First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[JRNash]

I'm running into a similar problem Ralph. I have one week separating two hatches.I don't feel comfortable placing the younger chicks in with the older ones.This batch is giving me the gut feeling they won't play nice.lol It's never been an issue before.

 

[JRNash]

Im thinking about doing a freezer camp round up this weekend. Gonna cull some of the roosters and some of the cx that look like couch potatoes. One of the Cx is a male,really nice looking bird,Im giving serious thought to removing him from the herd so that I can pay more attention to his health

 

[duluthralphie]

My problem with them was clumsy laziness on my part. I put too many in the same pen and the Toads are just so big and clumsy they were forcing the other chicks to cluster up in the corners. My white sports are the smallest birds and the most expensive of the bunch and I was afraid they would be killed.

I would rather kill all my chicks than my white sports. I only have 4 of them and they are priceless to me.

 

[JRNash]

Ive got a couple of the Cx showing some serious damage to the wings from picking. Too many birds in one pen with nothing to do. Gonna try and process the ones that have been singled out AND build a run off of the pen

 

[duluthralphie]

Ive got a couple of the Cx showing some serious damage to the wings from picking. Too many birds in one pen with nothing to do. Gonna try and process the ones that have been singled out AND build a run off of the pen

That is a common problem this time of year. I have my oldest Cream legbars free ranging and in with my layers. They were getting alone fine, now that they can free range they spent all day fighting. Several of the creamers are going to become skinny chicken soup real soon...

I saw my prize show rooster had peck marks on its comb and feathers missing under the hackles... . Other roosters will die for this!

 

[JRNash]

I hear you. A few of the Cx have damage to the point that the bone is showing.Totally unacceptable. I tried the purple stuff. Once they see red its over with.

 

[JRNash]

If i can come up with enough stuff i may just separate the cx completely. There are two male leghorns that were sent with my "all pullet" order that will definitely go into dumplings.

 

[duluthralphie]

I put the 5 toads and one large Black Australorp cockerel in the outdoor run/cage. I figure the Toads are so stupid and gutless they need a BA to lead them around and protect them.

They are in the same pen has Bert, but in a different "coop" and run. Not that Bert would protect anything, he is a big baby too.

 

[Dave C]

Ralph & JR, with your cross bird experiments what growth weight / time factor are you looking to achieve ?

 

[JRNash]

I'd like a 6lb processed bird by 12 weeks. I beleive a Ralph has accomplished this already.