First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[JessicaThistle]

10 ish of our CX appear to be badly sunburnt on their rumps where they haven't feathered. I can go buy something tomorrow afternoon (we don't live in town) to treat it, but would blue spray lotion help at least a little bit for now? I was also hoping it might be dark enough to protect from more sunburn. It's not very hot out and they have access to shade, but they just sit there and sunbathe. They look like crispy cooked chickens. Yikes! Very red and irritated. And i looked under their wings and that skin is still white and I checked a few other chicks to try to have an idea of what was happening and they all look fine too. ?

I noticed that with mine too at times. I didn't do anything about it because they did not seem unhappy or uncomfortable. I would be interested to know if sunscreen helped with that. If you were to apply something to soothe the area, I'd probably just go with aloe. Not sure if blue spray would do anything and not sure it is even necessary. My chickens all turned out fine and I raised one group in extremely high temps. I also have no trees in my own yard and very little shade. I think when my CX were uncomfortable, they did go get out of the sun.

 

[JRNash]

Got home from Colorado this morning. After unpacking It was into the chicken. pen for me!! went to tractor supply for feed,They had Cx. Bought 12 and snuck them into the brooder...my wife never caught on.he he he going back tomorrow

 

[JRNash]

This is my Welp slow grow broiler. The geese did a number on him,messed up one of his legs.The geese,were removed from the premises!!
This guy is massive,He is almost as tall as my Jersey Giant with twice the weight. He is also the most gentle Rooster I have.My wife relocated the geese before I got back into town,they were headed STRAIGHT. to freezer camp

 

[kris86AR]

30 cornishx how big does brooder need to be?

 

[Dave C]

This is my Poulet Galouise hen

They are a French broiler bird bred for the Label Rouge free range system by Sasso.
Her brothers processed at 10-11 LB at 14 weeks.
She is 23 weeks now and started laying at 17 weeks.

Next year I will be rearing more PG's and trying to cross her with
Either my pure La Bresse

Or with one of this years DC

Or both, then crossing back to pure PG.

Hi All, well I haven't been on here this year as I lost all my birds in a fox attack while I was working away !!!!
I was devistated, but now I'm ready to start again in creating the best stastainable table bird I can.

I do have pals who live close that have some of my stock so I could start again with similar projects.
But I'm taking this as an opportunity to start fresh.

My question to you guys is this, if you had to start again, knowing what you now know, what would you do different ??

 

[JRNash]

I would build totally enclosed breeder type pens. that's the only thing I'd do different

 

[Dave C]

I would build totally enclosed breeder type pens. that's the only thing I'd do different

What about the breeds you would start with ?

I'm thinking of starting with mainly Poulet Galouise Slower growing broiler birds then crossing with a Plymouth Rock or Sussex.
My La Bresse were big and laid well but not a patch on the PG Cornish crosses.

 

[JRNash]

I'd probably start with some SOP Dark Cornish. and CX broilers on the meat side.I have White leghorn and whiting true blues for the egg side. I do get a lot of eggs from the meat side now.

 

[JessicaThistle]

30 cornishx how big does brooder need to be?

I raised 30 at a time. My brooder was only about 5ft X 5ft, BUT I moved my chicks out to the chicken tractor on pasture by 2 weeks old and free ranged them at that time as well. It will totally depend on what your longer term plan is. If you give some details, we can probably give some better suggestions.

 

[kris86AR]

I raised 30 at a time.  My brooder was only about 5ft X 5ft, BUT I moved my chicks out to the chicken tractor on pasture by 2 weeks old and free ranged them at that time as well.  It will totally depend on what your longer term plan is.  If you give some details, we can probably give some better suggestions.

Raising some good home grown food for the family is my plan hahaha. I have 8x8 tractor I will move daily when they get some size on them. I would like to let them out in evenings few hours before daylight for semi supervised free range. And free range on weekends.