form of enchiladas, chili, casseroles, so a bigger chicken isn't a problem either. It all gets eaten.

I think you may be right that the amount of exercise/free ranger is a factor. We had such a warm spring, that the chickens didn't want to do much besides sit in the shade. I forced them to move by the way I fed them, but they were otherwise pretty economical in their movements. Last fall, it was cold and rainy and they were much more active, rumaging about the yard and looking for bugs.

 

[raisinemright]

One of my ISA pullets trying to figure out how to get to the CX feeders lol she has circled that tractor about 20 times!

 

[mountain mom]

So everyone, Sunny is going to be a year old on August 5th. I think Bert's birthday is the last week in July. I am curious if anyone else still has CX from last summer?

Mountain Mom: wasn't it you that had Pearl? Is she still alive?

I am really rooting for Bert and Sunny to celebrate a birthday! Drinks are free at the B & G to celebrate their birthdays if they make it!!

Pearl will be 1 in September! She is still kickin', or waddling, really. Laying giant eggs 5 days a week! If I had to guess, live weight I believe her to be close to 20 pounds. I'm not kidding. She is really heavy.
She has the same access to food as everyone else. I hardly see her eating. She seems to be able to self regulate. I think her weight comes from the breed, not her overeating.

I think the three of us were the ones to keep CX. I can't remember anyone else doing it. But that doesn't say much, my not remembering.

Congrats on the weights today, Morrigan! Sound just about perfect.

 

[nj2wv]

My meaties always try to come in the house. Every day I have to chase them off the porch. The past few days the weather has been summer like. Today one walked in the house and stood in front of the fan. We have it by the door. We had a good laugh and I chased it out. We turned the fan the other way because we were sitting in a different area. This meatie went and got a friend and both came inside. They actually walked around to the right side and held out their wings and cooled off. Pretty smart birds.

 

[duluthralphie]

Fuzzy Butt pictures!

Bert' Juniors!



Look at the size of the legs on him, and how far the breast pops out, I think it might be Berts.



I might have stumbled onto a sex link trait of some kind, 2 of the 3 have white spots on their heads.. Weird..


And a box of Creamettes

 

[mountain mom]

Fuzzy Butt pictures!

Bert' Juniors!



Look at the size of the legs on him, and how far the breast pops out, I think it might be Berts.



I might have stumbled onto a sex link trait of some kind, 2 of the 3 have white spots on their heads.. Weird..


And a box of Creamettes

AAAAHHHHH, so cute! You may have done some stumbling, even without too many Mikes! Otherwise all should look alike, right? I am having a hard time wrapping my head around all this sexing/breeding business. But more so with the turkeys. Since they don't come sexed for me.

I plan to keep a roo from the meatie stock. SSSHHH. Don't tell DH. I plan to sneak him in.

 

[Morrigan]

Mountain Mom -- I'm glad to hear about Peal too. That is great that she is laying so well. I can't remember, did you post some pictures of her eggs before?

nj2wv -- That is a really cute story. Next, you are going to find them in the kitchen, sorting through the fridge.

Ralphie -- I'm very excited for Bert and his babies. I'm loving the chicken experiment you are running.

I'm back from a relaxing beer ("Bootjack Blond") at the pub. 35 lbs of chicken meat resting the refrigerator and the rest of the flock fed and treated with sprouted sunflower seeds. Life is good.

 

[holm25]

So everyone, Sunny is going to be a year old on August 5th.  I think Bert's birthday is the last week in July.  I am curious if anyone else still has CX from last summer?  

Mountain Mom:  wasn't it you that had Pearl?  Is she still alive?  

I am really rooting for Bert and Sunny to celebrate a birthday!  Drinks are free at the B & G to celebrate their birthdays if they make it!!    

Our girl "Snowball" is going to be 1 year old on June 3rd!!