First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Peep a Cheep]

Ralph, I am so sorry!i will throw the meatball am Irish wake tonight with some vodka. It does happen, but I would be bawling and verbally berating myself if it were me.

 

[Red Nugget]

Ralph I'm sorry. I have one Pixie that climbs up on tables and saw horse's by the shed. She is graceful enough to get up there but jumping down she's like a drunk. So I take her down when she's up there. She did teach herself a new trick now that she can jump a few feet. Every night for a week they've come to roost at dark with very full crops. They looked deformed. So I stopped feeding them at night. This evening I went to put them up early. A storm was coming. When I found them they were in the neighbors yard. Pixie was jumping up and hitting her bird feeder and they all were helping her gobble up the goodies. I had to chase them to get them away from the feeder. No cooperation from them at all. They were scattered around the yard and refusing to go into the run. Then it became a full family chicken rescue. The wind was about 60mph. And the chickens were blown from one end of the yard to the neighbors. About 50 yards. No apparent injuries. But keeping a close eye on them tonight. I would just hate to loose one. I love them so much. My husband told my shrink I have turned from the crazy cat lady to crazy chicken lady since I got them.

 

[duluthralphie]

That is funny, I can picture one jumping and hitting the feeder and seed flying everywhere...

To me part of the beauty of CX's is that full crop at night that makes them look even more deformed.


I have a couple that cannot wait the extra half second for me to lower the feeder trays into the pen at meal time. They jump/fly up and land on the trays as I am putting it down. It is so funny, by the time the tray is on the ground has 40 little fluff balls on it.



We have family round up every night here. As I am sure everyone knows, I free range everything. My young turkeys and chickens do not want to go in at bedtime, they want to sit outside with JJ and the young tom, ( the hens are all on nests or have babies). We get almost all of them in and one makes a break for it, normally it is the Creamettes, ( which I am sure are chicken crossed with road runner) I am never really sure if I got them all until the morning and I see none grazing.

They are going to upset for a few days as my DW and I are headed to the cabin and I am not releasing them when I have Mon taking care of them.

 

[duluthralphie]

Today is starting off badly..

I went to get a big roasting chicken to take to the cabin, I took the last one! 9.5 pounds of Yummy....

The chicken freezer is empty. I have one small whole chicken (heritage breed). and a small grocery bag of cut up pieces. They were in the pork freezer. My DW moved it.

Then I went to grab a couple pork roasts for pulled pork sandwiches on Saturday, there are no roasts either. I am running out of meat!

The good thing is I have plenty of room for the now 69 CX's in freezer camp. They will be so happy to know they can all go to camp together..

 

[JRNash]

Im thinkink seriously about ordering 50 slow grow broilers.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

...When I found them they were in the neighbors yard. Pixie was jumping up and hitting her bird feeder and they all were helping her gobble up the goodies. I had to chase them to get them away from the feeder. No cooperation from them at all. ...

Well, I suppose that's one way to successfully forage...

We have family round up every night here. As I am sure everyone knows, I free range everything. My young turkeys and chickens do not want to go in at bedtime, they want to sit outside with JJ and the young tom, ( the hens are all on nests or have babies). We get almost all of them in and one makes a break for it, normally it is the Creamettes, ( which I am sure are chicken crossed with road runner) I am never really sure if I got them all until the morning and I see none grazing.

Pardon my ignorance, but what's a Creamette?

- Ant Farm

 

[podgal]

Chick a few days old.

Medicated starter feed for 2 weeks.

Ordered 20 White Broilers from Meyer Hatchery in Polk, OH. Got 21 birds. Picked them up so no shipping.

Week 3 going into the tractor.


Week 8. have been giving them 22% twice a day filling a 2 gal bucket half way. All the water they can drink. Lost one about this age. Noticed the comb turning purple, she wasn't eating or drinking and was small. I dispatched her. They got early morning sun but since they were in the shade under the apple trees, their area was generally cooler.

Week 9 having to move the tractor every other day. Same amount of feed half a 2 gal bucket twice a day. 6 gals water every day. One rooster started breathing hard and his comb turned purple so I dispatched him for dinner before he became more ill. I think the cooler days and rainy days held off the severe heat in our area. We only had 3 -4 days of high 80s-90 degree days. Otherwise, I might have had more losses.

Stopped feed 24 hrs before. no water the day of. Didn't change the feed prior to this. they stayed on 22% the whole time. Smallest was 5 lbs. Largest was over 7 lbs. The other 9 were cut up and packaged separately for breasts (breasts were a pound each!), thighs, drums, wings, backs/necks, innerds etc.
this is a 6+ lb bird in the oven last night for dinner... and lunch this afternoon. Just an absolute delight, delicious, and personally very satisfying. Kept a couple whole. split up the rest into many pkgs.

cost breakdown: averaged out for easy math
$40 chicks
$130 feed
$50 processing ($2 each plus $1 for cut up)
$50 tractor
total of $270 investment

sold 10 birds at $3.25/lb avg wt was 6 lbs but ended up pocketing $211.25

Loss of $58.75 overall.

However, if you take out the tractor it's $8.25.

I ended up with 60 lbs of chicken for personal use. Either way you look at it I either got that 60 lbs for $58.75 or $8.25.

the end result is priceless... Can't wait to do it again next year.

I've got 20 turkeys, 12-15 Delaware cockerals, a few Jersey Giants, Dark Cornish, and White Rocks getting processed in November. Again, the freezer will be full.

I can't wait to compare the metabolic meatball monsters to the slow-growing heritage breeds.

 

[duluthralphie]

Well, I suppose that's one way to successfully forage...

Pardon my ignorance, but what's a Creamette?

- Ant Farm

A creamette is a chicken with a crest on it's head and lays blue eggs....












These are all creamettes.. Some people incorrectly identify them as Crested Cream leg bars or Cream Leg bars. but those are incorrect, Here in my barnyard they are Creamettes.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

A creamette is a chicken with a crest on it's head and lays blue eggs....

These are all creamettes.. Some people incorrectly identify them as Crested Cream leg bars or Cream Leg bars. but those are incorrect, Here in my barnyard they are Creamettes.

Ah. Sort of like Toads - a Ralphieism. So, having three 12-week-old Crested Cream Legbars (Meyer Hatchery via My Pet Chicken), I guess I have Creamettes as well.


Paula's angry selfie...





(I need to take some more recent photos...)

You know, I really like "Creamettes". Like Rockettes - but better! I may start using that! (And I TOTALLY agree about the part roadrunner thing.)

- Ant Farm

 

[chicapee]

Ah. Sort of like Toads - a Ralphieism. So, having three 12-week-old Crested Cream Legbars (Meyer Hatchery via My Pet Chicken), I guess I have Creamettes as well.


Paula's angry selfie...





(I need to take some more recent photos...)

You know, I really like "Creamettes". Like Rockettes - but better! I may start using that! (And I TOTALLY agree about the part roadrunner thing.)

- Ant Farm

Very cute!