First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

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podgal said:
I was just searching and trying to find post from someone that out cx out at 3 weeks and we're fine unless below 40 degrees??? Is that right?? Mine are 3 weeks and cleaning brooder every day is a pain. High 50s to low 60s overnight. Tractor has a covered area. Putting bunch of straw in there too. 22 birds. Are they gonna be okay outside??
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They will be perfectly fine outside!! Good luck with them
 
podgal said:
I was just searching and trying to find post from someone that out cx out at 3 weeks and we're fine unless below 40 degrees??? Is that right?? Mine are 3 weeks and cleaning brooder every day is a pain. High 50s to low 60s overnight. Tractor has a covered area. Putting bunch of straw in there too. 22 birds. Are they gonna be okay outside??
Click to expand...
They will be fine. I put mine out on pasture at 2 1/2 weeks old and we were having temps in the 40s overnight. I had put a heat lamp in there as well because I was worried about them. None of them laid under it so I removed it. Don't waste another second cleaning that brooder! Move those peeps!
 
Well, they're outside in the tractor. I made an 8x8 pen for them. They seem happy although they're huddled in the corner. I'll worry like a new mom until I see them in the morning... 21 days old today. 21 birds. Weight ranged from 1.2 lbs to 1.8 lbs. Average was 1.6 lbs. Feathering was varied. Thanks for the reassurance. Thanks for the valuable info on the site. This are my first meatballs! Love those babies. July 21st is their processing date. Will be 10 weeks.

This is one of the 1.8 lb big boys.

700
Limited feathering on this boy.

This one is covered up a little more.

And, I'm guessing, THIS is where the meatball nickname comes from.

It's like a giant nest of meaties!
 
JRNash said:
From looking at the size of the feet and legs of these guys you would never think they would have leg problems
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I know! it wasn't until I was looking at the pictures last night that I realized how disproportionate they are. It's like looking at a Great Dane puppy wondering how on earth it's going to grow into those paws. My Dark Cornish, White Rocks, and Jersey Giants, all the same age, are nothing compare to these metabolic monsters! I separated them weeks ago out of fear they would get suffocated at night or trampled at meal time. It amazes me how Hot their bodies are compared to the "normal" growing birds. My scientific mind marvels at their genetics. It truly is a wonder that man has produced this little beast. Fingers crossed everything goes OK. I had one BBB turkey go lame a few weeks before processing last year- it was a little disheartening to see him struggle to get around and his finished weight certainly suffered because of it. Meyer has their avg weight as 1.54 lbs at three weeks and I'm right there. Hard to believe they're going to double that in 2 weeks. I've got them on 22% meat bird feed. The 16% and 18% avail at my feed store is for laying hens. My other meat birds are on 28%. Hoping they don't have issues because of that. Figured once I got them outside they'd be a little more active, need more calories to keep warm etc and level out the metabolic requirements.
 

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