First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Morrigan]

Your meaties are adorable DK!

I need to get some more pictures taken. My guys are over 5 weeks old now and looking very much like big birds. They still like to roost and are very spry. I'm thinking my decision to put them on 16% protein flock raiser (fermented) after 2 weeks was a good one. Last year I had them on fermented 22% grower until 5 weeks and I was having leg issues by this time.

They've finally figured out that the garden produce I'm throwing them is edible. Watching them chase down the cherry tomatoes I tossed in this morning was funny.

 

[daskhan]

Your meaties are adorable DK!

I need to get some more pictures taken.  My guys are over 5 weeks old now and looking very much like big birds.  They still like to roost and are very spry.  I'm thinking my decision to put them on 16% protein flock raiser (fermented) after 2 weeks was a good one.  Last year I had them on fermented 22% grower until 5 weeks and I was having leg issues by this time.

They've finally figured out that the garden produce I'm throwing them is edible.  Watching them chase down the cherry tomatoes I tossed in this morning was funny.  

That's like the third time I thought someone was talking about me and I was having a hard time remembering if I posted photos of mine anytime soon lol

 

[daskhan]

More recent picture
They arrived 10/10/2015

 

[Morrigan]

Here are pictures of my CX at 5 weeks, 2 days. The one is giving me a dirty look for not having any food with me when I went into the coop.

 

[Double Kindness]

Ugh. So extremely loud crowing woke me up before 6 am. The crested cream legbar x ayam cemani, smooth tolbunt easter eggers and svart honas were having a crowing contest with the roosters in my basement ( white bresse with crow reduction surgery & a greenfire farms ayam cemani rooster).

Needless to say with my court summons on Wednesday coming up, it's freezer camp time. 4 roosters, 3 drakes, 7 bunnies and both Narragansett turkeys need to go today.

I need to thin my flocks before winter comes. I have quite a few nice egg layers that need new homes

2 little runner duck ducklings hatched recently. One will be a blue white split the other is a nice chocolate color that might turn blue or black later or stay chocolate.

 

[daskhan]

Egg layers you say? What breeds and free? Or prices?

 

[LindaB220]

All my cx meaties puppy pile on each other like that.. I don't like it because eventually one of them gets injured or killed from all the weight

No idea on the maurauding bees, they were a darker almost black bee my new bees are russian, something else and Minnesota hygenic hybrid cross, so they should be super strong. We're wrapping the hive tonight to winterize it.. the cold weather is coming now. Pikes peak got snow yesterday.

A meat bunny buck died in the colony yesterday morning. I had 3 bucks and 3 does that were supposed to go to freezer camp Sunday, but I went to a you pick produce farm instead to get the last of some tomatoes to can for the winter and yesterday I spent the day naking bacon jam abd onion jam

Got to have the recipe on both of those.
Adjusting to life in Vancouver, WA
Lots different from Shreveport.. No alligators Ralph. After the death of DD Aimee, I'll be staying.

 

[Turkeytruff]

Hey LindaB220 and everyone else
Been a while since I've been on this blog. Work is crazy busy and chickens are my therapy! Time for a gin and tonic at the bar and grill

You mentioned you would be interested in the 'pithing' tool. I finally ordered 2 from France and they arrived (the postage cost 4 times the tools). I have 17 Mistral Gris I will be culling on Saturday (but not using the tool this time). I am getting them done by someone else as my wrist's are not up to it this week. But I will be culling some more roosters in a month or so and I will let you know then. Had too many roosters and not enough pullets in the BCM chicks I hatched out this summer

The meaties are so goofy running around in the field. We are having a lot of rain now (I guess where you now live you are also having rain?) and of course the part of the field they use the most is muddy so they are sliding around. But their legs are fine, they are healthy happy little piglets and I feel good about how they have free ranged. I'm going to hold back 3 girls for breeding more next year.

Duluthralphie how many turkeys do you still have? I have 10 new turkeys now and they follow me and my DH around like puppy dogs whenever we appear. We are (fingers crossed) hoping that 2 of them and hopefully more will be jakes as we really want to replace the sire. He is a grumpy old sod - piece of earth - and his new name is Christmas....

Jessica I hope the duck situation is progressing well - my tenant has sold up her Cayugas and Khaki Campbells left to go to a job on the mainland. The land is finally growing grass again as part of it was over run with too many of them unfortunately. Their eggs were amazing though.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Hi All. So I've been up to my eyeballs in work and chickens but I wanted to share something. If you haven't tried tube feeding with your sick chickens, it is a must!

Since I have been a chicken farmer, I have struggled much with finding the ill looking chicken that needed food and water jammed down her beak for hours to keep her alive. I have lost many because I just didn't have the time to do it as much as they needed.

Since my recent coccidosis outbreak I have at least 6 pullets that needed extra care. A couple lived and a couple didn't and it usually comes down to my ability to shove scrambled eggs and water down their beaks often and enough. I admit, my time runs out quickly no matter what my heart wants to accomplish. I currently have 3 pullets inside that I am trying to treat. Someone suggested tube feeding while I was researching on BYC. I did some additional research and watched some videos and knew this was the step I have been missing.

So today i ran all over town finding bird formula, syringes and tubing to try to save my birds. I was successful and this evening, I set up my equipment, formula and with my hubby's help we tube fed our 3 pullets. It was so amazing, satisfying and exciting to feed our birds within seconds rather than fighting with them for an hour. It was such an awesome feeling! We so hope this jump starts them to eat on their own but if not, we fully plan to feed until they do it on their own. So easy and so quick!

If you have wondered about an easy and quick way to feed a sick hen and struggled like I have, feel free to ask about it!

 

[duluthralphie]

I never thought of tube feeding, i will have to look into that. What a great way to get massive doses of antibiotics into a bumblefoot bird!

Turkeytuff I have 22 turkeys now. I need to cut back but have no idea who to get rid of. I want them all, but I can imagine the probelms with 10 Toms come breeding time.

I have found it is never good for a turkey when they are named after a major holiday. I have 2 BBB that will be guests of honor on an upcoming thursday...